What made you get into drawing and comics?
My interest in comic-style art and storytelling began so long ago I’m not sure I can pinpoint a single event or incident that made me go “Yeah, that’s what I want!”. I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil and I was always known as the girl who likes to draw. I do have some very distant memories of drawing super heroes though, possibly caused by watching a lot of ‘SuperFriends’ at the time.

When I was in 5th grade I remember I made a comic strip about some of the kids I knew in school that started out as sort of a kid’s adventure strip. Then as I started reading actual super hero comics, particularly X-Men, it morphed into a weird space opera with humans and mutants leaving earth to found their own colony. This persisted through most of my teen years but ultimately didn’t go anywhere. But I’ve been drawing my whole life and my style seems tailored for comics at this point.

Who are some of your influences?
I think my biggest influence right out of the gate was Jim Lee, the guy who really set the stylistic tone for the 90s, for better or for worse. I’ve also borrowed shamelessly from Los Bros Hernandez, George Perez, Joe Quesada (back when he was still just a penciler), Barry Windsor-Smith and probably too many to list all at once. Really, I could go on forever because as someone who works visually I pick up something from every artist I observe and try to apply it to what I’m already doing. For instance, a lot of my manga style work is inspired by Naoko Takeuchi, Yuu Watase and Ai Yazawa.

What is your favorite art medium to work with?
Definitely pencil and ink, since it’s the one I use the most. I’ve also done a few acrylic paintings here and there over the years and I’m always looking to get back to it. Prismacolor markers are also amazing fun to work with.

Tell us a bit about your web comics “Wish me Luck” and “Panic Attack”. Where did you get the ideas and are either based on your life or someone else?
“Wish me Luck” can currently be found in ‘Inbound’ #3 from the Boston Comics Roundtable (www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com). When I found out that #3 was going to be the love issue, this story came at right at me. It took some time to chisel it to its current form, but from the get go it was a story about a guy lusting after a girl who he hadn’t really seen in that light before. He sees her dancing and it’s as though he’s seeing her for the first time. I chose belly dancing because I’ve always loved that form of dance and I’d taken a few classes here and there so I had a good handle on what some of the visuals would be. Plus I just plain love drawing beautiful women and I knew I could get away with that in a loved-themed comic.

“Panic Attack” was a one off idea that I needed to get onto paper as a way to deal with actually experiencing an attack. For me personally, I get this sort of lump in my throat. So I thought what if it’s some kind of alien body or foreign object that I could remove somehow and stop the attacks? But rather than put myself in the story, I made up an average guy who himself was inspired by some short stories a friend of mine wrote. It’s pretty a grisly scene which is exactly the way I wanted it. The scripts for both stories were written by my boyfriend Joey Peters, who has a wonderful knack for coming up with just the right words for the scenes I draw.

What is the process you go through to create a web comic?
At this point, the process is I draw the comic and then Joey puts it online J! Usually when I do a story I don’t give too much thought to where it will end up. That is unless I’m doing a story for a specific publication like ‘Inbound’ then I certainly want to make sure the content is on the up and up. With web comics it’s pretty much an “anything goes” format. In fact, the next web comic Joey and I are doing is going to have some adult content in it.

Why web comics?
Because it’s cheaper than publishing! Honestly I think that’s the number one reason why there’s been a flood of web comics within the last several years. Paper publishing takes a lot of time, effort and money. But anyone with a computer and the right software can, for ill or for good, make a comic. Talent and skill aren’t necessarily a requirement either!

Do you think its possible web comics could take over print comics one day?
I not only believe it to be possible, I believe it’s inevitable. We’re already seeing the death of the newspaper because more and more people are going straight to the web for news. And now with things like Kindle and the iPad, it’s really just a matter of time. I should also mention that those devices are still wicked expensive and I think people would still rather pay for stacks of paper than shell out this months rent for a fancy toy!

You mention on your website you’re available for commission. How would one get in touch with you if interested?
My email address is listed on the site and I can also be found on Facebook.

Any upcoming projects?
I am never at a loss for ideas for projects, but I never seem to have the time to execute them! Actually I am going to be making time for a story Joey wrote called ‘American Dream Girls’ and I’m not really sure how to describe it. It’s definitely a pop-culture parody that takes place here in Boston that’s going to have some pretty racy scenes between the titular characters. I’ve just now started to work on the layouts and I’m hoping to have at 3 or four pages up by the beginning of March.

