Comics
Review: “Tech Jacket” #1
Re-launching Robert Kirkman’s space-faring character, “Tech Jacket” #1 doesn’t have a lot of original ideas to bring to the table, the original series being a remix of some well worn cosmic comic tropes to begin with. That said, the series promises some star-hopping fun, and who couldn’t use more of that?
WRITTEN BY: Joe Keatinge ART BY: Khary Randolph PUBLISHER: Image PRICE: $2.99 RELEASE: July 2, 2014 Review By: Ooknabah
When it comes to his time at Image, one cannot accuse Robert Kirkman of abandoning his early work. While his first projects were short lived, once his super hero comic Invincible began to take off it wasn’t long before characters from previous series like Capes Inc or Brit were folded into the larger Invincible Universe. So too was Tech Jacket, Kirkman’s first original work for the company, a Quasar meets Iron Man (with some Nova, Green Lantern, Spider Man, etc thrown in) manga-esque effort, that follows the adventures of Zack Thompson (no relation to our esteemed comics editor as far as I’m aware) a high school student who becomes bonded with a powerful alien technology which he uses to defend the earth from extraterrestrial threats.
While the character had a supporting roles in Invincible’s Vitrumite War storyline, he has remained largely a background player and this new series is a welcome effort to give him a spotlight. Welcome, because while far from ground breaking, the series offers the potential from some real fun comics, even at these initial stages. While Kirkman has no direct involvement in the series, the sense of humour and opportunity for fun that made the initial run of Invincible so great is in evidence here. There is also the potential to follow Invincible down the path of becoming overwrought, but I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt to start off.
Khary Randolph’s art is great, Keatinge’s dialog captures Zack’s endearing relationship with his father perfectly and now that the ground work has been laid in there could be some great adventure to follow. I’m excited for it, and you should be too.
Ooknabah AKA Brent Hirose is a writer, actor and gigantic nerd from Vancouver B.C. You can listen to his podcast about that at HugeNerds.Podomatic.Com or check out his many other projects at BrentHirose.com
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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