Tag Archives: a. david lewis

Review: Kismet, Man of Fate

Kismet, Man of Fate

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has closed its latest chapter and introduced probably its most powerful superhero, Captain Marvel. As we said goodbye to Iron Man and Black Widow, we were introduced to Carol Danvers.  By the time she showed up in Avengers: Endgame, she had been gone from Earth for at least two decades.

Heroes like Danvers are truly one in a million as their inherent goodness makes her, and Captain America, magnetic to so many fans In a world where bigotry, hate, and greed have become the new normal, it’s almost hard to believe that anyone can actually be good at their core. Even more so, religious freedom is being challenged all the time, where normal people are scared to practice their religion in fear of persecution. In the latest offering from A Wave Blue World, we find a long-dormant hero from World War II, who just so happens to be Muslim, in Kismet, Man Of Fate.

We meet Kismet, an ordinary civilian, as he soon learns about the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub. He wonders what he could have done. We are taken to Boston where an old foe has unleashed a plan to kill a ballroom full of people the same night Trump gets elected to President, leaving one of Kismet’s compatriots’ brother dead. The pain of the loss has made Kismet a recluse while his sister, Rabia and friend Deena attempts to coax him out of his funk to do some good in the world, but instead decides to retire. In his heart, he feels he can do no more good in the world. He decides to start a nonprofit organization that actually helps people, who has faced bigotry since Trump was elected, this is where Kismet finds internal conflict. His apparent retirement coupled with his celebrity has made him a target.

We also get three bonus stories, the first one being “The Fiction Of Free Will.” In it we find Kismet in 1944 France, inside of enemy territory, where he discovers a traitor on the Allied side. In “My First Act Of Free Will,” Qadar and Kismet have their own “Freaky Friday,” In the last bonus story, “Moving Through This World is Supposed to Feel Like Free Will,” Kismet tells viewers worldwide how it was after the war and what has kept him fighting.

Overall, an exhilarating story with a long-forgotten hero. Much like the Green Turtle he needs to be revived in our lost times. The story by A. David Lewis is smart, layered, and well developed. The art by Noel Tuazon and color by Rob Croonenborghs is sophisticated. Altogether, a hero that everyone can get behind especially in this world where intolerance is at the forefront and hope has become a precious commodity.

Story: A. David Lewis
Art: Noel Tuazon Color: Rob Croonenborghs
Story: 10 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Broken Frontier Anthology

The overused term, “rules are made to be broken,” has been said repeatedly when it is thought that someone has gone against convention. As the world slowly embraces the diversity that surrounds it, so has popular media. Comics have always challenged type but has mostly been monochromatic. It has only recently been proactive about being diverse in not only race and sexuality, but also ability. Wave Blue World‘s Broken Frontier offers up stories where they do just that, break the rules.

In “Phantom Limb Ghost Puncher,” a police officer who loses his arm during a rescue, magically receives a mystical weapon which changes his life instantly. In “Stranger Than Fiction,” a clairvoyant helps out a murder suspect, by revisiting the day of the crime through his unconscious mind. In “Dark Dark World,” young imaginative writer plays out a scene for a story, all in her father’s work shed. In “The Wall,” set in a dystopian future, societies’ fortunes are separated only by allegiance.

In “Flyer,”  a elderly man, gives a prep talk to his adolescent granddaughter, as she prepares to engage in a dogfight by way of rocketpack. “In The Night, Mountains Grew,” a ranger’s gross miscalculation proves fatal for those she protects. In “The Beard,” a young woman uncontrollably grows a facial hair at a unusually rapid rate, something befuddles her day after day, until she realizes her greater destiny, one that would change her life forever. In “Purgatory,” a woman falls into a coma, and gets transported to a different world, where she gets to be her true self.

In “The Trip,” a rather routine start of a morning for a man and his daughter, becomes a lesson in realizing every day is precious. In “Its About Time,” a scientist uses his considerable powers to time travel before his wife died, but what he finds out changes his whole outlook on her. In “Inside Outside,” a woman coming off her meds is constantly irritated by “cute squishy monsters.” In “Last dance at Omega Point,” as a rocket heads to its firing point, a woman’s life unpacks in alternate reality.

Overall, an excellent comic anthology which explores what can be or what will be. The stories by all the writers pluck the emotions of the reader in the best way possible. The art by the creators are all beautiful. Altogether, a plus sized comic treat which entertains on every page and you will wish was longer.

