Rogues! #1

There’s some fantastic fantasy series out there right now. They run the gamut from series fantasy tales to off-the-rails D&D like adventures. Rogues! is the latest entry into the genre that’s somewhere down the middle. It attempts to be serious at times and also employs humor.

This is the tale of Bram and the Weasel, two reputed thieves in the slums of a fantasy world! After rescuing a girl from her wizard father, the two outlaws are cursed with the most horrible curse — for a thief!

Also included in the first issue there’s an extra 4-pages story, featuring the artwork of Rubén Rojas. In “The Rogues’s song” we learn some more facts about Bram and The Weasel… and some more obscure fantasy heroes.

There’s a lot I enjoyed about the first issue, but also a lot I didn’t. The story had a great amount of humor, almost over the top at times, but then at other points the fantasy was somewhat serious. The mix didn’t quite work overall. There’s also a sexualization of the comic that’s over the top and pulled me out of the story. In fantasy it can work if done right and here, it just didn’t work for me.

What’s interesting to me though is when the comic is running on all wheels and really hitting the all the right notes, it’s fantastic. But, there’s a weird mix for me. What works, really works and what doesn’t really doesn’t.

I’m sure many fans of fantasy or D&D would really appreciate this series, but with everything out there, not sure it’d be the top of my list. This is definitely for hardcore fans of off the rail D&D type stories.

Story: El Torres Art: Juan José Ryp and Rubén Rojas
Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

The Westwood Witches #1

Jack Kurtzberg is a successful writer of young witch romance bestsellers… and he hates it so much. Suffering from writer’s block, he decides to move back to his hometown, not knowing that his new neighbours are witches, the kind of demon worshippers that would kill anyone who could disturb their dominion in Westwood.

There’s something very “Stephen King” about this new series, blending the domestic life with horror. An unease pervades the comic, the stronger of the two debuts from Amigo Comics.

Witches are a difficult thing to pull off in stories. They can be a bit hokey if not done right, but the mix of average day women and a neighborhood any of us could live in help pull of the story.

The idea or story of a cult living in domestic bliss isn’t anything new, but how it’s presented in this first issue sets up a series that’s both intriguing and interesting.

The most impressive thing to me is the set up of mood. The writing, the art, both create an unease throughout the issue.

The series is a fantastic horror series, a genre that I tend to be a bit harder on. But, this is a great first issue of a four issue limited series that I expect to be fantastic. Well worth checking out this first issue from this indie publisher.

Story: El Torres Art: Abel García
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Amigo Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review