Mother Russia
Written and Illustrated by Jeff McComsey
Cover by Drew Moss
FUBAR Press | Alterna Comics
Release Date: November 18, 2015
Cover Price: $11.99

A little over two years ago, I wrote a little Kickstarter Spotlight for an up and coming graphic novel/comic series. Change out your calendar a couple of times and you get the present day incarnation: Mother Russia. I can definitely attest to the fact it is everything I expected and more. I had previously seen some of the pages, but I just read the final product and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Keep reading and I’ll explain why!

First Law of Mad Science #1-4
Written by Mike Isenberg and Oliver Mertz
Illustrated by Daniel Lapham
Colored by Jeff McComsey and Oliver Mertz
Lettered by Mike Isenberg
Cover by Daniel Lapham
Noreon Labs
Release Date: September 18, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

“When we cross the line to the boundless and hideous unknown — the shadow-haunted Outside — we must remember to leave our humanity and terrestrialism at the threshold.” – H.P. Lovecraft

The above quote, used within the issues of First Law of Mad Science, describes this comic book series perfectly. A Kickstarter project come to fruition, First Law of Mad Science is written by Mike Isenberg and Oliver Mertz with illustrations from Daniel Lapham. What could be more maddening than the unknown?

George Baker, scientist extraordinaire for the Noreon Corporation, has helped the world advance technologically multiple times. His most recent development, Cyber-Eyes, are implants that allow the owner to view the world beyond the usual visual spectrum. Hank Baker, George’s son, is among the first batch of recipients to test out the Cyber-Eyes. Soon, George’s world begins to unravel. One of his employees falls through a window and unexpectedly dies; shortly thereafter, Hank begins to see small, green creatures wherever he looks. What does this all have to do with the Cyber-Eyes technology?

FUBAR: Mother Russia is the first full length graphic novel from Jeff McComsey‘s FUBAR series. The FUBAR anthologies are historical zombie stories and contain some great stories and art. This gem is from the first volume of FUBAR and was originally a twenty-eight page story that ended in a cliffhanger. And while Jeff fully intended to finish the story out in the second volume, he had other projects that arose to capture his attention and never got a chance to get back to it…until now. And that’s where this Kickstarter campaign comes in.

By now, you are probably familiar with how this works. You pledge a few hard earned dollars and are rewarded with some coo,l one-of-a-kind perks. The more you donate, the more you get. I’ve pledged a fair bit of money to several of these over the past couple of years and let me say that it feels nice to be a part of something bigger than myself. You may not be changing the world but you certainly are having an effect on the world of the person or persons behind each of these fundraisers. And did I mention there are cool gifts? Need a bit more information before you give up your cash? Then read on, my friend…read on.

Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Read no further if you watch the HBO series Game of Thrones but have not yet read the books. One of the greatest chapters from George R.R. Martin’s A Storm Of Swords has been rendered into sequential art, but the scene probably won’t be seen on the television series until Season 4. I will not be held responsible if you fail to heed my warning!

There, with that out of the way, let me say this A Storm of Swords fan art, by comic artist Jeff McComsey, is amazingly well done. Detailing the duel between Oberyn Martell, Prince of Dorne, called the Red Viper, and Gregor Clegane, nicknamed the Mountain because of his gargantuan size….it appears to be a very uneven fight from the start. I won’t get into too many details but the point is that Prince Oberyn volunteered to fight this massive warrior for personal reasons. Though both of these men are champions for another, they enter the battlefield with the express intention of killing their opponent in this trial by arms.

Director Eric Ramos is adapting Jeff McComsey’s graphic novel, American Terror: Confession of a Human Smart Bomb, for a short film release. They launched a Kickstarter in February that’s set to expire on March 30th, 2013 at 11:30 PM. The film is completed, but the group needs your help to fund post-production work such as color correction, sound design, an animated intro, and the musical score.

The short film will closely follow Volume 1 of Jeff McComsey’s graphic novel series. Victor Shepard, now an old man at the end of his life, lives in obscurity under a false identity. In his lonely solitude, he counts the days before he draws his last. The Rooster, the last of his comrades has passed. En route to his funeral, he is visited by the ghosts of his past, his memories of a life long gone. We then learn of his beginnings, before he became the father of a revolution that would forever alter the world.

Comic book fans can attest that it is often hard to find treasures among modern publications. We hold classic titles from years gone by so high with reverence that it often seems to be the case that the next release of significance comes as a surprise. Enter: Flutter…

Flutter was not merely a surprise for me when I read the preview issue – it was like a baseball bat across the back of the head. Delving into the context of super-powered beings, the new graphic novel dives deep into the consideration of sexual orientation and gender identity – a concept that could well place Flutter as the most important graphic novel of the decade.