Story: Greg Pak, Tyler Chin-Tanner,Cullen Bunn, Phil Hester, Robert Dammelin, Justin Zimmerman, A. David Lewis, Fred Van Lente, Carla Berrocal, Jamie Coe, Edie OP, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Merguerite Bennett,Frederik Hautain, Kurt Belcher,  Adam Egypt Mortimer, Karrie Fransman, David Hine, Noah Van Sciver, Sean Wang, Salgood Sam, Box Brown,  PJ Holden, Scott Ferguson, INJ Culbard, Steve Orlando, Steve Bryant
Art: Steve Bryant, INJ Culbard, Yaroslav Astapeev, PJ Holden, Salgood Sam, Sean Wang, Box Brown, Noah Van Sciver, Mark Stafford, Karrie Fransman, Jeff McComsey, Facundo Percio, Rob Croonenborghs, Varga Tomi, Ryan Kelly, Edie OP, Toby Cypress, Jamie Coe, Robert Sammelin, Carla Berrocal, Daniel Warren Johnson, Nathan Fox, Alison Sampson, Noel Tuazon, Aysegul Sinav, Mike Lawrence, Tom Raney, Simon Bowland, Taylor Esposito, Gina Going, Jason Wordie
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Comics for Youth Refugees Delivers Comics for Refugee Children

The Syrian all-ages comic, Haawiyat, has arrived to the delight of numerous refugee children. The comic filled with well-known Syrian folktales was created to give comfort and something tangible to children who have lost everything. At just 8 pages with black and white interiors, it was a proof of concept project that has turned wildly successful. The team behind the book is now officially a 501(c)(3) non-profit known as Comics for Youth Refugees Incorporated Collective (CYRIC). Phase two has begun with a crowdfunding campaign on Razoo.

Costs of production and distribution for phase two will be the ultimate goal of the Razoo campaign.

Creators include Rob Croonenborghs, Sajad Shah, Jim Shaw, Joseba Morales, and Ursula Murray Husted. Taylor Hastings’s Ghost Glyph Studios handled the lettering and Farrah Hamza translated for phase one; both are remaining on the team for the next phase.

In the press release, project leader A. David Lewis said:

For phase one, all production and services were donated or volunteered. In phase two, we hope the expanded incarnation of the title will have more stories, be in full color, AND go out to many more deserving children!

Kismet, the First Muslim Superhero, Returns

Having debuted in 1944’s Bomber Comics #1, “Kismet, Man of Fate” never had his own fate revealed despite being comic books’ first Muslim superhero. Over seventy years passed between his last adventure fighting Nazis behind the front lines in war-time Germany and just last year when he returned as part of The Broken Frontier Anthology, a successful Kickstarter campaign from publisher A Wave Blue World (AWBW). Now, the same Eisner Award-nominated team that brought back the character is continuing his modern-day adventures in the weekly Kismet, Man of Fate online feature as part of the AWBW’s Under Current imprint.

Writer A. David Lewis and artist Noel Tuazon are joined by colorist Rob Croonenborghs and Ghost Glyph Studios in bringing Kismet to the current day. Beginning May 2nd and running two pages per week for the next year, the storyline will pit Kismet against the climate of the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign and its ensuing fallout in Boston and beyond. Additionally, the issues of LGBTQ rights, experimental science, and immigrant communities will feature prominently in the year-long storyline.

Lewis, who separately serves as the President of Comics for Youth Refugees Incorporated Collective (CYRIC), has no intention to fall into superhero conventions nor shy away from challenging, real-world conflicts. In the release, Lewis said:

Kismet was created at a moment where fascism was a real and present danger. With the political climate being what it is right now – with Islamophobia, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and hate crimes all on the rise – there seems no better time to reengage the character.

Kismet, Man of Fate is available weekly with the initial pages already available for free viewing. The completed storyline will be available in print in 2018.

Haawiyat, a FREE Comic for Syrian Refugee Kids

The year-long Syrian conflict has displaced millions. From the horrors of Aleppo to the sheer struggle of the journey to safety, Syrians everywhere are fighting to survive, and the sheer numbers of children affected by this are catastrophic. A new hardship begins when a child makes it to their new home. Strange environments, foreign people, and often a new language make fitting in incredibly traumatic.

This was the origin of the Syrian comic, Haawiyat. The comic will be 8 pages with a full-color cover and published in Arabic. Filled with well-known Syrian folktales this comic will bring children something that brings comfort, a taste of home, and will be something they can hold in their hands and say most unequivocally is their own.

The comic was the idea of A. David Lewis. As he explained in the press announcement:

If I was a doctor, I would pick up my medic bag. If I was a soldier, I would pick up a weapon. I am a professor, a comic writer, and a father.  I am helping where I can, how I can. Children are scared, disoriented, and feeling lost. We have to give them hope. This is phase one of a grand plan. We want to reach more kids in more places with phase two.

An incredible team of creators and translators have volunteered to donate their time to create the title. Ka-blam Digital Printing will be creating the book gratis, Comicraft is donating a font, and Nadia Alawa’s renowned NuDay Syria will graciously distribute the book overseas as well as report on its effect. There are tentative plans to expand on this idea and their participation will be crucial.

The stories to be included are The King’s Daughter’s Earring, The Miller and The Two Djinn, and The Story Of The Five Cakes. Each tale was specifically chosen for their trigger free nature and relevance to current issues children are most likely dealing with.

Creators include Rob Croonenborghs, Jim Shaw, Joseba Morales, Mexi Gremillion, and Ursula Murray Husted. Taylor Hastings will be lettering and Farrah Hamza is translating. Initial drop sites for the comic include Northern Syria and Turkey. Shipping will begin in February. Are you a creator interested in participating in phase two? Email captionbox@gmail.com.

haawiyat