entertainment – Page 3 – Comix Ireland

Incandescent Memories #1-3

December 11, 2016 Paul Carroll

Brian Burke, one of the creators of Incandescent Memories, sent me all three books for review. It’s been some time since I actually received them – and I already had a hardcopy of one, so I was able to see the sort of quality intended in the printing of them – but various complications got in the way of actually writing a review (including thinking I had already done so, and not realising for another few weeks. Life is difficult sometimes.) But here we are: three issues of a comic by Brian Burke and John Devlin. As per usual, I don’t get overly critical. (The Irish comic creator circles are quite small, and they’re all so lovely it’s difficult not to become friends with them. Being a voice of reasoned applause and pointing out things I like is easier for me on a personal and editorial level.)

Collected Comics

The first thing that one should know when picking up Incandescent Memories is that the book collects several stories in each issue. Each issue holds one thing in common, aside from its creators’ names on the cover: The Bandit King. Serialised across each issue, it’s the one continued narrative throughout each book.

Otherwise, the books present us with separate, fun stories from each of the two creators.

Taking turns in writing and illustrating each others’ work, Burke and Devlin give us a fun look at what each of them is capable of. Issue 1, the bumper four-story book, contains stories with each creator taking alternate roles, as well as providing solo stories where they act as writer and artist.

The first issue remains my favourite, but it has the benefit of containing more stories than the others. While readers can’t reasonably expect the same volume of work every issue from these two creators, it works as a great introduction into the sort of material the two Dublin creators like to make. The additional concept art in issues 1 and 2 also help to show off the drawing styles of each artist isolated from the actual stories within the books.

Overall, Incandescent Memories is an exciting comic to watch as new issues are released. With the continued tale of The Bandit King – a humorous fantasy story – written by Burke and drawn by Devlin, returning readers have something to look forward to, while new readers have additional stories to entice them into the potential of each creator.

Highly recommended, and a good sign of things to come from Dublin’s comic crowd.

Reviews

Review: Black, White & Grey

November 2, 2016November 1, 2016 Paul Carroll

Hugo Boylan – the twisted mind behind Malevolence – sent me on a review copy of his new book with Rapha Lobosco, Black, White & Grey. As with all my reviews, I have a tendency to focus on the positive – especially true when I know the creator. Consider this a ‘Why you should buy this comic’ post (because I know this is one I’d love to have a physical copy of!)

Black Lines, Grey Morals

Hugo Boylan is, in my mind, a horror writer. The first book of his that I read was a horror, so the genre sticks in my head. This new book contains five stories: Dreamweaver, Day Job, Murphy’s Day, Heavy Black, and Black Neptune. It’s hard to tell which one disturbs me most. Conceptually, they’re all different. As stories, they’re paced differently, and rely on different scare tactics. The twists, the intrigues, the Big Bads, they vary between each story. And while it’s true to say that Boylan writes horror, and that each story contains elements of horror, there’s a greater depth of genre available in this book, when one looks at the stories separately.

Heavy Black is certainly closer to science fiction in terms of its content, while Murphy’s Day relies on the expectation of an incident to keep the reader guessing, set in an otherwise contemporary world. The final story in the book, Black Neptune, is extracted from a larger story, but contains enough of the tale to raise the question that a good story ought to: just what is going on?

To complement Boylan’s writing, Rapha Lobosco fills in the pages with – you might guess from the book’s title – a blend of black, white and grey artwork. Artistically, it can appear as a choice between colouring the art, or telling a story in black and white line-work. Conceptually, especially in a collection, the use of black, white and grey creates different atmospheres for the stories. Those told in black-and-white only are the stories that rely on twists and contrasts; what appear to be simple stories take sharp turns in the opposite direction.

When grey is introduced, we’re given two different uses of the colour; Heavy Black makes use of grey to emphasise the darkness of space (the story taking place on-board a craft in space), whereas Murphy’s Day uses grey as a means of dropping us in the middle of the story wondering where we might be taken – there is no clear-cut jump, only a wait for the shift in the story, something we have to drift through, like searching in murky water for a prized jewel. (Analogy spoiler alert: we find the jewel.)

