Comic Review: Strange Nation #3

Posted By on December 18, 2013

Cryptids, urban legends, conspiracies and more are brought to light in Strange Nation,MonkeyBrain’s newest book from writer Paul Allor and artist Juan Romera. Following Norma Park as she loses her mainstream journalism career over a crazy conspiracy, it mixes crazy tabloid stories with character drama to make a unique story full of crazy creatures and insane conspiracies.

Strange Nation #3

Strange Nation #3

Merc and Jesse come to blows as Merc attempts to make Norma keep quiet. Merc finds that Norma may not be as bad as she seems, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to do his job. After the rooftop fight with Merc, Norma goes to her parents’ house, seeking a little shelter and advice, and her mother gives more help than Norma could’ve imagined.

Strange Nation #3

Strange Nation #3

Allor is steadily building the mystery of Strange Nation. DumaCorp is being further steeped in shady practices and mystery, while Merc, Norma, and the rest are being fleshed out as real characters. Without giving too much away, the last page of this issue immediately makes the story even stranger, giving yet another level of intrigue to the odd events in the book. Merc continues to be a sympathetic villainous character, making the reader like him even as he attempts to kill Norma. Maybe we’ll see him on the side of good before the series is over?

Strange Nation #3

Strange Nation #3

Juan Romera continues to absolutely kill the art. He drew a Sasquatch fighting what is implied to be an elderly Elvis. And it looked fantastic. His style fits well with the various cryptids that he has to draw, making them recognizable but also something all his own. It strikes a fine balance between realism and cartooning that will surely do the comic well as the story delves further into the crazy and unknown.

Strange Nation is certainly hitting its stride and only getting better with each issue. Allor and Romera pack an amazing amount of story and art into the dozen or so pages of each issue. The book can be purchased for just 99¢ on Comixology.

 

 

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Comic Review: Art Monster #1

Posted By on December 18, 2013

From writer Jeremy Holt and artist Francesca Ciregia comes Art Monster, the newest comic in MonkeyBrain’s apparent push to work with all the talented up-and-coming creators out there. From a recent interview Holt described Art Monster as such, “t its core, Art Monster is a modern re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s classic tale Frankenstein. What begins as one man’s desperate struggle to finally graduate from college unexpectedly becomes a complex journey of self-discovery about life, love, and the pursuit of artistic innovation.”

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

On the verge of being kicked out of art school, Victor desperately looks for inspiration. In his search, he finds the enchanting Erin, and the bizarra Ivan. These two individuals just may be what Victor needs to make his artistic breakthrough.

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

Holt obviously has a lot of love for this story. It’s quite a bit different than his previous works like Pulp or After Houdini, but it’s still thoroughly engaging. The idea of taking Frankenstein and setting in a complete different time and environment is an interesting one, and it will be worth watching as it plays out. While Holt is able to give Victor a decent bit of characterization in the 10 pages of story, it does feel a bit obvious that the story was originally scripted for 22 pages per issue, as it just seems there should be more. Otherwise, it’s an engaging and exceptional first issue, and for just 99¢.

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

Francesca Ciregia’s black and white art is a fantastic fit for the story. Dark and emotive, it captures the feeling of the original source material and the internal struggle that the modern version of Victor faces. She captures the emotions of the characters and their body language exceptionally well, telling just as much of the story with her art as Holt is able to do with his words.

Art Monster feels a bit short, but gets off to a great start. For just 99¢ you really can’t ask for more. If you’re still not convinced, take a look at this interview with writer Jeremy Holt for more information about the book and how it came to be. The book can be purchased on Comixology.

 

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Interview: Jeremy Holt talks Art Monster

Posted By on December 13, 2013

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

MonkeyBrain Comics has been on a roll lately with all the announcements of new series from up and coming and also established comic creators. One of the latest comics to be announced was Art Monster from writer Jeremy Holt and artist Francesca Ciregia. With Art Monster hitting Comixology on Dec. 18th, Jeremy was kind enough to chat about the book, how both Joe Eisma and Riley Rossmo were originally attached, and much more.

Leo Johnson: Tell us a bit about yourself, if you would.

