One of the trippiest things to me during my adventures in blogging/vlogging is how many creators I've gotten to chat with on a frequent basis.  Sometimes the conversations and correspondence slowly disappear shortly after an interview is over, while other relationships have flourished.  It's been fun getting to know the Author of Broke Down over the past couple of months.  I first got to meet Travis on a Thursday Night Live where I got to chat with a handful of creators about Cthulu invades Oz.  After an epic evening on Comic Burrito, Travis joined the discord and has been in there chopping it up with us ever since.

We've gotten to know him pretty well.....in fact, he's one of the two people in the Burrito discord that I've seen without a shirt on...on a livestream (Cole). When he sent me issues 1-3 I was super excited to read more of his work, and sadly...today is the beginning of the end of his first series Broke Down & 4 Dead Bodies #4 which went live on kickstarter today.

Issues 1-3 of Broke Down tells the tale of Denver who is rising through the ranks of Mr. Washington's crime syndicate and Randy who's fresh out of prison and looking to do a simple drop and cash exchange to land back on his newly freed feet.  

However, shit goes bad......way bad....on like the 5th page of issue one, we learn why this book is called Broke Down & 4 Dead Bodies.  The rest of the series is a high-octane explanation of how Denver and Randy got themselves in a bit of a pickle and how they try to get themselves back home.

In terms of pop culture references, think of this book as: The scene where the Wolf has to show up in Pulp Fiction to clean up headblood...meets the Warriors.  While this sounds like a completely f-ed up premise, it works.  Travis' twisted mind and story is brought to life perfectly by Felix and James' art.  And of course, the book wouldn't be complete without the crisp lettering of Jerome.

If you want a high octane, over-the-top, absurd series in your life, you should pick this one up.  Especially because: 
1. You can get the whole series in digital for $10.

2. ​You can check out issue one for free right here!

3. Travis is the kind of person I LOVE to back on Kickstarter...why?  If you look at his profile, he has 8 KS projects to his name and 395 HE HAS BACKED!!!! Travis is the ideal kind of creator who gives back to the community he is a part of.  He is the loudest voice praising his fellow creators, and will not drag anyone down (unless its his playful shit-talking on Chuck or Stonie).  These are the kinds of creators worth supporting, they are the lifeblood of the independent comic community.

4. I've read other works from Travis in Cthulu Invades Oz and Voodoo nations, and it's high quality stuff!

For any other questions you may have, check out the full description on the kickstarter page! Ya'll know that I don't blow smoke, that I only write about the projects and/or publishers that I think are amazing, and not just any book which falls in my lap.  Please, do yourself the favor and back this book, and make sure Broke Down & 4 Dead Bodies #4 sees the light of day!  You won't regret it!

Every time it becomes easier for people to read comic books and/or graphic novels from an independent publisher, an angel gets its wings!  Yesterday, Source Point Press announced an AMAZING new partnership with Simon & Schuster.

In a press release from Source Point Press yesterday, they noted: 

I think it is amazing that people around the world can now easily pick up classics like: No Heroine, Dead End Kids, Rottentail, Floppy Cop, Ogres and more!  Partnering with a large distributor has to be in the best interest of both parts as SPP gets to increase their readership and Simon and Schuster get to diversify their offerings with a publisher as unique as Source Point Press partnered with them.  This is awesome news all around!

Oh man, one of the books from Scout Comics I was the most excited to check out this year was Black Cotton.  A world where the racial dynamics of black and white are reversed.  I never thought I would be excited to read a book where protestors don signs that say White Lives Matter, but it works.  This smash book from Brian Hawkins, Patrick Foreman and Marco Perugini got the amazing announcement tonight from Scout Comics that it's back for a reprint!!!!!

In a press release from Scout Comics, Scout's President James Haick says "We are so proud that the critically acclaimed Black Cotton #1 is going back to print. It's such a fantastic series and we want to be sure to get this first issue in our fans hands before the second issue comes out in May.  Request it now at you local comic shop using Diamond order code JAN218878!"

This is a book you definitely shouldn't sleep on as it will not only put forth an interesting conversation on race (much like the music video for T.I.'s Warzone) but there are also some intersectional undertones on sex and class in addition to the seeds being planted for some good-old family drama.  You better believe I'm reaching out to my shop to pick up a copy of the second printing!!!!!

This has been a long slog to hump day, but new comic book day has given me the energy to survive. I hate when the seasons slowly shift and the allergens in the air conduct guerrilla warfare against my sinuses....but who cares! It’s time for the weekly pull!!!!

