Tag Archives: travis hymel

The Loose End #1 kicks off a chaotic tale of gambling debt and murder

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The Loose End #1

Tied up, tortured and thrown into a world of chaos, get ready for the wildest ride of your life! With crushing debt, an aimless career, and a thirst for the high life punching down on him, failing screenwriter Steven Hollis is handed a ticket out of his dead-end lifestyle… an offer he can’t refuse from the mob! Now all he has to do is kill the biggest exec in Hollywood. The Loose End #1 kicks off a story that feels like it’s from the 90s/00s and that’s not a bad thing.

Written by Dave Dwonch, The Loose End #1 feels like a story you’d have seen on the big screen in the late 90s/00s. It’s a chaotic story in that the main character is a mess who gets themselves into a bad situation. Jumping round in time, the story catches up readers as to how Steve Hollis got into the situation he’s in.

The story isn’t anything groundbreaking, it’s a concept we’ve seen before, but Dwonch’s take has a bit of flair to it. It’s entertaining and fun for those who like this sort of story, and it’s one I’d happily sit down and watch. It’s the tale of screw ups, much like the Hangover films, and you’re watching to see how things completely spiral and how low everyone can sink.

Travis Hymel’s art style fits the story well. It has a gritty aspect to it but at the same time a little comedic as well. You can see how low Hollis is in his life and generally how much of a loser he and his friend is. There’s just something about them where you’re not cheering for them, you just want to see the disaster unfold. Hymel captures the kinetic and frenetic storytelling style Dwonch is going for as we jump through time seeing how it all plays out to start.

The Loose End #1 is an entertaining debut. If you’re into crime stories with a little spiraling screw up aspect to it, then you’ll enjoy this. It’s a familiar concept but it’s done well and delivers a debut that hooks readers enough to want to see things go completely off the rails.

Story: Dave Dwonch Art: Travis Hymel
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Get an extended look at The Loose End #1

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THE LOOSE END #1 (of 4)

Writer: Dave Dwonch
Artist: Travis Hymel
Cover A: Andy Belanger
Cover B: Robert Hack Reservoir Dogs Homage (Running Across #1-4)
Cover C: Travis Hymel
Cover D: Kit Wallis
Publisher: Hard Case Crime, Titan Comics imprint
FC, 32pp, $3.99, On Sale: February 19, 2025

A HOMAGE TO CLASSIC 90s CRIME DRAMA MOVIES! 

Tied up, tortured and thrown into a world of chaos, get ready for the wildest ride of your life!

With crushing debt, an aimless career, and a thirst for the high life punching down on him, failing screenwriter Steven Hollis is handed a ticket out of his dead-end lifestyle…an offer he can’t refuse from the mob! Now all he has to do is kill the biggest exec in Hollywood.

THE LOOSE END #1

Dave Dwonch and Travis Hymel tie up The Loose End at Titan Comics

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Tied up, tortured and thrown into a world of chaos, get ready for the wildest ride of your life!

With crushing debt, an aimless career, and a thirst for the high life punching down on him, failing screenwriter Steven Hollis is handed a ticket out of his dead-end lifestyle…an offer he can’t refuse from the mob! Now all he has to do is kill the biggest exec in Hollywood.

The Loose End #1 debuts February 19, 2025 from writer Dave Dwonch, art by Travis Hymel, and covers by Andy Belanger, Robert Hack, Hymel, and Kit Wallis.

The Loose End #1

EC Comics’ Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 kicks off some classic horror

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Epitaphs From the Abyss #1

From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC Comics returns! Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 kicks off the first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years! But, in this age of gore-porn and brutal, scary, horror, does the classic still deliver chills and thrills? It’s a whole new era of terror!

Featuring four tales to keep you up at night, Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 is a fun return to classic horror. It’s twists and turns that’ll get you to think more than make you afraid of unknown noises, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Kicking off with “Killer Spec” from J. Holtham, Jorge Fornes, and Dan Jackson, Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 is predictable at times, but still has more than enough to surprise readers. It’s pretty easy to see where the debut story goes but it’s the ending and twists and turns that entertain in an unexpected way. I have no fond memories of EC Comics and remember HBO’s Tales From the Crypt at times scaring the shit out of me as a kid, but I appreciated the “lessons” one would learn at the end. While The Twilight Zone delivered parables with a sci-fi twist, EC to me was the horror cousin of that. Here we get to see where jealousy takes a wannabe writer and makes readers wonder how meta this tale is…

“Senator, Senator” is perfect for this election year. Chris Condon, Peter Krause, and Michelle Madsen explore why an elected official flip-flops on a key issue. Again, like the opening story, it’s not hard to guess where the story is going but it’s the details that stand out. It delivers a nice jab at the current political climate.