Jeremy Holt: I’m a Vermont-based comic book writer whose most notable work includes Southern Dog (Action Lab Entertainment), After Houdini (readchallenger.com), and Pulp (self-published), which IGN has called, “…one of the best one shot comics of the year [2013].”

LJ: Your new book, Art Monster, with artist Francesca Ciregia is coming to MonkeyBrain. What’s that story about?

JH: At its core, Art Monster is a modern re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s classic tale Frankenstein, or the title I prefer, The Modern Prometheus. More specifically, my story poses the question, “What if Dr. Frankenstein went to Art School instead?”

Having graduated from an art school myself, I felt placing the iconic character of Victor Frankenstein in this completely unique environment would spawn intriguing new developments.

What begins as one man’s desperate struggle to finally graduate from college unexpectedly becomes a complex journey of self-discovery about life, love, and the pursuit of artistic innovation.

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

LJ: Anyone who’s followed your blog or tweets knows that Joe Eisma was previously attached to Art Monster as the artist. What eventually brought Francesca into the project as artist?

JH: That’s correct, Joe Eisma was originally attached to the project. What most don’t know is that this project was originally conceived by Riley Rossmo. Riley and I have been friends for several years now, and he approached me with the basic concept a few years back.

We spent a few months developing it but then he was unexpectedly tapped by Nick Spencer to work on Bedlam for Image Comics. With Riley’s blessing, I continued developing the project without him because I was absolutely hooked on the idea.

Riley being the super nice guy that he is, put me in contact with Joe, which is how we started collaborating on it. Unfortunately, Joe’s availability took a dramatic shift after the birth of his second son this year. Quite graciously, he gave me his blessing to move on without him as MonkeyBrain was still very much interested in publishing the series as they too loved the concept.

Enter Francesca Ciregia. Francesca and I have actually been developing another pitch that I’ve been co-writing with Tim Daniel. With that pitch still in need of a colorist and loving her work, I thought the timing was right to approach her with Art Monster. It was serendipitous that she loved the concept and was also available to work on it right away.

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

LJ: How did Art Monster come to make its home at MonkeyBrain?

JH: How the project found a home was a mixture of good timing and general support from a friend that currently is doing a book with them. Said friend loved the pitch I sent him, and was nice enough to recommend it to the folks at MonkeyBrain.

LJ: Art Monster will be digital first, as with all MonkeyBrain titles, and published via Comixology. Did this influence how you wrote the book in any way?

Great question! Absolutely. Back in March, I had pitched MonkeyBrain as a potentially publisher to Joe while we were hanging out at Emerald City Comicon. Having already scripted the four issue miniseries, I decided to break up each 22 page issue into a 10/12 page split to adhere to MonkeyBrain’s preferred shorter format. This simply required a stronger hook on page ten of each issue.

LJ: Backmatter seems to be all the rage these days, and you decided to include your “Strange Love” articles from Multiversity. What made these pieces the right sort of thing to include as the back matter?

JH: The truth is that it was a last minute scramble on my part to provide some content to fill out the rather short issues. I’m quite proud of my column and have always planned to republish them, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.

Art Monster #1

Art Monster #1

LJ: Where can those interested keep up with your and your projects?

JH: I’m quite active on Twitter @Jeremy_Holt, but also have a blog that I update periodically with project updates. You can find it at www.clumpoftrees.wordpress.com.

LJ: Finally, is there anything else you want to add?

JH: I’d like to thank you for your time with this interview! Pre-orders for Art Monster are available starting Dec. 4th, and available for download on Dec. 18th.

 

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Comic Review: Drumhellar #2

Posted By on December 12, 2013

Teaming up again after their well-received miniseries Rebel Blood, Riley Rossmo and Alex Link return to Image/Shadowline with Drumhellar, a story of a psychedelic detective who must go to a South Dakota town that’s full of werewolves, bogmen, and an ex-girlfriend.

Drumhellar #2

Drumhellar #2

After last issue, Drum is on the search for BogDan. Along the way, Drum and Padma find slaughtered steer, oddly calm farmers, and a BogDan showdown in a food court. While the mystery of BogDan is mostly solved, more weird and surreal events seem to be taking root in other residents of the small town.

