Filed under: Comic Reviews, Indie Comics | Tags: Dan Harris, Jim Bampfield, Kris Carter, Lou Scannon
With 2012 bringing the Lou Scannon team a much deserved Eagle Award nomination and the first three issues (reviewed here – #1, #2 & #3) becoming an instant favourite with the Comics Anonymous team……….could they keep that momentum going with their 4th issue??
I could keep this short and give you the simple “Yes” answer to that question but there is much, much more I want to say about it. A strong comedy element was built in those first three issues which is still there and we’ve seen the mismatch of characters develop into a team we almost feel a part of…..surely G-Man could appear somewhere eh? 😀
The thing is, with issue four, the creative team behind it – Kris Carter, Jim Bampfield & Dan Harris have elevated the title even further. Taking it from a comedy, sci-fi Red Dwarf-hybrid to a whole new level……almost as if they’ve grown up in this issue……but knowing the guys…..I don’t think that’s true but something’s changed……..and all for the better. There’s just something more involving in this issue as they’ve created an all new depth and skill to both the story and art elements.
True there are a number of different elements introduced as they parody Red Dwarf (a hint at the episode “Legion” jumped into my mind for some reason), a hint of Alien/Predator and all things sci-fi into one issue but they’ve also got a heady mix of direct comedy mixed with subtle one-liners. That’s all a nod to the writing as part of its strength and charm. The crew head into scavenger mode as the discover a derelict space station, the promise of experimental weapons, a change of radiation suits for their resident werewolf and the briefest hints of survivors sets the mission off.
The art itself has remained at it’s usual high quality and then some, with more variation in the page layouts and I still dig the black and white interiors……something which can make or break any title. As the crew find the suits, the weapons and a strange double-crossing survivor….the art is let loose…..and we get to see one of my favourite scenes as werewolf vs forklift in a “Get away from her you BITCH!” moment that had me chuckling like a lunatic.
The most frustrating thing though…..is that its soooo good….it feels like it ends way too soon but that’s surely the sign of a great comic. The added bonus here though is that the team have worked in some smart sections at the back, the crazy-funny letters page is still there but they’ve also dropped in a round up of the guns used by the crew and a behind the scenes rundown of the development of issue #4….all adding to the entertainment value…..and that’s a rare thing for a comic to do achieve with such ease.
There are a vast number of comics out there from the big publishers that we all know through to the lesser know titles from the indie scene in the UK……and this year has proven that the content and quality of self-published titles can more than compete. That fact has been an eye-opener for me since I started as part of the Comics Anonymous blogging group……and thanks to titles like Lou Scannon, I’ve got a new found appreciation for the drive to tell a story, a good story that others need to hear….and if anything, these are the kind of titles that should help inspire other writers/artists that they too can produce something of this quality.
Having grown from their first issue, I’d say that this is their best issue yet…..at least until I see what happens in issue #5. Get onto their website by the link below and order a fun and entertaining comic – then once you’ve read it….read it again…..and get others to buy/read it.
8/10
G-Man
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