Ignition Vol. 1
Written by Various
Penciled by Various
Colors by Various
Edited by Andrew DelQuadro
215 Ink
Release Date: Available for Pre-Order
Cover Price: $29.99

So, there’s a review in here, promise, and it’s going to be about the new collection from 215ink called Ignition Vol. 1. The lede is just, as people who call writing a profession say, buried. First, I need a moment to qualify what I mean and give a frame of reference. So, sorry, but: you can always circumvent that by skipping to the end if you’d like.

There’s been something of a renaissance of creator owned content lately, with a bevy of titles being announced from creators like Grant Morrison, Steve Niles, Brian K Vaughan, and other industry heavyweights. Although artistic control has been a high profile issue in the comics world at least since the early 90s -what with the Creator’s Bill of Rights in 1988, and the creation of Image Comics in 1992- the past calendar year has seemed like something of a watershed moment for the publicity and frequency of creator owned projects. Every major publisher, I believe, has an imprint dedicated to these projects, and the whole thing smacks of a cash-in. That sounds cynical.

Earlier this year, Archaia Comics released Tumor, a hardcover graphic novel by Joshua Hale Fialkov (you can read our review here).

Now, Mulholland Books has published the prose prequel to the graphic novel on their website for all to read for FREE! Posted in two parts, B& E: A Frank Armstrong Story also contains original illustrations by Noel Tuazon, who did the art for the original comic book series.

Read now: Part I & Part II.

This prose story is also included in the aforementioned digest-sized 240-page hardcover book, along with other bonus materials.

Tumor
Hardcover
Joshua Hale Fialkov & Noel Tuazon
Archaia Comics
Cover Price: $14.99
Release Date: June 22, 2010

One part Memento, one part Maltese Falcon, Tumor from Archaia Comics takes readers on a noir trip through the mind of former private investigator Frank Armstrong. Frank is a man who has lived a troubled life riddled with crime, mystery, and murder, but in the events of Tumor, he gets an unexpected surprise when he is diagnosed with brain cancer. In his very last case, Frank is met with the child of a mobster and memories of his dead wife that come back to haunt him at the most inopportune moments.

Joshua Hale Fialkov does an amazing job at telling an old fashioned detective story, while giving the reader twists and turns down the path towards solving the real mystery of dissecting the fragmented mind of Frank Armstrong. The book, coming in at approximately 200 pages of story, keeps us intrigued through the impeccable character work of the supporting cast to the point that we truly care about each one of them and how their story unfolds. Every single character is flawed, but charming, and in an era of comics when characters are created seemingly to just be flawed and have few redeeming qualities, Fialkov’s vision is a deep breath of fresh air.