Drumhellar #2

Drumhellar #2

According to the credits, Rossmo came up with the story, while Link scripted it. Where the collaboration meets and what is an individual contribution would be tough to say, but the two have definite chemistry, as evidence by their past work together. The story is often darkly humorous, much more than I was expecting. While it seems like the mini-event of BogDan was wrapped up fairly quickly, there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to come back later in the story, from the look of things. This world is anything but ordinary, and the story never lets the reader forget that.

Drumhellar #2

Drumhellar #2

Rossmo handles all the art duties and colors. While most of the issue is, again, in his more restrained style, Drum’s trip into a hallucinogenic haze allows Rossmo to delve into his chaotic, energetic style that he first became familiar for. While his restrained style it nice, it’s the chaos that really lets Rossmo go wild and show his true style and sense for design.

Drumhellar once again does not disappoint. There’s a bit more resolution in this issue than the last, and the series as a whole seems to be building towards something bigger. Rossmo and Link continue to show that they’re a team that can create interesting and innovative comics together and I personally hope to see many more books from them in the future.

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Comic Review: Dead Body Road #1

Posted By on December 11, 2013

From writer Justin Jordan and artist Matteo Scalera and publisher Image Comics comes the brutal revenge story of Dead Body Road. After Gage’s wife is killed, he decides that men responsible for her death must die. All of them.

Dead Body Road #1

Dead Body Road #1

Following a bank robbery gone wrong and the death of his wife, Gage is emotionally distraught and understandably angry. Rather than planning his revenge, he follows the merest of leads with only one intention: killing every single one of the men responsible for his wife’s death. But, it seems Gage isn’t the only one out for blood, as the leader of the robbery is tying up loose ends and a third party is trying to get a slice of the missing forture.

Dead Body Road #1

Dead Body Road #1

Justin Jordan makes this more than a “man’s family dies and he gets revenge” story, and weaves multiple parties and threads together in what is sure to be a bloody, violent, and enjoyable read. Gage isn’t the tactical genius that the Punisher is, but he is distraught and unstable, which is more than enough to make for a pretty good revenge story. While Gage is ostensibly the hero, some of the fates of other characters elicit sympathy or pity from the reader, regardless of their morality, showing just how good Jordan is at painting various shades of gray with his characters.

Dead Body Road #1

Dead Body Road #1

Dead Body Road is dirty, gritty, and full of energy. Luckily, this is exactly what Matteo Scalera’s art is too. Scalera captures the tough, dirty images inherent in a crime comic, while also drawing a killer car chase. His style gives a lot of energy to the comic, even, interestingly, in the still moments of the story.

Dead Body Road joins the list of recent Image #1′s that absolutely must be read by a serious comic fan. Jordan and Scalera come together to make a top notch story, and continue Image’s near-constant of fantastic debuts.

 

 

 

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Comic Review: Template #7 & #8

Posted By on December 4, 2013

As Thrillbent gains wider recognition and adds even more titles, it’s the smaller, independent comics made in the same style that are truly the ones to watch. One such comic is Template by writer Quinton Miles and artist Andres Quezada. An action story with a bit of cyberpunk flair, Template follows Oversight, a spy agency, and Beta, the android based on one of their best agents. After Oversight’s original android Alpha went rogue, Beta has been closely monitored to keep the same from happening with her as she is groomed to beat her big sister. But, things don’t always work out the way they’re supposed to.

Template #7

Template #7

Alpha and Beta team up one final time to take down the mad scientist in a robot body, Manuel Vega. Though they’re outgunned and running scared, through a bit of trust, teamwork, and ingenuity they’re able to prevail, handily taking care of things before Oversight even gets there. After the fight and back at Oversight, it seems Beta wants answers and Oversight has even more plans in store.

Template #7

Template #7

Writer Quinton Miles continues to keep the pacing quick as he wraps up the story. Though there are a couple of missteps as far as sequencing goes and unclear direction, the “panel at a time” structure works for the story, helping the Miles give a rhythm to the story. Miles sets up the ending in such a way that there can be many more stories set in the Template universe, but this one also is resolved.

