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.
GRACE BEFORE THE FALL BY RAFAEL NIEVES, TONY MALDONADO, AND KEN WOLAK
These gentlemen have been doing independent projects for years and are most noted from their Halloween one-shots. Grace Before the Fall is another wonderfully quirky story of death, horror, and betrayal all neatly wrapped up in what appears to be a children’s comic. But don’t be fooled, this is a borderline Twilight Zone episode as we try to figure out the mystery of Grace’s disappearance. (Hint: the title is a clue but not the one you think.) Nieves, who knows his way around a good horror story (working on independent books like Nosferatu and Marvel’s Hellstrom, delivers an adorable little tale of the macabre and with wingman Maldonado innocent take on the art, this one delivers. I give it a 9 out of 10. Grace Before the Fall is available through both Rafael’s and Tony’s web pages. Both are also on Facebook.
ACTIONVERSE FEATURING STRAY VOLUME 1 ACTION LABS
Waiting for writer Vito Delsante to return to his booth from a panel discussion, I was lucky enough to glance through this take on a Golden Age type super group taken to the next generation. A sort of JSA meets Teen Titans meets New Mutants, if you will. Collecting the first six issues of Stray, Vito’s tale of a former sidekick’s growing pains and realization that not everything in the heroic community is on the up and up, is spot on. Stray begins to realize that his career has been flawed and that people have been hurt by his growing pains. Luckily, his training has been solid and he’s going to try and fix the past mistakes. What we get to watch is the maturing of a superhero. I give this one a 8 out of 10. The worlds of the Actionverse are available through most comic retailers or google search Action Labs Comics. However, if you want a signed copy, you’ll have to track down Vito’s convention schedule.
BLACK ARROW #5 KENSAI PRODUCTION
In meeting with the fine gentlemen from Kensai Productions , I was introduced to their newest hero in his newest adventure as the hero known as Black Arrow enters into his fifth issue. Black Arrow is a unique mix that reminds me of a Golden Age title. An interesting blend of super-hero and martial arts genres. With all the earmarks of a Golden Age hero story (Police believe him to be part of the trouble, an old friend turned enemy, and a collection of old villains joining together, etc.) Black Arrow could esily have been found in a copy of a 1940’s title like Exciting Comics or Smash Comics. Another throwback to a simpler time is the history text at the end of the issue dealing with interesting facts about samurai. An all around solid book that brings a spark of nostalgia to this old comic reader. I give it an 8 out of 10. To find a copy of this or any other Kensai title, they can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Etsy.com. Or just search out KensaiProductionsComics.com.
Stay tuned for part two of our visit with the guests at Comic Con Revolution!