Added to the stories are an original script – which is a nice addition from Boylan – for Dreamweaver, and concept art from Lobosco – always something I like to see at the end of a book. With a dark and dreary design pulled together by the book’s letterer, Kerrie Smith, we’ve given an impressive collection of stories from two of the finest up-and-coming comic creators in Ireland.

Black, White & Grey launches at Thought Bubble 2016 (that’s this coming weekend, folks). It’s a clever collection of intriguing stories, definitely one for fans of horror, and receives an all-round recommendation from me. You can check out Heavy Black on Taptastic in its entirety if you want a taste of what the collection is like.

Reviews

Review: 100 Times (+More Times)

November 2, 2016 Paul Carroll

Katie Fleming sent me a review copy of 100 More Times – the sequel to 100 Times. I didn’t get to review the first book, so consider this a look at the series so far. As with many of my reviews, this comes with friendship-bias. To avoid unfairly weighting things in their favour, I tend not to be the Big Review Guy, and instead focus on the things that make the books awesome. Thankfully, my catch-line for these books does the job:

Gay Werewolves

100 Times (by Katie Fleming and E. Kerr) introduces us to two characters: Myran and Quill. Myran is a human. Quill is a werewolf. They’re kinda gay for each other. (They’re really gay for each other, and it’s a glorious celebration of same-sex relationships.)

Let’s be clear early on: Quill’s werewolf nature is mostly a plot device. He doesn’t eat people throughout the book. (Spoiler? I mean, these aren’t horror comics.) Instead, Fleming and Kerr use other aspects of being a werewolf as elements of the story – most notably in the first book, the pack. Every werewolf has a pack, and it’s this introduction of Myran to Quill’s pack that becomes the centre of the first story.

Much as one would meet their partner’s family for the first time, and the usual struggles of worrying if the relationship would be accepted, Quill struggles with the notion of introducing his human partner to his werewolf family.

It’s an incredibly endearing story, and it doesn’t end with the pack.

More Times

When we reach book two, we’re faced with another dilemma between the couple: a disconnect about the meaning of family, how one (Quill) avoids talking to/about his, and how the other (Myran) values his.

We won’t get super spoilerific about it, but it’s a similar sort of story to the first book, building upon the relationship between our protagonists.

The books aren’t dialogue heavy, relying on a few key words each way, and a guided narrative with charming artwork to tell the story instead.

A big part of me just wants to celebrate the everything that has to do with the gay werewolf aspect of the books. The English graduate in me wants to celebrate the analogy between homosexuality and lycanthropy, or the parallels between human-werewolf relationships and white-and-black relationships in the early twentieth century. You can choose to appreciate those nods to romantic difficulties in history, if it so pleases you. Otherwise, I’d just pick the books up to enjoy the exploration of a relationship across the varying struggles of romance.

100 More Times is launching at Thought Bubble this weekend. Be sure to check it out, and tell Katie I said hi!

Reviews

Review: Solstice #1

October 10, 2016 Paul Carroll

I first met Nathan Donnell of Revolve Comics in 2015, at a cosplay convention in Dublin, back when he was working with another company. With Revolve, he’s produced Solstice, a fantasy comic that I picked up from him at Q-Con expecting, at the very least, some beautiful art.

Winter is Coming, and It’s Here to Stay

Solstice Chapter 1: Winter was my first time encountering the writing of Danny McLaughlin, the Derry-based publisher of Revolve Comics. I didn’t buy the comic with any expectations; after all, my purchase was to support an artist I knew. I was pleasantly surprised when, following a busy day at Q-Con in June, I found myself sucked into the incredible world McLaughlin had built within the pages of this first issue.

The world is stuck in an eternal winter. The comic’s hero, Finn, has the task ahead of her to become the new Herald. As the story unfolds, she must track down and kill the Winter God’s wolf totem. Until she can do that, winter will never end.

It was an interesting premise, one that kept me gripped the entire time, post-con exhaustion be damned.