“Family Values” by Stephanie Phillips, Phil Hester, Travis Hymel, and Marissa Louise feels like something we’d see in a modern day horror film. Hell, we might have. But, the ending is damn near perfect in multiple ways. A father must choose which family member to kill, or himself, while they’re taken hostage by unknown individuals. Why and for what purpose? You’ll need to read and find out!

Finally, “US vs. US” is another fantastic jab, pun intended, at the current state of the United States. Two individuals must take on a group of freaks and things aren’t what they appear. Brian Azzarello, Vlad Legostaev, and Brittany Peery deliver a story that is very unexpected in the direction it goes and what’s revealed.

Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 might feel tame compared to today’s horror, it’s much more comedic and less about scares, but it mines the classic concept of EC Comics perfectly delivering four tales that’ll entertain and get you to think. Each is varied in story, art, and tone, and each delivers unexpected moments that’ll keep readers guessing. It’s rare when there’s no weak stories in an anthology, and Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 has none. It’s a fantastic start to the classic brand that’ll hopefully breathe new life into this type of horror.

Story: J. Holtham, Chris Condon, Stephanie Phillips, Brian Azzarello
Art: Jorge Fornes, Peter Krause, Phil Hester, Vlad Legostaev
Ink: Travis Hymel Color: Dan Jackson, Michelle Madsen, Marissa Louise, Brittany Peer
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

ComixTribe Reveals the Full Roster for Legends of the Wailing Blade, Over Two Dozen Creators

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ComixTribe has announced the full list of creators contributing new stories and art that will be featured in Wailing Blade: Headtaker, the collected edition of its popular dark-sci fi fantasy mini-series released last year, which is currently funding on Kickstarter.

Wailing Blade is created by Rich Douek, writer of the IDW series Road of Bones and the upcoming Sea of Sorrows, and Joe Mulvey, artist of ComixTribe’s SCAM and Mummy’s Always Right and the upcoming Happy Hill.

Billed as Mad Max meets Masters of the Universe, Wailing Blade takes place in a future dark age, and tells the story of a bandit prince who will stop at nothing to save a father sentenced to death by the hands of the legendary Headtaker… even if it means falling to the Wailing Blade himself.

The four-issue mini-series is being collected for the first time and will be available in a softcover format as well as a deluxe, die-cut foil-enhanced hardcover edition. The new trade will include an extensive cover gallery as well as an additional final scene not included in the single issues.

Wailing Blade: Headtaker

ComixTribe has also enlisted a murders-row of comic talent to help add even more fire-power to this trade collection. This collection features an all-new “Legends of the Wailing Blade” section including over a dozen tales of the origin of the titular blade. In this world, no one truly knows where the Wailing Blade came from or why it wails… but in every tavern, a different tale is spun.

The full roster of participating creators announced include:

  • Michael Avon Oeming (Powers, The After Realm)
  • David Andry (Resonant)
  • John Lees (Sink, Hotell, Mountainhead)
  • David Pepose (The O.Z., Spencer & Locke, Scout’s Honor)
  • Liana Kangas (She Said Destroy, Black AF: Devil’s Dye & Trve Kvlt)
  • Ryan K Lindsay (Eternal, She, Negative Space)
  • Lane Lloyd (God Puncher)
  • Kenny Porter (Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Barnstormers)
  • Gavin Smith (Dead Legends)
  • Malissa White (Nightmare)
  • Russell Nohelty (Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter, Cthulhu is Hard to Spell)
  • J Paul Schiek (The Lion and the Unicorn, Hush Ronin)
  • Tyler James (The Red Ten, Oxymoron)
  • Jarret Katz (The Foreigner)
  • Alex Cormack (Sink, Road of Bones, Sea of Sorrows)
  • Fraser Cambell (Alex Automatic, Ind-Xed)
  • Iain Laurie (And Then Emily Was Gone, The Edge Off)
  • Andrew Hahn (Powered by The Blood of Five Vampires)
  • Steven Forbes (Runners, The Proving Grounds)
  • Travis Hymel (Arkworld)
  • Rob Multari (Night Wolf)
  • Marc Thomas (The Monstrous Adventures of Beowulf)
  • Mario Candelaria (Killchella)
  • Daniel Earls (Hellfire, Tales from the Pandemic)
  • Matt Zolman (Epic)

The Wailing Blade: Headtaker campaign to raise $30,000 on Kickstarter to help fund the print run for the deluxe hardcover collection runs until Friday, November 20 at midnight. When funded, the books will ship in February, with digital rewards to be fulfilled in December.