Do you find it harder to get respected or taken seriously has a female comic artist? How do you feel about the lack of female comic book artists and writers in general?
Since I’m not someone who is currently working in mainstream comics I haven’t really encountered any gender based problems. Although there was one well known industry pro who talked down to me because of either my age or gender, but it was a one off thing and he was definitely the exception and not the rule. Right now I’m not really feeling the lack, per se of women working in comics since there are more and more of us on the mainstream scene every day. Alison Bechdel, the writer/artist behind ‘Dykes to Watch Out For’ had her autobio ‘Fun Home’ recognised by Time as the 2007 Book of the Year. Colleen Coover is doing tons of back up stories for Marvel and Amanda Conner is on Wizard’s Top Ten Artists list. This is the best possible time for women to be getting work as artists and writers because there’s more of a push to recognise talent before gender, which is precisely how things should be. Not to mention that the Boston Comics Roundtable has a wonderful mix of diversity that includes many talented ladies from all walks of life. Things aren’t perfect, but they are definitely better than they’ve been in years. It’s a good time to be in comics.

The book Marvels is perfect for people who are sort of interested in super hero comics, but do not know a lot of the history.

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Alex Ross

The story in Marvels follows Phil Sheldon, a news reporter fascinated with the cities superheroes or “Marvels” as he calls them.

Marvels gives the reader the perspective of normal people and what it’s like living in a town full of extraordinary people. The Marvels are misunderstood, feared, but also loved and cherished. As the story moved forward, so does Phil’s views on the marvels. At the beginning he too is skeptical of them, almost afraid. As years past he begins to see that the heroes just want to save human kind, and instead of getting thanks they are met with fear.

One thing I thought was interesting was how the X-men were portrayed. While other marvels were misunderstood they did also sometimes get the gratitude of the public. But, the X-men were hated and feared most of all. People felt unsafe and did not want mutants around their town. I find it interesting that the mutants were hated so much. What makes them so different than say the Human Torch or Sub Mariner? Do they all not have some power that is not human? The answer came to me at one of my graphic novel book club meetings. It’s about the origin story. Heroes like Spider-Man, The Hulk or the Fantastic Four are all some type of science gone wrong. X-men are born with their powers, meaning two normal parents could give birth to a mutant baby and that was seemingly too much to handle.

As the story goes on, Phil becomes detached from his family. This shows how big news reporting was back in that time. However, Phil realizes the importance of his family when his daughters bring home a little mutant girl. At one point Phil tells his fiancé that their wedding will have to have to wait. He feels like he cannot protect his family. I think this was him afraid and running from the future.

The book does a good job of highlighting all the major marvel heroes and events and can be understood even if a person as never picked up a comic book. I myself am not a big cape comic fan, but I found this very enjoyable. Perhaps because I see it as somewhere in-between cape and non-cape.

The thing about this book that caught my eye the most was the art. Alex Ross is one of comic’s best known and highly acclaimed artists. His use of water color and photorealism are one of a kind. Alex Ross uses real people as focal points and creates his art by posing people how the hero or person would look in the comic. He captures emotion and detail very well and puts a lot of heart and soul into his time consuming art.

The only down fall of this story is how it ends; I feel like it ends too abruptly. In the story Phil decides to publish a book of photos of the Marvels. As the story winds down he talks about losing his optical eye, but in some ways I don’t think he ever had it. Phil mentions in the book wanting to write a novel and write about how humankind should see the Marvels. As a reader I was excited about seeing him do this, but it just sort of tapers off and is merely something said in passing.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. Alex Ross is my favorite comic book artist and his work in this is truly breathtaking.

What made you get into writing comics?

Well before I started doing comics I had been playing in metal and punk bands for years. When I was 25 I had a really awful band experience and became completely fed up with that whole dynamic. The truth of the matter is that I was never an exceptional musician anyway, but friends, teachers and family always seemed to think I had a knack for storytelling. Writing also seemed particularly appealing to me at the time because of the solitary nature of the process. I was just sick of the clashing egos and the high school drama that came with playing in bands. As for why I chose to focus my writing efforts on comics? Being a life long fanboy it just seemed natural. And once I started really studying and experimenting with the medium I simply fell in love with it even more.

Can you tell us a bit about the things you have done?