Combined with the stunning art of Nathan Donnell, this is a story worth diving into. Coloured in a cold blue, Solstice is the epitome of winter, with dashes of other colours through the book used sparingly and for maximum impact. And it’s colour, used in this way, that really brings Donnell’s artwork to life. With a very green second issue on its way, it’ll be interesting to see how effective it’ll be as the series continues.

In the meantime, Revolve Comics have put out a free comic about type 1 diabetes. You can check it out on their website while we wait for Spring.

Reviews

Review: Ness #1

October 8, 2016 Paul Carroll

A few weeks ago (okay, more than a few weeks) Rob Carey put out a call for people to review Ness #1. Having been mostly absent from the Blogosphere since he sent me the digital copy of the comic, it has taken a considerable amount of time to produce a review – which, as with all of my reviews, functions best as a shopping guide for those with an interest in Irish comics.

Not the Nessie You Think You Know

As I set out to write this review, I asked my brother what was the first thing that came to mind when I saw ‘Ness’. His response: Nessie. As in, the dinosaur-monster from Loch Ness. And that’s the premise of Ness: there’s a monster in the lake. The difference is, this one is made of nightmares and tentacles, and any sightings you might have it are likely to be short-lived – like you. Drawing upon Lovecraftian horror to back up this Made of Nasty beastie with some Made-to-Feel-Genuine folklore, writer Chris Welsh gives us a fresh take on the myth of Loch Ness.

With a cast of four protagonists to guide us through the first issue, a believable excuse for their being there when they are, and an intriguing storyline filled with suspense from its dark beginnings, Welsh is definitely onto a winner with Ness.

Supported by deeply engaging art from Rob Carey, which perfectly captures an imagined Scotland and the nightmare that is their Nessie, and alluring colours from Dee Cunniffee, Ness is a comic worth checking out for fans of Fantasy, Horror or Adventure stories, but not for the feint-hearted. It’s gruesome and gory, and all things wonderful this time of the year.

Even better is that the second issue is on its way already! Following a successful Kickstarter campaign – and I’m not surprised in the slightest, given the first issue that Carey graced with me – we’ll be seeing the new issue pretty soon, with expected delivery dates for print copies in December this year. (It’s a horrifying Christmas present to mysellf, and I can’t wait!)

Reviews

Review: The Celtic Clan 1-3

September 2, 2016 Paul Carroll

Nigel Flood from Punt Press sent me The Celtic Clan 1-3 to review. Looking at this from a Road So Far point of view, I’ve combined the review of the series to this point into one post, taking a look at series overall, rather than on an issue-by-issue basis. As always, I aim for the most positive aspects of a book as much as possible in my reviews.

Another Irish Superhero Story?

For such a small country, our comic creators love to create large teams of Irish superheroes. Buttonpress have one. Cremona Press have one. And, though they also release other titles, Punt Press have one. There’s always a problem with scale when it comes to superhero stories – just how many characters should you attempt to fit into one story? – and I think for the most part, Flood and co. have the max figured out. The Celtic Clan featured in the book, if you ignore the additional ensemble of supporting heroes, is enough to make the difference on the panels, and allows for a few different stories to be told at once.

I should say, I preferred Flood’s other work – The Globalists – but there’s a lot of fun to be had in the pages of The Celtic Clan. It’s definitely a more jovial comic, not quite on the all-ages spectrum of Buttonpress comics, but with a lot of the humour that a more violent comic needs when the cast are wearing spandex.

Villainsssssss

When I initially read the comics, I thought the idea for the villains was a bit…silly? I’ll settle on silly. I even thought that when I was tired and made my notes for this very review. Several days later, and taking into account everything I’ve already said, I revise that statement.

The villains of the comics are snake people. Yes, snake people. Lizard people, maybe. But definitely reptilian in nature, with a fun throwback to one of the strangest conspiracy theories we still occasionally hear about – the underground lizard people who rule the world!

Flood takes advantage of this to cast an eye back into Irish history, and manages to create a greater sense of mythos within his comics than three issues should really allow. (Bravo on that!)

