I on numerous occasions talk about how much I love Scout Comics on my youtube channel.  Frequently, I highlight the Scout Box (the best damn deal on the internet), and you constantly see me wearing a Scout Comics shirt (generic, or Murder Hobo, White Ash, Stabbity Bunny, or Mullet Cop!).  One of the things I've vowed to do more is write about Scout (and maybe I'll be as cool as my friends and get my own discount code!)

Our story focuses on Hellener Drake, who appears to be nothing more than a simple colonial ice miner.  However, we quickly learn the Ministry (the government) has other plans for him, in the form of becoming the Ministry's next Voyager.  Apparently not only does exploration run in Hellener's family, but it is also a piece of his past, where he was an academy drop-out.

After learning the heartbreaking tale of why Hellener dropped out, he is faced with the ultimate survival decision.  Does he become the next voyager with the hope of preserving humanity...or does he focus on self-preservation and not go out on a presumed suicide mission?

Yeah, I'm definitely intrigued by the premise of this book, and I'm glad I'll have it in my hands soon through my Scout Box subscription.  I think you all should pick this up because it creates a compelling narrative of survival while focusing on a family's loss.  The art is extremely engaging, and makes you feel for both Hellener and the Ministry.  The colors are mind blowing.  I truly believe that Cheng just put on a clinic for anyone else writing about Mars, by creating an amazing colors cape to depict the red planet in all of its glory.

Even if you can't get this preordered by the 19th through your LCS, don't worry.  Remember Scout has a 3-month delay between their first and second issues to ensure proper time to re-order before issue 2 drops, so use the diamond information below to hit up your LCS.  OR... When the listing goes live to order on the Scout Shop and use the code BURRITO (must be all caps) you can get 10% off of your order!  (Maybe I'll be cool enough for a scout code one day...)

But if you love stories of space and survival, this is the book for you!

I'm pretty interested in Science Fiction.  Not just in terms of looking at the fantasy of science fiction, but I love researching all things sci-fi.  I'm a huge junkie reading about space colonization/exploration, I love reading about "future weapons," artificial intelligence and more.  When Jarred Lujan (Dryfoot) DMed me a birthday present (which I forgot about because of my painkillers) and then I finally got to check out his new project, this is going to hit a lot of the right notes for me...and you'll find out why below!

Crash and Troy are successful in their heist/break-out (don't want to spoil what it is!) but, what they were unaware of is how their actions will have galactic consequences.  The only way to get out of the situation they've created?  To track down the big blue nerd, and bring him back...before it's too late.

I definitely think you should check this book out if you enjoy high action books, science fiction books, or just hilarious dialogue.  I love the premise of Crash and Troy, but the way Jared has written a buddy-mercenary-comedy is really next level.  What Troy does to get he and Crash apprehended made me laugh at length.  The number of shots fired between the partners-in-crime had me in stitches.

Kyler's art is able to both accentuate some high-stakes action sequences as well as embrace the absurdity of the dialogue (watching cat videos while fighting android guards).  I really think there is a strong connection between the artist and the writer, and it shows that they've been really developing this idea to be truly kick-ass (see Jared's newsletter for their origin story).

Yep, adding this to my pull list is an easy decision, and it will complement the other title from Action Labs on that list "Sasquatch in Love."  You have plenty of time to hit up your LCS or pre-order the book yourself, but I foresee another Lujan home-run, so you better pre-order the first printing while you have a chance, because mark my words, this book will hit a second printing!

I absolutely love social media posts where independent creators are looking for people to review their work.  Where it becomes absolutely more exciting, is when someone has tagged me, looking for a review of their work!  It is an absolute thrill that my 2 cents may be meaningful to someone.  

Today's title is Heavens Decoded (part 1) which has just recently launched on Kickstarter.

(If some of this seems incoherent, I'll remind you that I'm on painkillers right now after my dental surgery =-). )

The year is 2033 and we have finally built two colonies on the moon, and are slowly colonizing Mars. The story begins with a party headed to the Mars base when they discover another ship from their fleet floating aimlessly in space and is non-responsive to radio traffic.  Once on board, they discover that the passengers have been nearly wiped out and the new onboarding crew is captured by the alien threat.

The very next day on another planet, we meet a "dirty dozen" style team who are tracking someone/something in the goal of procuring more knowledge.  What transpires across the next 15 pages turns any understanding we may have of humans vs. aliens in this universe on its head.  (This is incredibly difficult to write about without spoiling anything....)

So, in in short, you have a sci-fi tale that shows us the real expansiveness of the universe, gives us a potential epic source of conflict or alien reclamation of space, and some humans who may become increasingly more relevant throughout issues two and three.

While my plot assessment is a little convoluted, it is out of sheer desire to not spoil anything in this first issue. What is clear is that Lescouflair has the chops to write comics.  There is a lot of world building in this issue but you can understand all three clusters of beings you meet immediately, and understand what their stakes are in the world. Whatever is going to happen in this 3-issue series is going to be spectacular, and you are already bought in by the end of issue 1 because of Lescouflair's attention to character dynamics and detail.