I started off self-publishing under the banner of Broken Soul Press. The first comic I wrote, Kincaid, was a gritty, conspiracy driven sci-fi story. I also wrote and published a one-shot super-villain satire dubbed The Insufferable Suffolk Gang. After that initial run of self published work I decided to put BSP on the back burner and focus on work that might hit a larger audience. During that time I wrote a few horror shorts for anthologies and competed in the 2008 Platinum Studios Comic Book Challenge, where my comic (The Sleeping King) came in fifth place. More recently I wrote and oversaw the creation of a comic about the history of comics for an exhibit at the Wenham Museum. In the past year I’ve also restructured Broken Soul Press with a new emphasis on web content.
This past October I finished scripting a four issue mini-series, entitled Diaboloicus, for QEW publishing. That won’t be seeing print for another year or so I imagine though.

Are you currently working on anything now?

Presently my main focus is the two webcomics I have running at brokensoulpress.com. Our Flagship title, Divis Morte, is a serialized sci-fi graphic novel that updates every Tuesday.The story itself is an apocalptic tale about an alien world fighting a hopeless battle against vastly superior invaders from another world. At it?s core Divis Morte is really a survival horror comic. I had wanted to do something with that sort of dread feel for a long time, but the zombie thing has been done to death, no pun intended. I thought this setting would be far more interesting for showcasing characters stuck in a god-awful situation. I was lucky enough to put together an amazing art team for Divis Morte. Stephen Holcomb II takes care of the pencils and inks and has done pretty much all the visual design. Jim Vargas is the colorist and he really does some absolutely gorgeous work. I was lucky to find both of those guys. Divis Morte was actually nominated for best webcomic in the Project Fanboy awards this year. I doubt we’ll win, but it’s cool seeing my comic up against stuff like Freak Angels.
The other webcomic I have going right now is called Curtis Lawson’s Grindhouse. Basically, it’s an ongoing anthology of stories that combine a kind of Grindhouse cinema feel with the tradition of old E.C. comics. We do various genres including horror, pulp, Kung-fu and black comedy. Each story is introduced by this creepy projectionist character who is a complete tribute to the Crypt Keeper. As for print comics, I just accepted a job scripting a three issue mini-series called Blackstone for QEW publishing. Right now I can’t go into much detail other than to say that it’s going to be an action packed crime drama with just a dash of sci-fi.

You do both print and web comics. Do you prefer one over the other?

That’s a tough question. There are so many things I love about both of them. I personally prefer reading stuff in print. I enjoy seeing a book shelf full of trades. I like flipping through my longboxes. I like being able to hold something in my hand and flip trough the pages. I even love the smell of print comics, especially old newsprint books.
That being said, I firmly believe that webcomics are the future of the industry. For all the nostalgia of print, digital comics just have far more advantages. First and foremost is the huge audience one can get. More people saw Divis Morte in it’s first week than all my print stuff combined. There are plenty of other merits of webcomics too. With all the comic apps for phones, webcomics are now just as portable. In most cases they are free for the reader. There is less overhead for the publisher. There is also a huge variety of webcomics, and variety has been a weak point in mainstream comics for a long time. I think my favorite aspect of webcomics is how easy it is to connect and interact with readers. I mirror my stuff on drunk duck and have gotten a lot of interesting feedback.

Who are your biggest inspirations in the comic book world?

The works of Scott McCloud have had a profound impact on how I script and even on how I think about Sequential art. His books, particularly Understanding Comics and Making Comics, just exude a deep love and understanding of the medium.  Some big influences on my panel work and how I set up a scene are Brian Bendis, J.M. DeMatteis and Alan Moore. Bendis will do these splash pages with a ton of dialogue. That’s something I?ve incorporated into my own work with a fair amount of success.  As far as characterization goes, I’ve drawn a lot from the works of Sam Kieth, Fabian Nicieza, Brian K. Vaughn and Stan Lee. I think all of those creators have exceptional skill for fleshing out characters and making them believable. I try to emulate that when I create my own characters.

Tell us about Broken Soul Press and how and when it was established.