This might be a bold call to make – but there’s something significant about Flutter’s exploration of this social commentary. While we’ve seen some of the bigger publication companies seek social popularity by uncovering that one or two of their characters just so happen to be gay; Jennie Wood and Jeff McComsey take Flutter instead and explore a more grounded and serious side that will resonate strongly and sensitively with countless readers.

And so after having my mind blown by the preview issue, I had a chance to shoot out some questions to artist Jeff McComsey about Flutter, who explains the importance of social context in comic books, and what to expect from the full graphic novel upon its release.

Flutter
Written by Jennie Wood
Art by Jeff McComsey
215 Ink
Release Date: February 15–March 15, 2013
Cover Price: $14.99

Due to hit the street sometime in late February or early March, the 110-page graphic novel Flutter takes the model of a super-powered being that we’re accustomed to in comic book lore, but immerses this conceptualization in an emotional journey of gender identity and sexual orientation. This graphic novel is certain to be a confronting, but enlightening read that you will not forget.

The preview copy we obtained is the first 25 pages of the graphic novel – and I can guarantee you that it sucks you right into the story immediately. The plot makes for compelling (and thought-provoking) reading as creators Jennie Wood and Jeff McComsey commence a journey that examines societal views on gender issues, with the remaining pages sure to be an important social commentary – as well as entertaining.

FUBAR #2, Empire of the Rising Dead
Stories by Jeff McComsey, Benjamin Truman, Shawn Aldridge, Rafer Roberts, Kevin Johnson, Steve Becker, Stephen Lindsay, Jennie Wood, Dominic Vivona, Mark Bertolini, Lonny Chant, Phil McClorey, Matt Kendzior, Kyle Kaczmarczyk, Michael Isenberg, Oliver Mertz, Michael McDermott, Jorge Vega, Timothy Zaprala, Jeff McClelland, Richard Meyers, Helaine Crawford, Eric Spohn, Ronald Montgomery, Mike Imboden

FUBAR Press and Alterna Comics
Release Date: January 11, 2012
Cover Price: $14.95

Oh FUBAR, you had me at “blarg.”

FUBAR #2, Empire of the Rising Dead is a 200+ page, World War II with zombies, short story extravaganza. Whereas the first issue took place in the European theater, this issue takes place solely in the Pacific theater. It’s all here: Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, island hopping warfare, geishas, evil Japanese scientific experiments, shark attacks on stranded sailors, and Tuskegee. But, you know, with zombies.

We’re all geeks here. And really, what would we have to geek about if creative types didn’t pour their souls into their work? These guys and gals take enormous and, sometimes, unappreciated risks to put their products into our Cheeto-salted mitts. One of the largest hurdles that indie creators face is finding the funds or the commercial interest to publish their works. Crowdfunding, one of the most inspiring uses of social media, seeks to mitigate independent publishing risks and costs. Sites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo give fans an opportunity to have a stake in up-and-coming projects.

On crowdfunding sites you can find countless comics, movies, documentaries, and games with their creators just asking for a shot at getting idea off the ground. Typically, for a few bucks more than you might have paid otherwise, you get a copy of the product and the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping somebody get their foot in the door. The project owners set a pledge goal with various levels of giving. The more money you pledge, the more loot you get in return for a successful campaign. I’ve seen pledge rewards such as signed copies, a spot in the acknowledgements, custom sketches, production comic pages, and even including you as a character in the story.

Hello, Do YOU Work Here?
Compiled/Designed by Peter Simeti
Story by Various Submissions
Illustrations by Michael Oppenheimer, Kelly Williams, Michael nelson, John Shaver, John Bulmer, Tom Kelly, J. Rozen, Daniel Thollin, Brian Beardsley, John Bulmer, Jeff McComsey, Kelly Williams, Dave Arhar, Kevin Christensen, Bret M. Herholz, Chad Storhl, Steve Black, Michael S. Bracco, Oliver Kirby, Michael Czerniawski, Gary Goodrich, Dave Arhah, Jeremy Massie, Andi Papelitzky, Douglas Draper Jr.
Introduction by Alex Robinson
Alterna Comics
Cover Price: $7.99

I spent the summer of 2002 working alone at a local 24-hour convenient store doing the 4pm to midnight shift. On one particularly brutal night my manager got in to relieve me about 10 minutes early.

“Just give me a minute,” she informed me, as she took out her cellphone, “I’m going to check in on my daughter.”

Maggie, my manager’s daughter, was maybe 16, 17 years old and went by the name, I’m not kidding: Magical. This is the side of the conversation that I heard: