Recently, I had the honor of attending the Chicago Comic Con Revolution at the Douglas E. Stephens Convention Center. The best part of the show was running into old acquaintances and friends. Spending the day catching up with Hilary Barta, Bill and Linda Reinholt, Jonathan LaMantia, James O’Barr, Don Rosa, Rafael Nieves, Rafael Navarro, and Bret Juliano. Some who I haven’t seen in years. The next best thing was meeting new friends and getting to see their talents in action! Folks like Vito Delsante, Mike Wellman, and the gangs not only at Kensai Productions but at Sketch House as well! And the best part is getting to see what all these folks are currently working on. And I decided to share…
SONAMBULO LIVES! #1 NINTH CIRCLE STUDIOS
It’s been a few years since Rafael Navarro and I have run into each other. Finding out he had a new Sonambulo book in print was a wonderful surprise. I am a big fan of the character and had gotten the opportunity to review some of the earlier Sonambulo titles back in the day. And again, this book delivers on the goods. With the Lucha Libre/Detective passed on, his greatest adventure starts as he finds himself in the underworld and on a brand new mission! With old allies and villains joining in, this book brings everything that made Sonambulo cool, back into the spotlight! I give this one a 9 out of 10 and hope for more! But the good news is that Navarro has been much more busy …
GUNS A’BLAZIN! BOOK 2 ATOMIC BASEMENT/NINTH CIRCLE STUDIOS
Navarro and Ninth Circle Studios have teamed up with Mike Wellman and the folks at Atomic Basement for a few joint projects including Guns A’Blazin! This amazing cross between Land of the Lost and Sliders is definitely a labor of love for these guys. With no explanations or backstory, the main characters are immediately lovable from the minute they show up on the page. Kody and Eddie are just a copy of interdimensional jumping, time travelling cowboys with interesting ideas of fun. And the ladies sure do love them for it! This title just screams fun from the get go and doesn’t stop. I give both Books One and Two a 9 out of 10. All the books are available though atomicbasement@yahoo.com and ninthcircle@earthlink.net.
THE MAC AFRO SERIES ATOMIC BASEMENT
Wow! I mean really … Wow! Take the coolest blaxplotation action heroes from the 1970’s put them in outer space and be sure to keep all the mature bits in and that’s what the folks at Atomic Basement are giving us! And it’s worth every penny. The layouts and pencil work are stunning and the storyline keeps your interest. All this combined with the sense of nostalgia this book generates makes this whole series an automatic 10 out of 10!
Stay tuned for our third and final installment from Chicago Comic Con Revolution!