Template #8

Template #8

Andres Quezada’s art finishes out the story strongHe’s able to give the characters great expressions, helping the overall flow and quality of the story. The scenes with Dr. Harding as a prisoner are able to have the guards and surrounding convey a good sense of oppression. Nathan Lumm’s colors add a great depth to the art, tending to be muted in tone, but having splashes of color for emphasis.

Template continues to be one of the better “guided view” comics, even though it comes from a relatively unknown team. With the story now finished, it makes a good statement as to just how well the format can be used to tell a story. The comic can be read through the site  or on the ComicsPlus app, and the first three issues are available on Comixology for just 99¢ each.

 

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Comic Review: Moth City #6

Posted By on December 4, 2013

Starting just over a year ago, Tim Gibson began releasing Moth City online through his own website. Less than a year later and Tim and Moth City are now part of Thrillbentand releases digitally every other month through Comixology. Governor McCaw’s true nature is revealed in this sixth issue. The first issue can now be read for free on Comixology

Moth City #6

Moth City #6

The issue, in creator Tim Gibson’s own words can be summed up as so: “Readers get to see Jun in action against his fellow infected in a ‘get off my porch’ showdown worthy of a Spaghetti Western. We learn just how precarious their situation is – surrounded on all sides by infected and in urgent need of medical care for both Jun and Shuang.

On the broader scope, the island’s underground communist movement reveals their ultimate plan, as Major Hong and the Chinese military tighten the noose around the island ensuring there’s no escape for everyone trapped ashore. McCaw descends further into darkness in an attempt to regain control of the situation and the police make first contact with the infected. Things are going to get nasty.”

Moth City #6

Moth City #6

Though McCaw was never a particularly likable character, Gibson makes him completely despicable with the ending of this issue. The full nature of his character and why Glitter was just so desperate to get away from him, starting a bit of a war in the process, is revealed, and makes Glitter’s plight just that much more depressing. The characters start coming in major conflict with each other as the series creeps towards its close, and things are getting brutal in Moth City.

Moth City #6

Moth City #6

Gibson continues to bring his characters to life in a great way in each issue. This issue features a lot of McCaw talking to dead people, and Gibson makes that seemingly inactive event have a lot of weight with his art. The hospital instruments are finely detailed, adding to the overall feel of the book. Jun and his plight are displayed beautifully, making his struggle, both external and internal, all the more heroic.

Gibson once again creates a fine issue of Moth City. Issue #1 is free on Comixology for those looking to see what the fuss is about. Every other issue is a measly $1.99, making it a no-brainer to buy it. With a story that’s changed dramatically since the first page, Moth City is sure to have many more surprises in store for those reading along.

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Comic Review: Xeno Trip #1

Posted By on December 4, 2013

From the team at QAM Comics comes yet another digital comic in the guided view/Thrillbent style. This time, writer Quinton Miles teams up with artist Daniele Cosentino to tell the story of Cody Bennett. Cody wakes up on an alien planet, with no memory of how he got there or how he’s apparently been made king of the planet. Worse yet, he’s started a war. With his trustworthy guards, Cody journeys to find the missing pieces of his memory and possibly a way home. The first issue hits Comixology today.

Xeno Trip #1

Xeno Trip #1

Cody awakes in a bed with a strange alien. Running naked from his bed, he only finds more aliens before he puts on his clothes, which strangely allow him to understand their alien language. Though he remembers nothing, Cody is quickly thrown into a war meeting and is pressured to make some decisions. It’s only after talking to his guards Zorg and Stus that Cody decides on a road trip to regain his lost memory and bring order to the alien planet.

Xeno Trip #1

Xeno Trip #1

Writer Quinton Miles imbues a great sense of humor in Xeno Trip. The Sir Mix-A-Lot references and the frat boy antics of the Zorg and Stus make this feel like a mix between The Hangover and an alien sci-fi movie. The guided view format of the comic allows for great timing with the jokes and general humor of the series. Xeno Trip takes a twist on the sci-fi genre that few stories do, making it seemingly a frat boy comedy, but it shows great promise. 

