Occupy Comics #1

Started off in what seems forever ago, Occupy Comics initially started off as a Kickstarter project, it is now seeing print thanks to Black Mask Studios. An anthology, the comic was as political as they come and channeled the dissatisfaction with the status-quo represented by the Occupy Movement. The comics boast an impressive line-up of creators like Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Charlie Adlard, Art Spiegelman, Molly Crabapple, Matt Bors, Mike Allred, Ben Templesmith, J.M. DeMatteis, Tyler Crook, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Joe Infurnari, Ales Kot, Dean Haspiel, Joshua Dysart and Matt Pizzolo.

Each contribution is thought-provoking and entertaining and shockingly non-partisan. This is a perfect marriage of comics and politics. While many will see that word “occupy” how the stories presented are pretty non-partisan, reflecting the realistic economic times and the political world in which we live.

But on top of that political message, the comic is also entertaining. The stories contained within are smartly written and beautifully illustrated, making this a package that has depth in message as well as presentation, an awesome combination. It’s a perfect connection between emotion, facts and art.

The stories within vary too. They’re not all straight comics, and some mix it up with different forms of storytelling. This is an anthology with a theme first and foremost, not necessarily a “comic.” But it’s all golden. Everything I read had depth and was intelligent. It just grabbed me and I wanted to read more. It made we want more of this type of voice in the more mainstream comics many of these folks write.

On top of the solid stories and art, all revenue received by organizers/creators (past hard costs) will be donated to various Occupy-related initiatives.

This is a perfect example of the marriage of comics and politics. An awesome comic that I can’t wait to see more of.

Story and art: Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Charlie Adlard, Art Spiegelman, Molly Crabapple, Matt Bors, Mike Allred, Ben Templesmith, J.M. DeMatteis, Tyler Crook, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Joe Infurnari, Ales Kot, Dean Haspiel, Joshua Dysart and Matt Pizzolo
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

12 Reasons to Die #1

This horror-crime hybrid is the latest comic book from the legendary Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and Ghostface Killah.

A brutal tale of gangsters, betrayal, and one vengeful soul hunting the 12 most powerful crimelords in the world.

I’m a fan of crime comics. The idea of gangsters and crimelords is just entertaining to me. I tend to gravitate to those stories so this comic was right up my way. But what makes this comic and this “gangster” tale stand out is the horror part of it all. It’s a nice change to the straight up gangster story I was expecting and the type of story I was expecting when I saw that RZA and Ghostface Killah were involved.

There’s a lot going on in the comic, making it not the straightforward crime comic you’d expect. There’s different perspectives and intertwining storylines that’ll be interesting to see how they come together. This is a mystery/horror story with a gangster veneer and the first issue teases that mystery just enough to get me to want to come back and check out more.

You can tell this is a story being told the way they want to be told. It’s a high concept blending story, art and music together. Each section of the first issues is paired with the talents of an artist who does it justice and enhances the story.

What’s even cooler is this is an example of a multi-platform, transmedia concept project with a storyline that spans from the comic book to the new Ghostface Killah album released simultaneously by RZA’s Soul Temple Records. So, you have a soundtrack to check out while reading the comic.

Overall, this is an entertaining example of

Story: Adrian Younge, Ce Garcia, Matthew Rosenberg, Patrick Kindlon Art: Breno Tamura, Gus Storms, Kyle Strahm, Joe Infurnari
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Black Mask Studios provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review