I established Broken Soul Press in 2006 as a means to self publish my own work. At one point I planned on eventually making it into a full fledged publishing company, but I think I over estimated my own business savvy. Realizing that I’m much better at creating comics than at publishing them, I’ve gone back to using Broken Soul Press as a soap box for my self and a home for my webcomic projects. I don’t have any plans to do any print stuff through BSP at the present time. Although I would love to get more work from other publishers, Broken Soul Press is a great creative outlet. I have no one to answer to but myself and I have full control of the projects. There’s something to be said about having that kind of ownership.

Have you ever thought of bringing other writers and artists onto BSP?

I have an open submission policy for both new webcomics as well as short stories for Curtis Lawson’s Grindhouse. I’m only looking at projects with complete creative teams attached however. I don’t have the time nor inclination to pair up creative teams.

Tell us exactly how and what goes into creating a web comic.

Well I’m new to the webcomic thing and far from an expert, but I guess the first thing to do is focus on creating a quality comic. There are a lot of really awful webcomics out there, which kind of gives the whole webcomic thing a bad name. Electronic distribution of a comic does not excuse weak storytelling or sloppy art. I guess after having a strong comic, then you need to decide what your goals are for it. Are you trying to make money? Are you doing it for fun? Are you trying to make a name for yourself? Once those questions are answered you can make a more informed decision about where you choose to host your webcomic, how often you can realistically update, how much advertising you want to do and if/how you plan on generating revenue from it. I think another big thing to keep in mind about webcomics is the necessity to keep on a tight schedule in regard to updates. Nothing can drive away an audience, especially in the early stages, like inconsistent updates. Like I said though, I’m fairly new to webcomics. Maybe in a year I?ll have a completely different outlook on things.

What was the first thing you ever wrote?

When I was six or seven I had this Master’s of the Universe book that you read along with a tape. The other side of the tape was blank and you were supposed to record your own story on it. So I guess the first story I remember coming up with was a piece of He-Man fan-fic when I was a little kid.
After becoming serious about writing, the first story I finished was a prose piece called ?Culture Revolution in Wheaton, Illinois?. I got a very nice rejection letter from The Barcelona Review for that story and the editor was kind enough to give me some insightful creative criticism.

What are some of your favorite comics?

Some of my all time favorites are The Maxx, Y: the Last man, Lobo, Cable & Deadpool, Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, The Walking Dead, Ultimate Spider-man and select runs on X-men and Batman. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of webcomics. I’m absolutely in love with Freak Angels. There are also some great lesser known webcomics I’ve been reading like Attention: Denziens, Shades, The Fighting Stranger, and Over. Of course there is a ton of cool stuff on Zuda as well.

Is being a comic book writer something you always wanted to do?

I actually first toyed with the idea when I was a teenager. When I was sixteen I wrote three or four scripted pages of an occult/cyberpunk story. I forgot about it shortly after though, being more caught up in playing guitar and chasing girls. Throughout the years after that I always wanted to write my own graphic novel, but I thought of it more as a one time thing rather than a career choice. I have to say though, I’m happier writing comics than I have been with any other creative pursuit I’ve gone after in the past.

Title:

BUY

A bit about the creator:
Terrance Zdunich is one of the masterminds behind the highly successful rock opera, “REPO! The Genetic Opera. REPO! popularity has spawned several road tours, shadow casts and a following that is being compared to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Terrance has also journeyed in to the world of comic book creation. His 12 issue comic, “The Molting” is set to release a new chapter every six weeks. Previously I reviewed issue 1, “Guilty Susie”, here I review issue two: “The Happiest Place on Earth”.

Living in the home of Disneyland, Anaheim CA, does not always guarantee smiles.  Susie, now grown up, has settled down with her aging hippy husband. Her two teenage sons, Joseph and Trevor, are not exactly the poster children of a happy American family. Enter in Angel-Baby Sandra and once again Terrance has his readers thinking, “I want more”. Issue two, like issue one, is a set up and introduction. However as we are being introduced to new characters and a new setting we know something Susie’s husband and kids are not aware of; her sanity changing past. Susie’s family being in the dark to her past gives a whole new perspective on the story and begs the question; What if they did know?

