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Advanced Review: The Paybacks #1

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paybacks1Heroism doesn’t come cheap, so when superheroes borrow money to finance their genetic enhancements or crime-fighting supercomputers, their debts make student loans look like I.O.U.s! Enter the Paybacks, a repo squad composed of bankrupt former heroes here to foreclose on everybody’s secret lairs!

Well holy cow. This is such an outlandish concept that it really shouldn’t work. It should crash and burn faster than a jet pack made out of fireworks and tissue paper. A super powered repo squad collecting debts owed by heroes who can no afford to pay off the outlandish debt they took on in order to fight crime. It shouldn’t work. It should be consigned to the draw of ideas that just shouldn’t be.

Thankfully, it wasn’t.

Sometimes an idea that shouldn’t work is the one that takes you by the scruff of the neck and pulls you into one of the most enjoyable comics you’ll read in a long time. The Paybacks  had me grinning before the story even began; the recap page in the front of the comic throws you off edge of the slip ‘n slide into the madness of the comic.

That’s a good thing.

Almost all of us are familiar with debt and how easy it can be to dig yourself into it if you’re not careful, and since you’re reading this then you’ve probably got more than a passing familiarity with superheroes. Writers Donny Cates and Eliot Rahal, artist Geoff Shaw and colourist Lauren Affe aren’t interested in giving us an overly subtle cautionary tale of how debt influences our actions, instead preferring to hit us with an excellent first issue full of chaotic mayhem. This is a well written, extremely enjoyable comic book that also happens to be one of the most effortlessly funny comics I’ve read in a long time.

As soon as you open the cover, it’s easy to see that the creative team are enjoying what they’re doing;

Not every wannabe hero can afford a super cool suit of armor or sweet bat themed toys or invisible jets. Sometimes a superhero has to take out a LOAN to get the proverbial ball rolling. What happens when they can’t pay that loan off? Who could possibly wrestle that super stuff away from them?

Enter the Paybacks. A group of C and D list heroes who themselves have defaulted on a loan and now work to pay it off by repossessing cool hero stuff. It’s a tough job to say the least. (Psst, lots of people die horribly) It’s fun for the whole family!!

With a diverse cast and a not so subtle approach to the world of debt and superheroes, The Paybacks is an absolute blast to write and create. There’s a bubble boy! A Vampire lady! A Sasquatch! We’re having a lot of fun! And we can’t wait to share it with all of you!

There are too many things about this issue that I loved, but I don’t want to give  too much away here. If you’re looking for a comic that’s an absolute treat to read, then look no further. The first issue of The Paybacks is a joyride from start to finish that you don’t want to miss out on. This comic is a blast of fresh air in a genre that frequently takes itself too seriously, and while the chaotic violence is certainly present, it never seems over the top. Whether you ask your Local Comic Shop to hold a copy of this comic for you the next time you visit, or add it to your pull list on ComiXology, The Paybacks #1 will bring a fresh dose of fun to your comic book reading.

And there’s also a unicorn.

The Paybacks #1 is on sale September 16. Mark your calendars.

Story: Donny Cates and Eliot Rahal Artist: Geoff Shaw Colours: Lauren Affe 
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy a FREE copy for review.

Five Ghosts Returns in October

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five ghostsCo-creators Frank J. Barbiere, Chris Mooneyham, and colorist Lauren Affe return for the beginning of an all-new story arc for Five Ghosts. “Monsters & Men” begins on 10/15 with issue #13, just in time for New York Comic Con. This new arc will bring the acclaimed action adventure series to Eastern Europe and establish a new element of horror to the series. The series is also in development for a television series with Universal.

Issue #13 is a great jumping-on point and has been made fully returnable for all Diamond retailers. The issue will also feature a blank sketch cover, available to all retailers to order, as well as a number of exciting retailer exclusive variants.

In addition to its continued success in the comic world, Five Ghosts has been optioned by Universal Television and is in development for a television series.  The project has acclaimed screenwriter Evan Daugherty attached as a writer and is being produced by Black Mask Studios and Benderspink. Five Ghosts will also be branching out into new media endeavors over the next year with partners Black Mask Studios.

Five Ghosts #13 arrives in stores this 10/15 and will be available for $3.50. It can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code AUG140647. The sketch variant can be ordered with Diamond Code JUL148416. The final order cutoff deadline for retailers is 9/22.

 

SLG Publishing Starts A Friendly Game · New graphic novel promises to be unsettling

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Official Press Release

A Dark Diversion in A Friendly Game
New Graphic Novel from SLG in August
San Jose, CA – June 29 2010 – A Friendly Game, a new graphic novel from SLG Publishing coming out in August 2010, is a dark tale exploring the limits of friendship, growing up, and facing the consequences of one’s actions. The graphic novel by new creative team Joe Pimienta, Lindsay Hornsby, and Lauren Affe begins with a game, something that friends Todd and Kevin do to pass the time on boring afternoons.
Todd and Kevin start with dissecting a dead mouse that was caught in a trap. Then they move on to a near-dead mouse. What began as natural curiosity turns to cruelty, and a rift forms in the boys’ friendship when Kevin resists when Todd wants to escalate the game. Soon, Kevin is entangled in Todd’s obsession, having to choose between their friendship and doing what is right.
“We wanted to tell a story about friendship but turn it into a darker narrative about the worst situation the friend could possibly get you into,” says Pimienta, who came up with the original concept and penciled A Friendly Game.
SLG Publishing president Dan Vado discovered A Friendly Game when he visited the Savannah College of Art and Design for their “Editors Day” in 2008. After Vado expressed interest in it, the team worked to complete a graphic novel.
“This began as a school assignment,” says A Friendly Game writer and inker Hornsby. “It expanded into something much bigger as it received more and more attention from our professors and fellow students, but we still never dreamed of it seeing print until Editors Day.”
A Friendly Game will be released in August 2010 and retail for $14.95. Its ISBN is 978-1-59362-200-8 and it can be pre-ordered at comic book stores with the Diamond Code JUN100719. A 10 page preview of A Friendly Game can be found at the SLG website, http://www.slgcomic.com.
Established in 1986, SLG Publishing is a San Jose, California-based publisher of comic books and graphic novels. Some of SLG’s more notable comics and creators have included Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, Milk and Cheese by Evan Dorkin and Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks.
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