The books are fast-paced, and artist Frank J Right succeeds in driving the story along expertly, and fleshing out the details on a wholly bizarre set of characters, seemingly without issue.

(And, it should be said, the characters vary in so many different ways. There’s a cat-man, lizard-people, a pixie-esque-woman, a classic warrior, a barbarian-ish old man, a speedster in spandex, and a monster made from whatever the ground can provide, be it turf, concrete or street poles. Despite the massive mix, he manages not to deviate from his style, and depicts everything skilfully.)

All in all, The Celtic Clan is a fun series. It’s worth checking out if you like superhero comics and want to support small press. How long we’ll have to wait for issue 4, however, remains to be seen.

Reviews

Review: Malevolence

August 29, 2016 Paul Carroll

Launched at Dublin Comic Con, and then again in a library in Clonmel (because libraries are cool, and that’s where the artist lives), Malevolence is a new horror comic from writer Hugo Boylan and artist John Quigley, with Dearbhla Kelly on Colours and Kerrie Smith on Letters. John asked me, before I met him at DCC and talked the ear off him (and attempted in vain not to be sold almost everything from his table), if I would review Malevolence. As usual, don’t take the review too critically – I know I won’t while writing it!

Twisted

One word sums up the book. Twisted. From Boylan’s writing, to Quigley art, Kelly’s colours, and even Smith’s lettering. The individual elements of this comic twist together to make something uniquely engaging. I wouldn’t want to spoil the plot for you, but the basics you need to know about Malevolence are these simple facts:

1. The comic takes place across three decades.

2. The comic is filled with fleeting moments of madness.

3. The comic wouldn’t make much sense without Kelly and Smith’s contributions.

Colourful Dread

Most comics can get along with a strong story and a skilled artist. Black & White is an acceptable standard for storytelling. But colour brings this one to life. Colour is the only way we know when we are within the story. Colour invites us through three decades of horror. Without colour, an element so vital to this book, everything else would need to change. The book would need to be re-panelled, re-organised, maybe even re-written to a more linear story. But linear is common. Colour allows for Boylan and co. to create their non-linear nightmare.

Colour is the vital piece of dread that the books need to truly come alive.

When Smith’s lettering gets taken into account, the genre of the book is really played up expertly. There’s a lesson to be learned from letterers all-over about how to turn a writer’s words into part of the art itself within Malevolence.

The book builds upon a beautifully horrid concept and executes it in terrifying fashion.

You can get your hands on Malevolence – and you really should – from Hugo Boylan and John Quigley directly. Hugo can be found at @HugoBoylan; John can be found at @johnquigley209.

Reviews

Review: The Globalists #1

August 15, 2016August 14, 2016 Paul Carroll

Nigel Flood of Punt Press got in touch with me lately to see about reviews of a few of his books – and he was quick to send on issue #1 of The Globalists, and issues 1-3 of Celtic Clan in the mail. So, full-disclosure for this review, they were free review copies. Reminder, also, that when it comes to comics, I’m not overly critical; I love to explore the reasons I think people will enjoy a particular comic (which helps in recommending the books people would enjoy!) With that said, onto the review.

Not Your Average Superhero Comic

The first thing that will be apparent from the cover of the book: it’s a superhero book. It looks every bit the genre; Kevin Keane certainly knows how to draw for the market. The characters – and we’ll get onto them in a minute – are fully brought to life in a way that’s typically expected of the Big Two. Before readers get into Nigel Flood’s tale, there’s an instant feeling of familiarity that helps ease newbies to the writer’s work into the book.

And what a book.

Intriguing from the very start, The Globalists presents us with an unknown narrator in a prison cell, a glimpse at the snarling face of one Adolf Hitler, and a concise expository history lesson on the Superhuman Arms Race. From there, it’s all downhill. And uphill. It depends on your perspective.

As a first issue, the book manages to fit in a lot. We’re given a measure of the powers at play (pun 100% intended), the backstory to the issues at hand in the modern day, a glimpse at the protagonists, and a sense of the scale of danger presented by the antagonists. I’m a sucker for superhero stories. I devour them greedily. And I need more of this from Flood and co.

