Tag Archives: kirk vanderbeek

Archaic #1 is a bumpy start to a series with potential

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Archaic #1

Meet Tess Halliday, a broke single mom desperate to protect her kids from vicious criminals trying to collect on her ex-husband’s debts. Following a mysterious message, Tess flees to the mysterious island of Demonde—a place of demons, legendary creatures, and a family secret that just might cost Tess her life. Archaic #1 is a bit of a rough start to a series but shows off potential of where it might go.

Written by Melissa F. Olson, Archaic #1 is an interesting series. Tess is a woman down on her luck whose ex-husband has bolted and left her with the kids, including a step-son. There’s people out to collect on his debts and not even Tess knows where he is. Olson paints Tess as down on her luck and her desperation comes through. It’s small details though that are overall odd choices and distractions from what otherwise would be a smoother story.

There’s comments about Tess “used to be” the Governor’s wife. It’s clunky writing as that would indicate her ex-husband is still the Governor (assuming of the state) and suddenly he’s missing later? Then there’s a thing with Tess’ name which catches others by surprise and another person falling off a boat that too just weirdly happens. It’s small choices like these that add up for a bump first issue.

The art by Sally Catirino adds to it as it’s the art that depicts the person falling off the boat and it’s not clear as to what’s happening. I had to go back and re-read the page to catch that detail and there’s other moments like a fight in an alley where things just kind of happen and never really explained. The end of the issue is a perfect example of odd choices. There’s a reveal that should hit better and be clear it’s the end of this issue but instead it’s relegated to a small panel diminished the surprise and prepping the reader for a page that doesn’t exist. Catirino is joined by Gab Contreras on color and Rob Steen on lettering.

As this is an Ahoy comic, there’s two prose extras, each with some nice art. The first is written by Chris Sumberg with art by Ameilee Sullivan and second is by Kirk Vanderbeek with art by Carol Lay. Both are pretty entertaining and these extras feel like a bonus addition to the main comic.

Archaic #1 isn’t a bad start, but it overall feels a little rough. There’s small changes that’d make the comic a far better debut. A nip here and a tuck here and it’d make a world of difference. Still, there’s some magical potential by the end, so this is one to keep an eye on and see where it goes.

Story: Melissa F. Olson, Chris Sumberg, Kirk Vanderbeek Art: Sally Catirino, Ameilee Sullivan, Carol Lay
Color: Gab Contreras Letterer: Rob Steen
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Ahoy Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Exclusive Preview: Project: Cryptid #9

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Project: Cryptid #9

(W) Alisa Kwitney, Kirk Vanderbeek
(A) Mauricet, Shane Oakley
Cover: Mauricet, Shane Oakley
May 29, 2024
$3.99

More tales of strange, unlikely creatures! Alisa Kwitney and Mauricet take us on a heart-warming cruise through Alaska, where a recent divorcée meets the love of her life…who just happens to be a Yeti. Kirk Vanderbeek and Shane Oakley bring us to Ireland, where the Pooka will give a drunken man a ride home, although he might not want it.

Project: Cryptid #9

AHOY Comics celebrates 5 years with new series, specials, and Grant Morrison

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In addition to top-quality story and art, AHOY Comics has become known for the short prose extras that run in the back of every title. Now, as part of the publisher’s gala fifth anniversary, a baker’s dozen of the comics industry’s finest prose writers have combined to craft an epic serial that will run through the AHOY line this fall. 

THE ALL-STAR ANNUALLY CONVENING COZY DETECTIVES CLUB in PARTIALLY NAKED CAME THE CORPSE!

…is a thirteen-part epic that kicks off with an extra-long first installment by the bestselling writer Grant Morrison, whose many award-winning comics works include JLA, New X-Men, and Green Lantern, and whose first novel Luda was published last year to great acclaim. The serial will debut in Project Cryptid #1, the first of AHOY’s new fall titles.

Over the following three months, Partially Naked Came the Corpse! will weave in and out of all AHOY’s regular titles, plus the fifth anniversary specials The Wrong Earth: We Can Be Heroes #1-2 and new title Deadweights #1. Finally, in late November, Partially Naked Came the Corpse! will conclude with a bang in the Captain Ginger: The Last Feeder #1, the first of another two-part anniversary series. 

Writers include recent award-winners Mark Russell and Alex Segura, Marvel writer Torunn Grønbekk, plus a murderer’s row of AHOY stars: Bryce Ingman, Carol Lay, Carrie Harris, Hanna Bahedry, Audrey Ryer, Kirk Vanderbeek, Lisa Jonte, Stuart Moore, and Kek-w. Illustrator Jon Proctor’s mind-blowing artwork will adorn each installment.

Project: Cryptid #1 which will be available in stores on September 6, 2022.

The Gimmick #1 pops with an interesting… gimmick

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The Gimmick #1

An athlete dying during a match isn’t something that’s new. A horrific physical act too isn’t something that’s all that uncommon (watch some MMA and the horrible leg breaks). But, what if you mix that with superpowers? The Gimmick #1 introduces us to Shane Bryant. After a run-in with a racist opponent, he punches through their brain… in front of 2.4 million viewers. Bryant has super strength and it’s resulted in a wrestler’s head exploding on television. Now, he needs a new gimmick and a new life.