Once again Terrance does an excellent job of giving us just enough to understand what’s going on. I particularly was a fan of the “argument dialogue”. We quickly find out that Abe and Susie do not have the happiest of marriages. As the boys come home from a late night/ early morning excursion, they walk in to hear their parents once again fighting. Terrance’s approach to the dialogue in this particular scene was to use speech bubbles with nothing more than “@*%$!” and the like. I think it works well because it does not bog the reader down with tons of dialogue. We know they are fighting, but are not distracted by what about. This next thought is one of my own and may not be what Terrance was going for. In issue one, when Susie is a little girl, her speech bubbles are pink. Perhaps this is reflective of her girlish innocence. When the events in issue one takes a turn for the worse, Susie’s speech bubbles become gray with pink lettering. To me this shows how Susie’s psychosis has snapped and she is clearly holding on to that last bit of innocence and sanity. Again, that is my view of things and may not be what Terrance was going for at all. Finally, Terrance has a pretty neat nod to Walt in some of the lettering.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, Terrance’s art is worth 10,000. As I mentioned before, Terrance’s art is drawn in such a way that dialogue is not needed to understand what’s going on. I want to talk particularly about the image of Susie on one of the last pages. She sits on her bed with a coffee cup staring blankly and only saying one thing, “Tony”. Those who did not read issue 1 will be able to tell just by the way Terrance draws her that something is wrong, she has a past, it’s dark and she is not the sanest woman in the world. Those who did read issue 1 know about her past and will almost wonder what is running through her head. The art in issue two is 99% brushwork, giving lines a nice smooth, thick look. The art is reminiscent of Jeff Lemire (The Nobody, Essex County Trilogy) and has the same refreshing organic look.

Terrance, is no doubt, a very talented man. He proves his worth in the world of comics and graphic novels by giving us a story that sucks the reader in from the first page. Many actors have had their name put on graphic novels, but have very little to do with creating it. Terrance writes and draws every page and panel himself. Not only that, he also funds the whole thing out of his pocket, including paying a colorist and letterer. Currently issues are only available for a limited time (2500 printed of each issue) through Terrance’s blog (www.terrancezdunich.com).

Personally I look forward to future chapters. If issue one and two are any indication, Terrance has a penchant for ending his chapters with cliffhangers that will keep us begging for more. That, fellow readers, is how to write a comic and please your audience.

Recently, one of our Guest Comic Writers: Little Mel was able to chat with Terrance Zdunich.  He was the Graverobber in REPO! The Genetic Opera and is now the author and illustrator of the new comic series: The Molting.  Enjoy!

Writer/Artist

You are both an artist and a writer. Do you prefer one over the other and why?
I do not see much of a difference in them. I believes all art is story telling and I approach it that way. It’s about the story you’re telling, not how it’s being told.

How long does it take you to complete an issue of “The Molting”? What is the process of creating an issue?
I am still sort of new to the comic book creating process and am still figuring out the time line. If I work diligently an issue takes me about two months. This also includes printing, formatting files and the like. As far as the process goes, it starts with a story. The next step is to take the story and divide it into 12 chapters in comic form. I begin with thumbnail sketches, then inks and tighting up lines. The inked drawings are colored by a colorist in Photoshop, and finally a letterist adds his portion and the issue is conformed to printer specs.

Which artist and writers are your biggest inspirations?
Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.

What was the first thing you ever wrote/drew?
This may not be the first thing I drew, but I remember it being the first drawing that I received positive encouragement from, and that was Mickey Mouse. My Mom asked if I traced it and when I told her no she said, “good job, son”. Disneyland is referenced in The Molting, so things, in a way, have come full circle.

Have you ever considered putting REPO! in comic book form or even continuing the story of REPO! in a comic book (ala Joss Whedon with Buffy)?
I get this question a lot. Of course, I’d love to see REPO! continue in a lot of different forms. I personally would not be interested in creating a REPO! comic for a few different reasons. First, I feel I have successfully told the biggest version of REPO! I can tell: the film. Now I want to tell new stories. The second reason is that I don’t own REPO! anymore. Lastly, I think it would be nice to see another artist take up the reigns on the project. Someone had an idea of doing an illustrated version of REPO!’s original script. Doing this would give people a chance to see the original version of the story before it was made into a film.

What book should everyone read?
1984-George Orwell or the Dictionary.

Music/Performing

Can you play any instruments? If not, which one would you most like to learn?
I can play guitar as well as piano somewhat. At one time performing music was more important to me, but I rarely pick up any instruments these days. If I had the choice, I would have liked to put more time into perfecting the piano.

