Dabel Brothers Productions have provided us with some advanced reading copies of their current series for review, and we gave them a try. All in all, the three series we read look pretty good, with the licensed properties in particular earning some special distinction. DB Pro says they’re going to provide science fiction and fantasy comics “done right”, and we think with these comics (and, of course The Hedge Knight) they’re on their way to doing this. Commentary on the three series we’ve read (Marshal, Magician: Apprentice, and Red Prophet) below the fold.
Marshal #1
(due May 3rd)
Created by Bill Tortolini, written by Andrew LoVuolo, art by Abdul Rashid, colors by Imaginary Friends.
Marshal has been long in the making—I recall seeing production images at least three years ago—but now it’s finally arrived. Fans of Firefly will no doubt appreciate the basic idea: a sci-fi western set on a colony world whose settlers act not unlike settlers in the Old West. It’s got a fair amount of action and meanwhile sketches in the background details. The story as told here seems pretty straightforward, with the titular Marshal seeking revenge for the death of his father and coming up against the insidious machinations of a colony-spanning corporation which has a vested interested in lawlessness.
Of particular note in this issue are the six pages devoted to the forthcoming Anita Blake adaption from the Dabels. Brett Booth’s character designs are intriguing, and his style is certainly up to depicting the pretty-pretties which abound in Laurell K. Hamilton’s novels.
Magician #1 (due May 3rd)
Adapted from the work of Raymond E. Feist by Micheal Avon Oeming and Brian J.L. Glass, art by Brett Booth, colors by Jess Booth.
Feist’s Magician is one of the first fantasy novels I recall reading after Tolkien’s work brokedown the barriers that made me resist reading fantasy for so many years (before that, it was pretty much all SF). I remember finding it enjoyable, with some very interesting ideas, but not a lick on The Lord of the Rings (but then, so few entries in the epic fantasy genre are). Still, I was looking forward to reading this new adaptation, and I’m happy that I did. Oeming and Glass seem to be holding quite close to Feist’s novel (which I personally consider commendable in most cases), and Booth’s work is excellent. Of special note is a middle section which Jess Booth colors entirely in grayscale, making the images and the events there “pop” quite nicely in relation to the lusher, brighter colors of the rest of the book.
Red Prophet #1 and #2 (#1 already published, #2 due May 10th)
Adapted from the work of Orson Scott Card by Roland Bernard Brown, art by Renato Arlem (with Klebs Moura Junior), colors by David Curiel. Cover A by Renato Arlem, Cover B by John Buxton.
Orson Scott Card is quite a well-known writer in the field, thanks to the great success of Ender’s Game, but he’s also written noteworthy fantasy with his Alvin Maker series, set intringuingly in a 19th-century, magical America that never was (something done most recently in comics, I think, by Kurt Busiek’s Arrowsmith). Red Prophet is a part of this series, telling a story from the life of young Alvin before he was a Maker. Arlem’s art is excellent, and matches the setting and story perfectly. Brown has done a great job letting Card’s words speak for themselves (the only drawback being that the story leans perhaps a touch too much on narration rather than character dialogue; but given the particular rhythm and “dialect” used in the narration it’s not much of a flaw).
The first issue focuses on a trader named Hooch, who exploits (in rather genocidal terms) the native americans (“reds”) in Wobash territory with his supply of liquor, and the Shaw-nee warrior Ta-Kumsaw (the titular “Red Prophet”, seemingly ... or is he?) who is trying to stop the settlers and their army from destroying his people. The politics and the interactions sound just about right. The second issue focuses on Lolla-Wossiky, Ta-Kumsaw’s one-eyed, “whisky-red” (i.e. drunkard) brother, whose story turns out to be more important and integral to the overall plot that one would have supposed from his introduction in the first issue. This issue also gives us our first glimpse at a young Alvin Maker. It’s another good piece of work, and Card’s prose (as adapted by Brown) makes for a pleasant read.