While some stories start a little unsure of themselves, Flood gives us an established dilemma and philosophy, to be explored in greater detail as the series continues. All we need now is a release date for the next issue. In the meantime, you can get a copy of the series debut from Punt Press directly, or in Forbidden Planet Dublin, while stocks last. Recommended for fans of superhero comics looking for a fresh take on the genre.

Article

Dublin Comic Con 2016

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 Paul Carroll

Dublin Comic Con opened its doors on a sunny Saturday morning to the general public; those of us near the front of the line had some refuge from the blistering morning sun – we’re still suspicious of that, given the history of Irish weather – and waited a good two hours to get in.

And it was worth it.

DCC was filled to the brim, with attendees in plain dress and costume, vendors with all manner of geeky wares, and artists – writers and illustrators both – manning the tables in the Artists Alley.

Photos were posed for, money exchanged hands, people were heard screaming with delight – and occasionally telling a Jon Snow cosplayer that he knew nothing, or informing a Wally that he had been found – at the various items around the room, and marvelling at the cosplay outfits.

And me? I was making my rounds. Several times a day. I eyed up the tables, I ignored my shopping list altogether, and I earned the title I would later be given: the Patron Saint of Small Press. Below are my comic purchases from Day 1.

100 Times, Helion #2, The Circle, Flare One-Shot, Malevolence, Finn & Fish The Rinse Cycle #2, Finn & Fish The Wash Cycle, Rubenette Preview, The Guards

Day Job, Big Bastard #1-5, Wren Vol.1 (colour edition), Stoat #1, "3" — Day Job, Big Bastard #1-5, Wren Vol.1 (colour edition), Stoat #1, “3”

Hound 2, Con Jobs, Something in the Tae, Schlock, An Bruid on the Moors Part One, Oh No Comics!, The Warrior Maidens, Sakura #1

Innocent Tales #1-3, Pulp Stories, Paul J Bolger Inktober Sketchbook, Sleep Tight, Rover Was Here

A Clockwork Universe, Phantom 80th Anniversary, Speakeasy, The Fantastical Sombrero, None Shall Pass (Preview), Double Dead

On Sunday, I also managed to pick up Girls Like You and issues 1-3 of High Fantasy from Hugo Boylan. He was quite convincing. (But not enough to make me get even more books, because I figured 43 comics was a decent cut-out point.) Over the weekend, my stock of prints also got bigger, with a couple of Seán Hogan (Rabbit and Paul), as well as a healthy dose of nerdy merchandise (including a Spider-Man slate coaster, a wooden box with the Flash emblem on it, and a Bulbasaur plushie, because starter Pokémon are important.

Sunday also provided an opportunity to learn more about the Small Press process, from a panel of experts.

Small Press Panel. L-R: Seamus Kavanagh, Eoin McAuley, Leann Hamilton, Kinga Korska, Keith Keane, Hugo Boylan, Paul Bolger, Charan Marcantonio — Small Press Panel. L-R: Seamus Kavanagh, Eoin McAuley, Leeann Hamilton, Kinga Korska, Keith Keane, Hugo Boylan, Paul Bolger, Charan Marcantonio

The lessons learned were invaluable; from a writer’s perspective, the most important tip was to respect the artist, and do all of the other work for the comic so that they don’t have to.

Comics are such collaborative works – evident by the title pages of many of the con’s debuts – and the community in Ireland so close-knit, that this vital lesson is one worth remembering and repeating frequently. The atmosphere at DCC was all about the community that has formed around these little (and sometimes not so little) books, and encouragement is never far away.

Everyone who participated in the weekend’s affairs are likely experiencing the same double-edged side-effects of a major convention: excitement for comics, and exhaustion from a weekend of talking about them. Needless to say, there’ll be even more amazing work at next year’s event, and from more creators. A guided tour of the Artists Alley (from me – Paul Carroll) for a friend, Tracy Sayers, showed just how welcoming the community can be, and I know that we’ll each be exciting to join their ranks in the near future.