Review: Comichaus #7
I have been an avid reader of Mad Magazine ever since I can remember, as have aunts that still ask do I read as they remember I read it back when I was seven. I was also a reader of Cracked Magazine. In my humble opinion, both magazines were funny, and asking me to choose one is better is nonsense. To me, it is like comparing Star Wars to Star Trek, as there really is no comparison, as both are deserving of their fanbases.
In every issue, every creator, understood their audience and was not too high on their horse not to pick on themselves. That fearlessness only lives in some of the best creators and that I what I am seeing at Comichaus. In the new installment, of Chalk, Jacqueline finds out someone is stealing souls and almost loses her life in finding out. In this installment of, MIA, our heroines are caught up as the police are on their tail and thy are on the hook for the massacre but one knows what to do next.
In Mandy the Monster Hunter, Mandy skillfully destroys a monster and reloads for the war on the road with the tourist couple. In new story, Homeopathos, a man fighting insomnia gets some medicine which gives him a more than he expects. In Cold, our couple gets embroiled in the middle of an outbreak, which renders some mindless flaming zombies. In new story, Gods Of a Lesser Sphere, a post-apocalyptic world, which is very familiar looking yields a new superhero which will give some readers wish fulfillment.
Overall, every story including the new stories innovate and are not scared to challenge the reader. The stories contained within, are excellent. The art makes this issue shine. Altogether, a great issue, where the reader’s imagination will reach new heights.
Story: Steven Horry, Matt Warner, Chris Robertson, Simon Birks, Jimmy Furlong, Robin Jones, Mark McCann, Michael Sambrook
Art: Catia Fantini, Norrie Millar, Ed Bickford, Vincent Hunt, Richard MacRae, Lyndon White, Andrew Hartmann, Gavin Fullerton, David Yeh
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy
I remember the very first time I picked up Epic Illustrated and how cool I thought it was. My Dad did not want me to read Heavy Metal magazine, because he thought it was crazy like the movie, and looking back he was right to some respect. This is where I first read Silver Surfer before he went on his galaxy trotting adventures in the Marvel Universe. He was a completely different character then, a much more serious figure that felt more like X-O Manowar of Valiant Universe, than his current incarnation.
When it comes to creating something new, creators have hard time letting go of their influences completely. Most cannot, as this is the very reason they get into comic books in the first place, as what they enjoy is usually what they write/draw. So, to ask a creator to be completely free of their inspirations, is truly impossible. The creators at ComicHaus, have created some powerful evocative stories, that only get better with each issue.
Stories comes in all shapes and forms, and they cross so many genres, that some genres have their own genres. That is why when anthologies are put together, rarely do they work in more than one genre. The reason for this is that they rarely go together, but Comichaus has found a way. They are what you expect from an indie publisher in comics, producing high quality comics that tell good stories.
British comics are full of great creators, and because of it the comics world has evolved and even stepped up their game. The influence of Alan Moore looms over any writer/artist who writes anything dealing with superheroes or the occult. The way he deals with hard subjects and his mastery of the inner conflicts of characters more than proves he is a master storyteller. His influence on the medium can be felt everywhere not only on British creators but also here in America.
The first time I remember hearing about Heavy Metal magazine, was when one of my friends just finished watching the movie, and was hoping it would be the same as the movie. I was curious as well, so I went watched the movie and had my mind blown, even though the stories seemed hokey, it was still quite interesting. So, when I picked up my first copy of the magazine, I was little disappointed at first, but that is until I got into the stories. Each story had its own flavor and tapped into a piece of the human psyche that comics had not done until then.
Anthologies are great showcases for artists/writers to show off their work, especially when they are starting off. What one finds in these collections, are sometimes duds, and sometimes gems. When it comes to book anthologies, depending on the editor, you might try to slog through a few, to get to a good one, and sometimes you don’t have too deep into, as sometimes these anthologies are nothing but gems. In the comics real, the same issue exists, as the editor dictates the tone and quality of the project.