Lords Of The Cosmos #1
Written by Dennis Fallon and Jason Palmatier
Created and Drawn by Jason Lenox
Ugli Studios
Release Date: January 2017
Cover Price: $7.00 (includes shipping)

Independent comics have been a mainstay in my life for decades now. One of the best parts of this gig is access to so much indie work in addition to the mainstream companies. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: the indie books are filled with love and created with passion. Lords Of The Cosmos #1 is certainly all that and more. I love that it was a successful Kickstarter campaign; it shows that I’m not alone in my excitement for this comic book.

The comic itself is composed of a regular full-length story and three smaller tales. The whole thing is black and white, something a lot of indie books have in common. The first half-dozen pages are spent bringing the reader up to speed with information embedded in each panel as it gives us a tour of the world on which the story is set. Including a concise explanation of The Great Machine and how it brings life to the city of Gemspire and its surrounding areas.

This is followed by a series of pages that introduce nearly two dozen of the antagonists who follow their diseased leader Umex, many of who are not even vaguely humanoid. It’s a cabal of the most evil sort. The vast majority of this first issue is dedicated to this set up and while there’s not much dialogue here, the reader is left with a distinct impression of what’s to come. And it doesn’t bode well for the peaceful inhabitants with this group of miscreants plotting and scheming.

The additional short tales are connected to the main piece and are pertinent in that they reveal far more information, in a finite way, about the planet Aiden itself. And though each is more focused on a particular minion of Umex, the stories are standalone and help the reader understand their mindset better. I am eager to see the next installment, there’s sure to be some blood, action, and gore (I hope).

The plot seems well thought out and fairly well executed, to the point that the reader knows there’s a lot more to come. The artwork ranges from good to spectacular, as a matter of fact it’s what drew me in and held me captive. If I had a complaint it would be that there were too many “bad guys” introduced so quickly, maybe slowly integrate them throughout the storyline. But other than that, it has the makings of a fine series that I plan on keeping up with in the future. Maybe you should check it out, too?