​Wailing Blade: HEADTAKER is available now on Kickstarter.

ArkWorld Vol. 1 Sells Out and Gets a Second Printing

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ArkWorld Vol. 1, the debut issue of a new prestige format series from Devil’s Due Comics by Josh Blaylock and Travis Hymel has sold out at the distributor level. A second printing has been ordered for September, as vol. 2 will be released in November – featuring a cover variation on the original first printing Daniel Leister cover.

Originally slated for an April release, the 48 page prestige format title was intentionally delayed while the events surrounding Covid 19, and changes in industry distribution, disrupted the comic book market. Despite aggressively overprinting pre-orders with a risk that they may be reduced due to stresses on comic book stores, the quantity actually doubled by the time orders were adjusted for the new September release date, after printed product shipped. The resulting increase has caused an immediate depletion of almost all inventory.

ArkWorld hails the launch of a brand new genre of sci-fi Blaylock coins as “Archeopunk”. A story that questions, what if civilization didn’t begin six thousand years ago, but was simply being reset after a massive, global catastrophe thousands of years earlier?

In vol. 1 readers meet a couple who abruptly find themselves swept up in a deep state conspiracy that threatens the globe. Only, the year is 11,000 BCE, and the world at this time is nothing like we have been told. Nor does our couple know the role they will play in the survival of society’s knowledge in the years to come.

ArkWorld Vol. 1

With 24 Hours to Go on the L.U.C.H.A. Kickstarter we Talk Comics and Wrestling with CW Cooke

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Co-creator/writer CW Cooke, alongside co-creator/artist Travis Hymel, are getting into the ring with a Kickstarter for the brand new comic series L.U.C.H.A.!

L.U.C.H.A. is the story of Agente, a luchador detective who spends his life solving low level crimes and murders, taking on any job that falls in his lap. He just so happens to get wrapped up in a murder campaign that involves vampires, wrestlers, and other notorious figures before the rug gets pulled out from under  him…and the readers! The elevator pitch is: Lucha Underground meets The Truman Show.

With less than 24 hours to go on the Kickstarter, we got a chance to talk to CW Cooke about comics, wrestling, and what’s next.

Graphic Policy: So where did the concept for L.U.C.H.A. come from? It debuted in Kayfabe but how’d the idea start?

CW Cooke: The idea started on Facebook as a Luchador detective in a noir world. Travis and I met through the Kayfabe group and then just started tossing crazy ideas back and forth on what we wanted to do and it started with a Luchador.

GP: How’d the team come together for the series?

CWC: Travis and I met as stated above. I’ve known Micah (Myers) for years and he’s pulled me out of a number of jams with other comics so he’s the first person I always go to when I’ve got a new idea. Jeremy (Kahn) has been working on Solitary vol 2 and building a good and solid rep as a great worker and colorist.

GP: Wrestling seems to have a big following in comic fandom and there’s been a resurgence recently with a bunch of series and graphic novels released. What is it that the fandoms seem to overlap a lot?

CWC: Comics and wrestling both are soap operas. Wrestling is exactly like comics in that the storylines continue and develop over time with new characters joining the story in progress and old characters coming back seemingly lost to the sands of time. The fandoms seem to overlap because there’s a lot of similarities between both. And comics and wrestling have colorful characters doing insane things that seem out of this world.

GP: Luchador wrestling has such a history and some amazing wrestlers. Why focus on that subset of wrestling as opposed to some of the other variations?

CWC: I’ve loved Lucha for a long time, going back to being a kid and loving the El Santo movies. So this is kind of my love letter to that and the 80s and 90s movies and comics I grew up with. I’m a big fan currently of Lucha Underground and think Luchadors have always been something people should know more about. It was more fun to explore that aspect than just a big sweaty wrestler dude yelling at people.

GP: Why did you decide to bring this to Kickstarter?

CWC: Kickstarter is a way to hit an audience that I may not have access to otherwise. Plus I’m broke and need to make sure my team is paid and taken care of for the work they’ve done. So Kickstarter helps us to build a bigger audience and world of followers while ensuring the team is taken care of.

GP: During the campaign it was announced the comic would also be published by Action Lab. How’d that come about?

