Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: aces weekly, anthony zicari, booda, chris geary, david lloyd, esteban hernandez, john mccrea, jok, paul rainey, sam massey, santullo

First Impressions: Aces Weekly is What this Industry Needs [Vol. 34, Week 1 Review]

So, this one shakes up my review formula a lot. Aces Weekly is a $1 (or whatever currency you use) a week comic anthology that includes stories from various writers and artists both fresh and experienced in the industry. David Lloyd, the artist who illustrated V for Vendetta among other things, is one of the head honchos behind this publication. Thankfully for me, I'm checking it out on the cusp of a new volume.

There are six stories in this volume. Each story is split up into parts that are released on a weekly basis. This time around there is Fight! by Esteban Hernandez, which is a story about the narrator choosing to fight for once instead of running away. Ikiryu: The Man Called Ghost is a supernatural samurai thriller by writer Anthony Zicari and artist Sam Massey. The Bootes Void tells of astronauts on the edge of the largest known void in space by Booda. Why Don't You Love Me? is an anthology within an anthology about the ennui inherent in romance by Paul Rainey. Santullo and Jok's Merlin and Hector is an Arthurian comic about adventuring knights. Yeoman, by Chris Geary, is about a travelling warrior.

Each one of these comics has something interesting to offer, even if each part of a volume doesn't always go very far. All of these are three-to-six pages in length. My personal favorites from this batch were Yeoman for its atmosphere and Ikiryu for its dazzling art. The Bootes Void gets experimental in its presentation, but it's held back by the medium of its presentation; I'd recommend reading this one on a tablet and not your computer.

I'm going to try not to sound like I'm giving a sales pitch here, but I'm all about what Aces Weekly has to offer. It's cheap, and it gives indie creators a space to cut their teeth. This volume has a smattering of genres for various tastes: Ikiryu and Yeoman give action, Why Don't You Love Me? gives romance and comedy, The Bootes Void is experimental sci-fi, and Fight! gives drama and self-reflection.

I was pleased with my first week with Aces Weekly. Further reviews will likely dive more into the story. For now, I just want to point you in its direction. Check it out.

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