A few comic things before midnight!
Two brilliant indie projects worth your time, and a small update from me
Hi everyone,
This is going to be a quick post rather than a full update, mainly as a last-minute recommendation. My chum, Tyler James, has a campaign ending this evening, and for fans of truly interesting comics there are a couple of good reasons to take a look before midnight.
If you’re into superheroes but feel things occasionally benefit from a sideways nudge, or a look from a fresh, satirical angle, this might be just the thing. The story follows the young, slightly geeky high-schooler Eric Ardor, whose superhero alter ego EPIC has a very teenage flaw. He comes fully equipped with the usual powers — strength, flight, the lot — but unfortunately they collapse completely in the presence of attractive females (yeeeees - remember that)!
Pat for the course for mild-mannered Eric, but it’s a bit of an issue for a superhero when your arch-nemesis is a dangerously alluring femme fatale called Sinstress!
As a ComixTribe series, you know the writing and art (Matt Zolman) are on point, the campaign will be fulfilled quickly, and the value for money will be very solid. I can’t wait to get my copy and see how EPIC navigates this (I kinda like the idea of looking (from a very great distance) in at a character navigating something that was quite real for a lot of us - regardless of gender)!
Another reason you might want to check it out: Tyler asked me to contribute a very different kind of cover for the series — a lenticular. Two images spliced together to create motion (think those rulers and cards we all had as kids). You might remember I did one for the last Pioneers campaign, and this one was just as much fun to work on. Definitely worth a look.
If you’re after something a little different, with some genuinely interesting rewards and add-ons (seriously, get into Sink— it’s amazing), I can’t recommend this campaign highly enough. Take a look HERE
And talking of awesome series (and awesome people) can I also give a strong nudge towards Colin Devonshire’s Substack. Apart from being a thoroughly lovely human, Colin is a dedicated ER doctor, family man, and an absolute comics legend.
He recently announced that his series By the Time I Get to Dallas will release its final two episodes together, which is huge. I’ve said this before and I stand by it: Dallas is THE BEST comic storyline out there right now.
I mentioned to Colin recently that the Apple show Pluribus reminded me a little of Dallas, in the sense that a global compulsion takes hold (we dont know why) and we look into the action from the perspective of one of the 13 people on earth NOT affected. But Dallas dials that idea much further. Most of the world feels an overwhelming pull to get to Dallas — for some that means wandering into the ocean or off a cliff, but for others it’s far subtler. The protagonist’s girlfriend feels it at an almost reasonable level, she makes plans, buys tickets… and leaves. But her man is worried, trying to understand what’s happening, trying to save her — which eventually puts him… on his way to Dallas himself.
The emotional intelligence of the series — who’s affected, how strongly, and whether anyone is truly immune — is as compelling as the mystery behind it all. I have a strong feeling Colin is going to absolutely nail the ending, and I want to be there for it.
This is also why I find indie comics like this are so satisfying. Where some TV shows build huge ideas and then trail off into a “maybe there’ll be a season two” shrug, indie comics tend to commit. The story is there. The ending matters. And in an age of drawn-out television with no clear plan, that’s deeply refreshing.
You can jump on Colins substack right HERE
As for me, the new job is going very well. And I’m finding a rhythm that’s letting me work on Pioneers a few evenings a week again. I’m only a few pages from completion now. The pages are coming out solid, and the perfectionist in me is making some small (and quite a few large) tweaks as I go that are genuinely improving the final result.
Here’s my latest completed page, I think my lines are getting more complex than ever, but I think it works, and I NEED to see this in colour!
Be patient, dear reader. I promise it’ll be worth it when we get there.
So yes — just a few comic updates for today. I’m off now to make Chocolate Biscuit Cake for a horde of wonderful grandchildren visiting tomorrow - then Kyles going to teach me to put up a shelf ;)
Thank you, as ever, for being here. A fuller “life, the universe and everything” update very soon.
Much love,
Pt