Good Samaritan #1 Story and Letters by Mike Luoma
Illustrations by Federico Guillen
Color by Ken Lateer Earthbound Comics
Release Date: August 15, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
I have watched first issues of comics sit on comic shop shelves for weeks on end without so much as a glance from potential patrons. It would be easy to label those comics as simply being bad comics. The logic behind that thinking is sound enough — for decades we have been conditioned to believe that if a comic isn’t selling then it must be lousy. Marvel and DC move the most units every Wednesday so they must produce the best books, right? As we all know by now, this is rarely the case. The first issue of a comic is typically purchased because of curiosity, promotion, and hype. What really makes a comic impressive is its capacity to make people want to purchase issues 2 and 3 afterwards. Good Samaritan #1 is not a poorly written or illustrated comic by any means. However, when it comes to reeling you in for that next issue, Good Samaritan #1 failed to perform for me.
The Longhunters #1-3 Story by Buck Weiss, Ben Ferrari, George A. Meyers
Art, Pencils, Inks by Ben Ferrari, Nick Miller, Ruth Garcia, Jeff Graham
Letters by Brandon DeStefano, Niki Foxrobot, Phil Wrede
Covers by Ben Ferrari, Victor Moya, Cedric Nocon Earthbound Comics
Release Date: April 2012
Cover Price: #1: $3.99, #2: $3.50, #3: $2.99
Originally, I had not heard of Earthbound Comics or The Longhunters. As a long-time fan of independent comics, I was more than willing to give it a shake. We get a chance to meet Tom Straw, the Sleepbringer, and watch his journey unfold over the course of a dozen years or so.
The first two issues are a reprint of the graphic novel originally entitled The Sleepbringer, now unavailable unfortunately. Luckily for us, the reissuing of these stories grants us a look into the life of Tom Straw and tells the story of how he came to be known as the Sleepbringer. These first issues also introduce a few of the other characters including the legendary Daniel Boone.The stories jump around in time quite a bit but really serve to enlighten the reader as to who Tom Straw really is.
It’s not often that you find a standalone issue of a comic whose story is long enough to satisfy. Publishers try this from time to time, but often the stories feel rushed and uninvolved. In issue one of Earthbound Comics’ The Adventures of Alibi Jones, we get not one but three stories in just over 40 pages that not only satisfy, but leave you wanting more.
Sci-fi fans who crave futuristic space epics should definitely check out The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1, where we meet Alibi in the year 2135. He works as a Mediator for the Solar Alliance Interplanetary Force, negotiating treaties between humans and aliens. The stories find Alibi uncovering a heinous plot in “Blind Eye”; meeting his father as a young child in “Father’s Day”; and discovering the perils of time travel in “About Time.”
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
