Review: All My Ghosts (TPB)

Writer/Artist: Jeremy Massie

Publisher: Alterna Comics

Released: March 23rd 2016 (print)

Last week I reviewed Massie's 'The Deadbeat' and this week I continue the Massie trend by having a look at 'All My Ghosts'. I've know this paperback was coming for a while, I've seen the buzz on Twitter as I follow Massie (@jeremy_massie if you're interested), but truth be told I haven't read it until now. To be quite honest I never thought it would be my sort of read, I'm pleased to say I was rather wrong. 

Massie tells the tale of a small newspaper business in a small town struggling to stay afloat in a strangulating economy. Forced to sell his family business Joe Hale begins to experience strange supernatural occurrences-as the title would suggest.

Massie is a talented writer, his character work is excellent, as is the dialogue. Importantly he crafts believable characters in a world of hyperbole. All My Ghosts is no exception, although that doesn't necessarily mean you lie the characters. 

I didn't like Joe Hale, not consistently, he is a fundamentally flawed character, he does some reprehensible things and is the perpetrator of some odd choices. 

He is great fun to read, besides I came round to him in the end.

We don't all want perfectly polished paradigms of character surely? We've grown up enough to not expect protagonists without fault. I certainly don't, they make for rather tiresome reading. I don't know what goes through Massie's head in his creative process, but he makes great flawed characters that are interesting and compelling reads. Maybe he sees them as a reflection of the fundamental flaws that all humans have, maybe he doesn't, that's only my opinion. Either way, his characters don't disappoint. 

As usual Massie's mind and pencil work in wonderful synchronicity and his style of art is a great pleasure to gaze upon. I read somewhere recently, the exact location eludes me, that independent comics are poorly drawn and lack detail. Preposterous. Anyone who shares that opinion needs only to look at the opening page, a wonderful splash panel of an incredibly detailed printing press. It really caught my eye, a printing press, if Massie can do that with something like a printing press then you can get a clear indication of the point I'm trying to make.

This is a wonderful book to immerse yourself in, you won't always see eye to eye with the protagonist but you'll feel richer for it. Do yourself a favour and go and buy this book, the story is great and the artwork is sublime. I'm seriously tipping my cap to Massie, he's done it again.

Review: The Deadbeat

Story and art: Jeremy Massie

Publisher: Alterna Comics

Currently available in March previews for print. Available on comixology (digital).

In a strange twist of fortuitous circumstance, I had just finished re-reading the deadbeat when I got an e-mail from Alterna, with a review copy and information that The Deadbeat is available in March previews. So it's rather fresh in my memory. 

Now I did a review of the AnniverSERIES edition of this a little while back, which can be found here http://retrogradereview.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/review-deadbeat-anniverseries-edition.html?m=1 and pretty much sums up the book well. The main point being that you should go and buy it. 

The title sums up the premise pretty well, The Deadbeat tells the tale of a down and out ex-superhero who tries to reconnect with his daughter when she unexpectedly crashes back into his life. Massie leaves a lot of himself in this work, like this was a matter of catharsis for him, that makes for delicate and emotional reading; which is only a positive thing. When you read the story, you become instantly sympathetic with the protagonist and his struggle. The fact that Massie generates that kind of connection is testament to his prowess as a storyteller. 

Adjunct to the excellent storytelling is Massie's art, he works in perfect synthesis with himself. I've often thought that it is a tremendous advantage if you are able to both write and draw your own work (in some ways anyway, I could write a rather lengthy essay on the odd connection between writer and artist (and inker and colourist and letterer)) Massie proves the point here with his sublime artwork. I feel I repeat myself in some of these articles, harping on about sequential art and such things, but oh well. Massie tells his story well, the art is consistent, the panels well spaced and the story well paced.

I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this book, so seriously consider giving it a look, you're missing out if you don't.

Review: Raygun #1

Writer: Gregory Schoen

Pencils and cover: Alonso Molina

Inks and letters: Paulo Rivas

Publisher: Alterna Comics

Released: March 9th 2016

It's been a busy week or so for me, so to sit down with a new offering from Alterna Comics was a welcome relief. The fact that Ray Gun is brilliant was just the icing on the proverbial cake. Telling the story of Matthew Baker as he is sent to live with his father, this first issue sets up an interesting premise that leaves you curious as to what will happen next. 

Of course in this issue there is a substantial amount of exposition, a first issue demands that you must set the scene and have your 'inciting incident', if done incorrectly, this can be slightly full. However Schoen has crafted the story in such a way that it doesn't suffer tedium, rather it is enthralling. Its paced well and each page has a hook to keep you turning them. 

Though that isn't entirely because of the script, despite its excellence, but Molina's, frankly brilliant, artwork pops out of every page. His style seems to me to contain elements of manga, and that works really well. The characterisation is really strong and sequentially, there are practically no flaws. The panels flow smoothly and there is never any confusion about what comes next, or awkward reading. In fact some of the panels are the best laid out I've seen in a while, with some clever little tricks that made me smile.

Inkers don't often get mentioned I find, I've read some reviews that refuse to even acknowledge them, but Rivas's work here really accentuates the pencils and makes them stand right out.

Really this comic is a wonderful paradigm of symbiosis, or synchronicity that makes comics brilliant, each creator working in unison to make something special. 

Ray Gun is a brilliant read, the story draws you in and the hint of a mystery reaching from the past has whet my appetite for the next issue. There should be no barrier to you going and getting this comic straight away, it's available on comixology right now, it's a wonderful example of indie publishing at its finest. I couldn't of enjoyed it more, not to fill the void until the next issue.