Musically, who are you inspirations? Have people told you, that you sound like any particular singer(s)?
The musicians who really wow me or affected me emotionally are; Tom Waits and Mo-town (which is a whole plethora of singers). Vocally, I’ve been compared to Danny Elfman, but I’d like to think I’m unique.

What is your favorite song in REPO?
I like the tracks that are transitional numbers more than the big songs. The writer in me likes the technical chops on display. Songs such as, “Everyone’s a composer” and “Happiness in Not a Warm Scalpel”. There are unusual musical changeups and dynamic meters in these tracks that a popular song like “Zydrate Anatomy” doesn’t have. Songs such as Zydrate need to be “head-bobbable” so they can’t be too weird.

Tell us about Orpheus: A Season in Hell and Chain of Souls.
There are things that existed deep, deep in my past. Orpheus is a rock opera and Chain of Souls is a movie I was an extra in. I like that people are taking an interest in things I have done, but those projects are not indicative of who I am as an artist today and if people go into them looking for GraveRobber, they will disappointed.

What CDs people should listen to?
Tom Waits-Alice and Marilyn Manson-Antichrist Superstar.

Miscellaneous

Does the admiration and attention from females ever get annoying or tiresome?
The attention is new and I probably won’t ever get used to it. However, it doesn’t get tiring it’s flattering. The attention comes more from what people write on the internet than literally coming on to me personally. It doesn’t happen as much as people assume it does, but when it does it’s awesome and who doesn’t want to be loved?

Is this where you saw your life going when you were younger? Did you envision one day you would have all this attention as an artist?
Just because I made REPO! and it has cult success with the film does not mean I have everything. I am still trying to make ends meet, I want to find happiness and have not settled into a life of comfort. However, I did not see things going this way and am happy with the way that things are going.

What would the biography of your life be titled?
I hope I have many years left before a bio is written of my life, but I hope my epitaph would have the words artist and influential in it.

Rachel of Northampton wants to know, what is your favorite way to prepare potatoes?
I haven’t ever prepared potatoes, but my favorite kind is French fries. I don’t really give it a lot of thought and neither should Rachel.

If you are a comic book fan you more than likely have heard of Bone by Jeff Smith. Bone is one of those graphic novels that have a lot of hype behind it. I was a bit nervous about reading it because I thought I would be disappointed after it being so hyped up. I am happy to say that Bone lives up to the hype and then some.

The story revolves around the Bone cousins; Phoney, Fone and Smiley. What exactly are Bones? Well, that’s never really explained. However, they are looked at as more as funny looking foreigners than aliens. At the start of the book the cousins find themselves stranded in a vast desert thanks to Phoney Bone who got three of them run out of their hometown Boneville with one of his scams. It is not long before the three are split up and we start to get to know Fone Bone a bit better. After traveling a great deal he soon meets Thorn; a young girl who he is told can help get him home and goes with her to her cottage. Soon the three Bone cousins are reunited it Barrelhaven where they meet Thorn, her resilient cow racing Gran’ma Ben and a whole lot of other interesting people. It isn’t long, however, before the cousins are split up again. The area Barrelhaven exists in, the valley is filled with all kinds of wonderful and terrifying creatures. We learn that some of them are after Thorn and the Bones, some want to help and some just want a good quiche.

If I were to give a recipe for Bone I would mix The Chronicles of Narnia with Disney. It’s Lord of the Rings with cartoons put in, Kingdom Hearts meet Mage: The Awakening. Jeff Smith gives us a huge fantasy world full of mystery, magic, creatures and more and then stirs in a mixture of very cartoon and Disney like characters, giving it a good mix of epic, humorous and most important attention grabbing.

As the main plot of Bone unfolds there are several other subplots taking place. Jeff Smith does a good job of eventually tying everything together, but also makes it so things are easy to follow. I did not have to once go back and reread and was able to follow the story smoothly. A lot of graphic novels try to have several stories going on at once and it gets confusing. Jeff Smith did a good job of making sure this does not happen. The events start out small, more on the comical side, but as the story progresses it moves into the realm of epic fantasy, but still keeps sprinkles of humor.

The books were originally drawn in black and white, but are now being made in color. The book I read was black and white, but I have seen the ones in color and I think both work equally as well. In the black and white version Smith does a good job creating nice smooth lines that are thick and thin in the right place and character’s expressions are drawn well. There is a few times where he draws the Bones with very cartoon like expressions (e.g. jaw dropping, eyes bugging out). I believe this gives us a nice light hearted feeling and is one of the many reasons this book is appropriate for most ages.