Harris' art is intense.  One of my favorite series of panels is when the humanoid crew boards the distressed ship, and I get those classic "Alien" style chills from the bright red blood smeared on the ship walls showing the horror which is on the horizon.  The environment of Zanrid is where we see his display of one of our alien factions, and the illustration of their inner conflict is phenomenal. And holy crap, the final two pages when the sheer enormity of the coming events are revealed, I've never been more terrified in anything I've read.

Gagnon's lettering is the cherry on top. The subtle use of different colored speech balloons may make it easier to determine who is on which side.  In heavier moments where dialogue builds the action, you can feel an emotional rush created by his decisions on the page.

The three of these folks sing together quite well and have produced a high quality book!

As soon as I publish this post, I will be backing Heaven's decoded for three reasons:
1. I'm hooked so hard by the final 2 pages, I'm sold on issues 2 and 3 already.

2. It is super affordable. For as low as $3-5 you are getting 2-4 digital texts.  The print tiers also have several added benefits for a ridiculously low cost!

3. The book is already finished.  I literally just read a completed comic, which means the return of rewards will be done quite quickly as it is a question of kickstarter releasing the funds, sending the book to the printer, and then distributing all of the additional rewards.

I definitely think this book is worth supporting at any tier of your choosing.  Right now, I'm looking at the Teacher's tier because there are an amazing collection of physical and digital rewards....and you get a shirt, which you know I'm a huge sucker for!

This book has 30 days, and $750 to reach its goal.  Let's help this team make it a reality!
(Depending on how quickly I can comfortably talk again, I'd love to interview them on my channel!

On the eve of another #NewComicBookDay here is my review of Chapter 4 of Grey!  Its been a long time coming (work being bonkers).  But holy crap, #4 is ON FIRE! 

One of the thing that continues to take me back is how powerful some of these characters are for their youth. In this chapter, we are introduced to Asuka Yagu.  One of the reasons it is easy to pick up on this character's background is thanks to pages like this:

My jaw is left agape the entire issue as I not only watch the relationship between Asuka and Shuyin plays out, but my man Kale (who we already declared is my favorite) starts to fill us in on both information from the past (maybe the Sonoma Incident?) as well as his thoughts on how the law should operate within the realm of Criminality.  

As the issue progresses, we learn more about what may have happened and we watch more of the tek/knowledge base guys play out what they know. And then over a seemingly eventless dinner breaks out over the last two pages lets you know a simple through-issue is setting things up for a bat-shit crazy issue #5! I'm also going to guess I'm not breaking Kris' trust while sharing this DM....but he confirms it and it makes me salivate for #5!!!!!!!

In the end, ya'll know this is hands down one of my favorite creator-owned/driven books of the year (and pay attention to my youtube for a breakdown of KS/creator owned books of the year to prove it) but ya'll don't wanna be sleeping on this one!!!!!!!!!!!

Have I told you all how much I love Stonie Williams?   Author of Vala the Beast Heart....Mad Cave Studios talent search winner, and author of Villainous, well he just shared with me a little sneak peak into Issue #2.​

The book resumes immediately where it left off, with our two detectives investigating the bombing and theorizing about if this is the true work of the Shadow Order and what may happen if they have folks on the inside.  You also get a nice taste of how society truly feels about supers through their eyes: clearly the Coalition are the good guys and the Shadow order are bad.  Someone would even say that the Order's plan to overthrow the Coalition is rediculous.....

Shortly thereafter we get to meet members of the Shadow Order, with their pitch to Tilly as to why they either need Tilly to join them OR to stay with them in an attempt to lay low and stay safe.  THERE IS EVEN A TRAINING VIDEO (might be better than the one Bendis chopped up in his new run of Legion) where Sedition (who appears to be the leader of this parade) defends his organization and its mission, and we see if there is anything that kicks itself into action if Tilly decides to tell them what she's learned about the Coalition and its plans.....and you'll have to read the rest on November 11th to find out more!

I think Villainous #2 is as good as if not better than #1 (and normally a lot of books slump in #2 in my opinion).  In terms of the three areas we tend to focus on as readers, here's how I feel!

Story:
I think Williams has created something stellar here.  Who is really good and who is really bad?  This play on Duality of good vs evil or hero vs. villain is an excellent thought discussion, especially when you add in the question of if the Media serves as a buffer for the Coalition's actions while equally desparaging the Shadow Order.  Tilly has quite the Sophie's Choice to deal with in this book.

The Art
Sadzinski and Lafuente create a compelling virtual narrative to match the story.  The recruitment video looks and sounds like every tacky HR video we've ever had to deal with.  They also create awesome authentic facial features to match the emotions of the Shadow Order in not really believing they are in the wrong, the general concern they have for what they're doing is breathtaking.  Some of the power displays (which I don't want to spoil) make this book worth the price of admission alone!!!!

The Lettering
What preview would be complete without a shout-out to the letterer?  I love the subtle shift in font used from the dialogue text to the information we get from the recruitment video and how it shifts again when we see some passages read from files. All of the different backgrounds in each of the text passages are also amazing, and a certain Bald Bearded Bird informed me that Justin did that all himself!!!!!  That is AMAZING!!!!

Go find a copy of #1 and pre-order #2 which comes out on November 11th.