Here’s what I’m reading in order this week:

1. Brzrkr #1(Boom!)
2. Resonant #8 (Vault)
3. Nocterra #1 (Image)
4. Avengers #43 (Marvel)
5. Chariot #1 (AWA)
6. Batman #106 (DC)
7. Casual Fling #2 (AWA)
8. Demon Days X-Men #1 (Marvel) <——Bonus Pick Up
9. Gwenom v Carnage #3 (Marvel)
10. Thunderbolts #3 (Marvel)
11. Captain America KIB #1 (Marvel)
12. Wiccan and Hulkling #1 (Marvel)
13. America Chavez #1 (Marvel) <——Bonus Pick up
14. Dead Dogs Bite #1 (Dark Horse) <—- Bonus Pick up
15. Man-Bat #2 (DC)
16. Engineward #8 (Vault)
17. Hellions #10 (Marvel)
18. Firepower #9 (Image Skybound)
19. Swamp Thing #1 (DC)
20. Unearth #10 (Image)
​21. King in Black Handbook (Marvel)

What did I miss? I have to go to my second spot tomorrow after a doctors appointment!!
​

Last Friday, I stumbled onto the new novel by J.J. Walsh, the Chowderhead crusades, and decided to check out the prologue.  You can check out that review here. After writing my review, I immediately spent the weekend listening to the entirety of the audiobook, some chapters were so intense, I had to listen to them three or four times because I wanted to make sure I nailed every little detail (in the same way I'd read a page or two over and over to make sure I had a full visualization of all of the events).  Before I dive into the specifics of the book, just let me say: If you fancy yourself a comic book fan in any regard, you definitely want to pick up this book.

I'll break this review down into three overall pieces:

1. A longer breakdown of the story.
2. Why comics are the perfect vehicle for a story like this.
3. Why this shouldn't just be considered a re-hash of Ready Player One

As noted in my prologue, the premise of the tale is simple.  At SDCC in 2036 Cateklysm Catholicon arrives and challenges humanity to complete his conundrum by 2055.  The one who completes the challenge first will receive a piece of technology to change the course of the world, referred to as “unimaginably advanced technology” or UAT.  The story then fast-forwards to 2054 where we meet our protagonist, Clayton Claybourne, who is an orphan working on a mining vessel which is transporting to/from Mars.

We learn that Clayton is an orphan who's parents were murdered in front of him when he was nine.  Upon becoming orphaned, he was turned over to the state which then turns him over to Norman Corp as part of the labor loan project, which is a form of indentured servitude.  Amidst the backbreaking labor and guard torture Clayton faces, we do learn of his love for comics (the scriptures) and of his friends who have stunning origin stories of their own.  

As conditions on the ship worsen, and our heroic trio decide to free themselves to solve the Conundrum, a chain of events change them emotionally, mentally, and physically forever.  While the Conundrum is the starting focal point of our heroes' journey, the reason why they decide to travel the breadth of the galaxy is quite intriguing (and I don't want to spoil any of it).

During Cateklysm's announcement, he makes the argument that we need to learn from the wisdom of comic books. Instead of just odd pieces of fiction relegated into the annuls of nerddom, these are texts which should be revered as the greatest mythology of our time.  If we want to find a way to survive...to find a way to right the wrongs perpetrated by our species we should look to the sacred texts of comics.

This was something I absolutely loved (for the same way I loved Ready Player One).  There are all sorts of references made throughout the book, from the most simplistic nod to Superman/Batman/X-Men references even the most casual fan should get...to some deep cuts in independent works from Valiant and Image.  

The references made all were used in the perfect time in the story to teach us an ethical lesson, in the way religious texts are frequently invoked.  It also helped add some depth to my reading list of specific issues, arcs, or series that I definitely need to get to reading!

One of the points of pride of this book is printed on the front cover.  The Portland Book Review calls the Chowderhead Crusades: 

This is a comparison which both puts the book in amazing company on the Mount Rushmore of pop-culture literature.  My fear for some, is reading this book may make them dismiss the text as a Ready Player One knockoff.  

I really do believe the Chowderhead Crusades stands on its own two legs.  While the opening cluster of chapters (Issue 1) do feel very similar in set-up, Issues 2-4 depart from the storytelling model used by Cline and as anticipated, Walsh's book stands on its own two legs.  The meaning of the conundrum evolves to a wholly different symbolic role than the hunt for the egg held in RPO.  I feel the characters are written with a higher degree of authenticity in this book (than some of the cliche tropes used in RPO).  Finally...when you get to Issue four...I DID NOT SEE ANY OF THIS COMING.  The level of twists and turns used by Walsh to bring us to the Conundrum's conclusion take the reader down a heart pounding path you won't be able to put down. 

The moment I post this review to the blog, I'm going to start reading the book in its physical form, instead of listening to Oswalt's interpretation of the characters etc.  Although, I will say he is the PERFECT vehicle to bring Walsh's story to life.

If you are looking for a great adventure tale, comic book fan or no, you don't want to sleep on J.J. Walsh's The Chowderhead Crusades.  You should pick up the physical or audio book (or both!) and see what steps are taken to potentially save a doomed vision of humanity's future.