Written by Joanne Starer, The Gimmick #1 is an entertaining and somewhat tragic start of a series. Starer does an excellent job of giving us a victim that we don’t feel bad about at all. In doing so Starer also sets up Bryant as a main character we can feel fine with being a murderer. Yeah, it’s weird to say but, it works and works really well since the victim is such a shitheel.

Starer also teases the world but doesn’t give much away making it all the more intriguing. Bryany has super strength, at least that, but is this a world where heroes exist? Where did it come from? While everyone seems surprised he has it, they’re not surprised it exists which hints this is a world where people have these powers and may or may not hide them.

The comic stumbles a little in Bryant’s fleeing and those pursuing him. He crosses the boarder into Mexico which feels a little “too easy”. He just killed a guy on television, he’s not getting flagged? Then there’s agents looking for him, again, they wouldn’t know he crossed the border? It’s small details but distracted me a bit from the much stronger story of Bryant’s next steps.

The art by Elena Gogou is good. With lettering by Rob Steen, there’s a style that feels like a lot of AHOY Comics‘ releases. It doesn’t go over the top in its flash and focus in on that nature of wrestling. And in some ways, that’s smart. The big “pop” should be Bryant putting his fist through a head and the way the visuals are presented works that way. Go too flashy in the wrestling gimmick and that shocking moment is diminished and becomes one over the top moment among many. It feels like there’s been a decision here to keep things focused more on the dramatic aspect of the comic.

As with AHOY releases, there’s more material in the form of two prose entries by Kevin Credo and Kirk Vanderbeek with art by Rick Geary and Ameilee Sullivan. As always, they feel like the icing on an already delicious cake, a bonus to enjoy in a comic that was already enjoyable.

The Gimmick #1 is a solid start and really entertaining. Even with a few elements that are best ignored, or downplayed, it’s an interesting concept and with multiple directions it can go, a series that’s a solid mix for fans of superpowers and wrestling.

Story: Joanne Starer, Kevin Credo, Kirk Vanderbeek
Art: Elena Gogou, Rick Geary, Ameilee Sullivan
Letterer: Rob Steen
Story: 8.15 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.15 Recommendation: Buy

AHOY Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Review: Justice Warriors #2

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Justice Warriors #2

Reality is pretty insane right now. Things look bleak. They get weirder by the day. It’s a tragedy within a comedy within a tragedy. Thankfully we have some brilliant people out there who have no issue finding the absurd and skewering it in so many ways. Justice Warriors #2 continues its quest to needle so much of the utter bullshit.

Written by Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson, Justice Warriors #2 continues as Swamp and Schitt must deal with the riots occurring around the city. First, due to a plot to drive record sales to spur the economy. Then, having to do with bread and speculation. In between that we get digs into Crypto/NFTs, “special months”, and so much more.

Justice Warriors #2 takes the insanity and ramps it up to massive levels. While the first issue gave us a scheme to drive record sales and for elected officials to profit off of that, this one shifts the focus to even more insane investments, this time dealing with bread. It’s hard to not think about Crypto and NFTs while reading either of these plots. At times you can swear you’ve heard the same pitches about each of those. But, at least bread has a use, unlike digital goods.

Then there’s the constant “special causes” that are promoted. With an arrest you get a cancer screening. A gun is green due to mental health awareness. It’s all small mocking of our commodification and exploitation of causes. Small jokes that have clear targets. And of course Bors and Clarkson just one-up each reference with an even more absurd next one.

The art is as much of the joke as anything else. Each scene is packed with visuals that’ll get you to pause and try to pick up on every small detail. This is a wacky world where mutants are plenty and every detail is a specific choice. It’s interesting to look and try to figure out the visual decisions that were made and how they enhance not just the story and jokes but the whole point that’s being made.

As with AHOY Comics, the issue has a lot of extras including a one page comic done totally by Borrs as well as two prose entries. They’re all nice additions to the comic and feel like a bonus but this comic is sold by the main comic all by itself, it’s that solid.

Justice Warriors #2 does a fantastic job of delivering laughs while skewering our society. It works as a mad camp of a cop story that goes in directions that are completely unexpected. The creative team delivers a read where you have no idea what they’re going to punch next and what jokes are coming.

Story: Matt Bors, Ben Clarkson, Kirk Vanderbeek, Robert Jeschonek
Art: Ben Clarkson, Matt Bors, Peter Bagge
Color: Felipe Sobreiro Letterer: Matt Bors
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

AHOY Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Preview: Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death #5

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Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death #5

(W) Kirk Vanderbeek
(A) Jon Proctor, Shane Oakley
(C) Richard Williams
February 23, 2022
$4.99

Two complete, Poe-inflected comedies from new comics writer Kirk Vanderbeek. In “A Pound of Flesh,” a man guiltily obsesses over a debt to a friend who’s died. “Postal” introduces Augie Doobin, a consulting detective who won’t let a dose of LSD interfere with solving a murder case. PLUS: Prose, pictures, and possibly poetry!

Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Death #5