by tonydoug wright

Independent comic books and graphic novels are always welcome to the Champion City for reviews because independent companies publish innovative titles that break away from the mainstream. The DIY (do it yourself) philosophy does work in the comic book and graphic novel business and companies eventually find success. This edition features three comic books from DWAP Productions (http://www.dwapproductions.com), a multi-media company that is part of a comic book and entertainment collective known as The Antidote Trust (http://www.theantidotetrust.com).

The Red Line #1

Writer: Geoffrey Thorne
Artist: Todd Harris
Publisher: Ludovico Technique
Web-site: http://www.brocasso.com

Sudra is a young woman with a bright future, but she lives in a crime ridden metropolis where gangs attack innocent bystanders and super soldiers known as Chessmen battle aliens. In order to survive her harsh environment, Sudra spends time with her best friend Chaney, a free spirit who is considered a bad influence by Sudra’s overbearing parents. Love and independence from her family is what Sudra seeks, but her world comes crashing down during an afternoon robbery.

Although Sudra’s life is changed forever, she discovers a hidden power that turns her into a supernatural being. By tapping into this new ability, she is able to hunt down those who were responsible for the violent robbery. Unfortunately, Sudra’s abilities are exposed and she becomes a target of a local gang.

The Red Line, written by Geoffrey Thorne, follows the basic comic book formula featuring all of the usual ingredients for a first issue: an angst ridden teen, a discovery of a super-power, and a tragedy that defines the course of a hero. This first issue is decent and it has the potential to be a good title. Todd Harris’ artwork should not be overlooked because he too exhibits a great deal of potential. The characters and environment are well-drawn and Harris does not create a cast of characters with disproportionate or unrealistic features. It’s tough to judge a series by one issue, but it appears that both Thorne and Harris are moving in the right direction.

The Roach #1

Writer and Artist: Robert Roach
Publisher: Hometown Productions
Web-site: http://www.hometownprods.com

Once upon a time, Chicago was a prohibition battleground where cops and gangsters clashed. Elliott Ness and Al Capone were two of the most infamous personas in the Windy City and their battles were legendary. Robert Roach uses prohibition-era Chicago as his backdrop for The Roach, a vigilante tale of a man called The Roach who acts as his own judge, jury, and executioner.

A group of crime-lords are competing for control of the drug and alcohol trade in Chicago. Mr. Toombes is a major player in the criminal underworld and he is recruiting young thugs to join a secret society known as The Cause. But Toombes is kept in check by a mysterious figure known as The Roach, a hardened gumshoe looking to put an end to crime and corruption.

Roach’s work is an interesting crime noir concept, and the black and white artwork is a nice touch, but the story does drag at moments. A major problem is due to the fact that some of the pages are overloaded with dialogue, which detracts from the story. The artwork is good, but Roach should spend some more time tweaking the appearance of his main character because The Roach does not look that menacing. Instead, he looks like a creepy version of The Lone Ranger. Perhaps changing the name of the main character would be a good start. The Roach is a “throwback” character to the golden age of comic books but he does have a bit of an edge that will appeal to current readers.

Caffeine Dreams #1

Writers: Dale Wilson and Mark Allyn Stewart
Artists: Todd Harris, Chris Sagovac, and Nick Kunin
Web-site: http://www.dwapproductions.com

There are times when companies publish anthology comic books that showcase various titles that are in development or a teaser for an upcoming release. Sometimes, it seems that many of these anthologies are nothing more than a bunch of “pilots” for comic book companies. Three short tales from Dale Wilson and Mark Allyn Stewart make up the first issue of Caffeine Dreams, published by DWAP Productions.

The first story, titled “Big Ships”, is a science-fiction story written by Wilson and features artwork from Todd Harris. A young man is given a camera from a person claiming there is something unusual in the clouds. Believing the person is insane; the young man checks the photographs and discovers there is something in the clouds. Wilson has a good script, although it is very short and leaves you wanting more. Harris’ artwork is a penciled effort and comes off as a rough draft sketchbook rather than a complete story.

“On Becoming a Monster” is the second story and was written by Dale Wilson with artwork from Chris Sagovac. This story is set around a battle between good and evil, where the main characters, a demon and an angel, discuss why they are at war. Sagovac’s art is a black and white style that is very dark and unappealing. The dark colors are too much and very distracting. Also, the reader is thrown into the middle of a story with no background information.

The final story is titled “Monarch Kingdom” and was written by Mark Allyn Stewart with artwork by Nick Kunin. This story is about a video-game addict named Henry who has trouble with his perception of reality. His friends and girlfriend appear as video game characters and this tortures Henry. “Monarch Kingdom” is an interesting concept and has all the makings of a good comic book.

Caffeine Dreams is a so-so comic book with stories in need of writing and artistic revisions. This is more of a rough draft than an actual release. There are good concepts for plot and art, but it is more of a rushed product than anything else.