Xeno Trip #1

Xeno Trip #1

Artist Daniele Cosentino gives the kingdom of Balathar and its inhabitants a great sense of design. The aliens are depicted as humanoid, but are different enough to fully drive home their different origins. The facial expressions on both Cody and his alien subjects really help to sell the humor of various scenes and add to the overall effect of the humor in the book. Cosentino definitely knows what he’s doing, and Xeno Trip is all the better for it.

QAM Comics and the creative team has another indie gem on their hands. The digital format and interesting genre help set Xeno Trip apart. It’s The Hangover meets John Carter and for just 99¢ on Comixology, you’d be crazy not to buy it.

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Comic Review: Rat Queens #3

Posted By on November 27, 2013

A bit of a departure from writer Kurtis Wiebe’s usually somewhat more serious work, Rat Queens is a fantasy-comedy by Wiebe and co-creator/artist Roc Upchurch. The titular Rat Queens are an all-female group of adventurers that keep the town of Palisade safe from all kinds of monsters, goblins, bandits, and assorted beasties. But, the raging parties and barroom brawls started by the Rat Queens have done more damage than all the monsters ever did. After a simple quest goes wrong, the Rat Queens are in a spot of trouble and scrambling to figure out who’s behind it.

Rat Queens #3

Rat Queens #3

As the Rat Queens look deeper into who is trying to kill them, Betty breaks into the bank office. Amidst the secrecy and breaking-and-entering, the Rat Queens must deal with some personal matters involving unrequited love, distant families, and more. It’s tough being a Rat Queen.

Rat Queens #3

Rat Queens #3

Kurtis Wiebe injects this issue with some serious humor, but also some serious seriousness. While Betty proudly becomes scarier than a squirrel, she must also deal with being spurned by the object of her affection for reasons she doesn’t understand. Violet must deal with her past. Hannah has things left unspoken. And there just might be someone trying to kill them all. Wiebe is able to mix the humorous and the serious together with an expert touch, all while seeding new and interesting plot points and history into the story.

Rat Queens #3

Rat Queens #3

Roc Upchurch’s art continues to be fantastic. The motion and energy conveyed during the scenes where the Queens are fighting or training is wonderfu. Each of the four Rat Queens is a badass in their own way, and Upchurch makes sure that the reader knows it. Upchurch adds an incredible amount of expression and personality to the characters with the way he draws their facial expressions and body language. When Betty tries to be intimidating, it’s Upchurch’s art and expressions that really sells it.

Rat Queens continues to be a stellar title. This issue is really where things start to come together, with the present storyline reaching a head and several aspects of the various characters’ pasts coming into play. Fans of the series will definitely not want to miss this issue.

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Comic Review: Strange Nation #2

Posted By on November 27, 2013

Cryptids, urban legends, conspiracies and more are brought to light in Strange Nation,MonkeyBrain’s newest book from writer Paul Allor and artist Juan Romera. Following Norma Park as she loses her mainstream journalism career over a crazy conspiracy, it mixes crazy tabloid stories with character drama to make a unique story full of crazy creatures and insane conspiracies.

Strange Nation #2

Strange Nation #2

This issue introduces the character of Merc, an altered sasquatch who acts as an enforcer for the mysterious Duma Corp. When Joe is found dead, Merc holds Norma responsible and embarks on a hunt for her. Norma, on the other hand, heads to the small town of Sydsville to investigage Duma Corp more. When she finally crosses paths with Merc, things go less than smoothly.

Strange Nation #2

Strange Nation #2

Writer Paul Allor introduces an interesting character with Merc. The reader first sees him grieving for a friend, so it’s hard not to like him, but he’s set up as a definite antagonist. The story gets deeper and stranger, and the characters just keep becoming more well-rounded and real feeling, despite the inherent oddness of the story. With the strength of the characters, Strange Nation is already off to a great start.

Strange Nation #2

Strange Nation #2

Juan Romera has a style that really works well for this book. He’s able to capture everything from a sasquatch in a suit to an extremely unhappy waitress, but makes it look such a way that it doesn’t feel out of place next to the bun-headed Norma Park. It strikes a fine balance between realism and cartooning that will surely do the comic well as the story delves further into the crazy and unknown.