As the story progresses it becomes more epic. Past choices become a matter of life and death, a war approaches and we learn that there may be more to Thorn and Gran’ma Ben than we thought.

Bone is available in separate trades, but in 2009 the whole series was put into one volume. The book is pretty hefty with a page count of 1332. The book is split up into nine parts, each 5, 6 or 8 chapters long. The whole series in one book is $39.95 and well worth it.

Bone is an excellent page turning graphic novel and I recommend it to both comic book and non comic book fans alike.

The Walking Dead
Writer-Robert Kirkman
Artist-Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard

After being injured in the line of duty, Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find himself in an abandon hospital. He soon learned the reason why it is abandon. Zombies have taken over. Throughout the book, however, they are referred to as “roamers” and “biters”, but very rarely “zombies”. Leaving the hospital, Rick soon learns that civilization has changed drastically. After traveling for a bit, Rick is reunited with his wife, Laurie and son, Carl. He also meets the people they have been staying with. Food is scarce, staying in one place to long is dangerous and people aren’t always what they seem. Kirkman does a good job of keeping us on our toes and providing cliff hangers at the end of almost every chapter. As time goes on our characters run into more problems than just zombies; groups not so willing to share, people looking to take advantage, cannibals (yes, cannibals) and eventually fighting and not trusting each other. The last thing I will say is if you read this, don’t get too attached to a character, no matter how “main” they seem to be.

Tony Moore draws in black and white. This, I believe, works very well for this graphic novel. I think it fits with the atmosphere. Also, for black and white, the inking and shading provides a more dark mood. In issue 7 Tony Moore was replaced by Charlie Adlard. It is jarring how different these two artists are. The big difference is, characters are easier to tell apart.

The 11th trade, Fear the Hunters, which will collect issues 61-66 is set for release in Dec of 2009.

The Sword
Writer/Artist-The Luna Brothers
Published by Image Comics

Dara Brighton is a wheelchair bound young girl and a gifted art student. Her life changes when mysterious people (2 men and 1 woman) with great powers enter her home and kill her family. They claim her father has sword which belongs to them. After the mayhem Dara finds herself in her basement, alive and near the very sword that was spoken of. Issue one ends with the paraplegic Dara standing on her own two feet. As the story goes on we soon learn that sword is thousands of years old, as is Dara’s dad. The story is filled with fantasy, myth, action and more. As the story continues we find out the mysterious trio were once gods, had a brother that was destroyed and contain deadly elemental powers. It’s up to Dara to stop them, but she’ll need help from her two friends. Especially because they are the only people in town who don’t think she’s a dangerous crazed mad woman.

The thing about the Luna Brothers is their art is similar in every book they do. The characters look almost the same and the style is always the same. They draw in a very cinematic style, each page almost like a film real. However, their stories are so engaging and the writing is so good, you will almost always look past the duplicate art style.

Currently the story is at issue #19. As with their past series, the Luna Brothers plan on going until issue #24.

Availability: Currently Guilty Susie is only available for a limited time through Terrance’s blog (ed1c24;" href="http://www.terrancezdunich.com/" target="_blank">www.terrancezdunich.com). Personally I look forward to future chapters. Is issue one is any indication, Terrance has a penchant for ending his chapters with cliffhangers that will keep us begging for more. That, fellow readers, is how to write a comic and please your audience.

To me there are elements in the book that coincide with the real world. Everyone sees superheroes as good, fighting for what is right and never doing anything unjust and wrong. In book one we see these publicly glorified supes as anything but purely good. In one scene a new recruit, “Starlight”, joins the Big Seven an elite superhero team. She soon finds out she needs to perform sexual acts to join the team. This is just one of the things that takes away from the nice-as-pie image of superheroes. I believe this coincides with the real world because most people would assume a rape/murder was done by some evil homicidal maniac and not your next door neighbor who had a 4.0 and was head of the chess team. We can never judge a book by it’s cover, we can’t assume just because someone has super powers and they aren’t a villain that they are really 100% good, just like in real life.

I really enjoyed the art in this book. The glossiness on the pages was eye pleasing. My favorite characters are “The Frenchman” and “The Female”. Though I may like “The Frenchman” a bit more.  Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to reading the other books in the series.