CWC: Pretty much because of the success of the Kickstarter. We had been pitching the book for awhile to no avail and we had been looking for a home, but Travis and I knew our book could make it regardless of who or what happened. I announced my Solitary movie/TV deal which was an amazing thing that I have to imagine helped everything out, the book hit Kickstarter and then in 5 days hit the goal, and then we had an announcement on the Action Lab pick up. It’s been a crazy year.

GP: Did that change your plans at all? You mention you’re working on the second issue, how many do you have planned?

CWC: The first arc is planned at 4 issues and then we have an entire world (or worlds) to explore. After that we have a lot of ideas on where to take the book and the characters and we believe that Action Lab is behind us 100%. The only thing that changed is we know where our home is for the book and we are excited to explore this world fully.

GP: Will those also get Kickstarters?

CWC: No. The plan is to do issues 2 through 4 and beyond with Action Lab. Might need to do another one later for a collection but currently there are no other plans for Kickstarter to be used for our book.

GP: I take it you’re a wrestling fan. What are some of your favorite wrestling moments and wrestlers?

CWC: Big time wrestling fan. Besides El Santo, I’ve been a big fan of Macho Man, Rey Mysterio Jr, Matt and Jeff Hardy, and many many more. Favorite moments? I’ll give you one as some of the favorites might be used for various moments throughout the series. But one of my favorites was Robocop saving Sting. That one I know I can’t utilize so definitely that one.

GP: What else are you working on?

CWC: Solitary continues to move forward both as a comic series and with the TV/movie development (news coming soon), I’ve got more L.U.C.H.A., I’ve got Luther Frankenstone coming from Source Point Press, a sasquatch project with Kelly Williams, Westerly which is an anthology I wrote for Outland, a few more pitches out in the wild, a few more things I can’t announce yet, more Kayfabe, more Always Punch Nazis, and a ton more. I’m keeping as busy as I possibly can and always writing.

GP: Thanks for chatting and can’t wait to get our backer copy!

Review: WWE: Undertaker

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The Deadman. The Phenom. The Legend. The life and career of the Undertaker is chronicled in this original graphic novel covering his childhood to today.

WWE: Undertaker is by Chad Dundas, Rodrigo Lorenzo, Edu Menna, Serg Acuna, Kelly Williams, Travis Hymel, Tim Lattie, Kendall Goode, Wesllei Manoel, Vladimir Popov, Doug Garbark, Deron Bennett, and Oliver Barrett.

Get your copy in comic shops today and book stores November 6. To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon/Kindle/comiXology
TFAW

 

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
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L.U.C.H.A. is Coming to Action Lab!

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L.U.C.H.A., the wrestling sci-fi thriller created by CW Cooke and Travis Hymel, is coming to Action Lab Entertainment! Right now it’s on Kickstarter and you can be a part of bringing it to life. Originally part of the wrestling comic anthology Kayfabe, L.U.C.H.A. focuses on Agente, a luchador detective. He’ll take any case he can get, and in his latest murder mystery, he has to deal with vampires, wrestlers, and other notorious figures!

Cooke’s comic, Solitary, recently got a movie/TV development deal.

The creative team needed to raise $5,000 to successfully fund their book. They’ve already hit their goal, but they still have numerous mystery stretch goals left to uncover before the Kickstarter ends on November 12, 2018 at 1:01 PM EST.

L.U.C.H.A., a Horror Wrestling Extravaganza is Now on Kickstarter!

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Co-creator/writer CW Cooke, alongside co-creator/artist Travis Hymel, are getting into the ring with a Kickstarter for the brand new comic series L.U.C.H.A.!

L.U.C.H.A. is the story of Agente, a luchador detective who spends his life solving low level crimes and murders, taking on any job that falls in his lap. He just so happens to get wrapped up in a murder campaign that involves vampires, wrestlers, and other notorious figures before the rug gets pulled out from under  him…and the readers! The elevator pitch is: Lucha Underground meets The Truman Show.

L.U.C.H.A. was born from a simple idea as part of the Kayfabe anthology (a wrestling comic anthology put together by comic creators and wrestling fans alike, with the emphasis on wrestling as real), this story about Agente took on a life of its own because of the incredible working chemistry Travis and CW had and the unbelievably insane story they came up with. The other creators and fans of Kayfabe voiced their excitement and love for the character and story, leading CW and Travis to move forward on the full series.

On Kickstarter now, CW Cooke and Travis Hymel would love to show you what they’ve got in store and hope you join them on this adventure. There are a number of wonderful reward levels available, including original art and commission sketches, exclusive covers, and so much more. They have plans for the future of the project including stretch levels, but they need your help to get there.

The Kickstarter campaign runs until November 12th.

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