Strange Nation continues to be a high quality book, as all Monkeybrain books are. Allor is settling into the story well, as it’s his first comic project that’s more than a single issue. If interested, be sure to check out Comixology and get the issue for just 99¢.

 

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Comic Review: Prime-8s #1

Posted By on November 20, 2013

Spinning out of the successful “Mini Comics Included” Kickstarter that originally included a Prime-8s story from Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley, and Brent Schoonover, Prime-8s is now heading to MonkeyBrain, this time with new artist Kyle Latino taking over on the series. It follows a group of super-powered primates that must deal with a reemerging evil, even as they’re supposed to be leading “normal” lives.

Prime-8s #1

Prime-8s #1

The first few pages of the story are a bit of exposition in the form of a movie, telling a brief history of the Prime-8s and their adventures, only to have the movie be interrupted by some bad guys. Luckily, a few of the disbanded Prime-8s are there to battle the baddies, ultimately failing. At their house, the members get chewed out by their leader, Power Mandrill, before the reader is shown the evil from the Prime-8s’ past that is coming back to haunt them once again.

Prime-8s #1

Prime-8s #1

Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley share writing duties and they seem to have a knack for making this feel like an old action movie or cartoon. There’s a sense of nostalgia, in a way, when reading the story. It’s interesting that the series begins after the team has broken up, leaving the reader with many questions, but that’s part of the draw.

Prime8-s #1

Prime8-s #1

Kyle Latino’s art is a great fit for the story. It’s helps to solidify the sort of older cartoon feel with his linework. Latino’s ability to convey action in his panels shines, as much of the book features a chase or fight of some kind. The colors from Stephen Bobbett and Jordan Gibson really make the characters and their actions come off the page, only enhancing the overall book.

Prime-8s is definitely worth a read. For just 99¢ on Comixology it’s worth every penny. Where else can you read about a four-armed gorilla, a baboon with exploding hands, or super-powered primates in general?

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Comic Review: D4VE #1

Posted By on November 20, 2013

Coming from MonkeyBrain Comics and the creative team of writer Ryan Ferrier and artist Valentin Ramon is the new comic D4VE. It follows an former defense-bot who’s in the middle of a midlife crisis. With a dead end job and a yearning for his glory days, D4VE is more than happy to jump into action when the Earth is invaded after centuries of peace.

D4VE #1

D4VE #1

D4VE gets caught napping at his soul-sucking job and dreaming of his former glory days protecting the planet from aliens, and then proceeds to reminisce about how the robots eradicated the humans and took over the planet. After some more dreaming of his glory days and a couple of bad decisions, it appears that D4VE may not be the only one in trouble.

D4VE #1

D4VE #1

Writer Ryan Ferrier draws on everyone’s at least occasional feelings of living a boring, monotonous life. He deftly mixes bit of dark comedy, somewhat serious introspection, and a bit of silly sci-fi into a book that’s quite unlike anything else. Some snippets of dialogue are absolutely hilarious, only adding to the sense of despair that D4VE has at the beginning of the book. D4VE is easy to identify with, even though he’s a robot, and this really helps with the impact of the story. It’ll be interesting to see D4VE deal with his personal crisis as the entire planet must deal with one as well.

D4VE #1

D4VE #1

Valentin Ramon’s artwork brings D4VE to an entire other level. His ability to have characters without proper facial features emote in such a succinct and easily understandable way is amazing. The design work put into D4VE and his fellow robots, as well as the various aliens, is fantastic and really helps to flesh out the world that these robots have constructed for themselves.

D4VE is great. It’s a personal and deep story, while also making the reader chuckle. Ferrier’s story and Ramon’s art come together to make what is sure to be one of the best digital comics of the year. For those interested, D4VE can be purchased on Comixology for just 99¢.

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Profile: Leo Johnson

Leo Johnson

Leo is a biology/secondary education major and one day may just be teaching your children. In the meantime, he's podcasting, reading comics, and hoping that they find life on another planet. He currently resides in Mississippi and can be found on Twitter at @LFLJ.