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Post by wildfire2099 on May 5, 2020 20:05:02 GMT -5
Anyone ever read anything from them?
I while back (maybe 2 or 3 years ago) me and 2 of my daughters were checking out a comic book store we'd never been to and they were filming a commerical.. we got a couple free comics and (theorically) got to be in the commerical. They were ambitious, and claimed to be planning on advertising on adult swim later that summer. It never happened, sadly.
Their thing is they have cheap comics ($1.50 it seems) on newsprint). The couple we got were decent, but didn't totally grab me enough to seek more out.
I've been getting their promo material by email.. they're apparently self-distributing. I kinda like the idea of a true indy publisher, so I bought a few things... doesn't seem like a shared universe or anything.. I got 3 series of 4-6 issues and a couple issues of their cleverly titled Anthology 'it came out on a Wednesday'
Their business end isn't great... I got no confirmation of my order, and was about to dispute the charge when the package came today (a month after I ordered it).. but what I ordered was all there, so hopefully they'll be good... like 17 new comics for $25 is a pretty good deal!
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2020 21:08:19 GMT -5
They also forget about the little things a publisher should be doing on the business end like paying their creators. There was a lot of flack in the indy creator's circles I was frequenting just after they launched as payments were late, short or non-existent with excuses like they were using the money for marketing and to widen distribution so creators could make more later on the back end. I don't know if they got better, but it was bad enough I wrote them off as a publisher I would never support.
They seemed to prey on the desperation of fledgling creators looking for a break and willing to put up with that crap for the promise of exposure and getting published.
-M
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 10, 2020 19:29:14 GMT -5
That's not good... not paying your creators is really the absolute worst thing a publisher can do. I did notice none of the titles were long term, I wonder if that's why.
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 12, 2020 16:39:31 GMT -5
I read the first of the series I got today... Eden by Eric Henson.
It's a sci-fi themed book, but also very super hero-y. I really like Henson's art (especially his random alien creatures), but he definitely lacks something as a writer... the plot is definitely nothing to write home about.
Totally worth the cost for the art though.
I checked him out afterwards, and apparently he's done some alternate covers and things elsewhere, but no Marvel and DC work.. too bad, I'd like to see his art on someone else's story.
He also apparently contributed to the Usagi charity book a couple years back, it's a intriguing 'realistic' take that is very cool.
No sign of any issues with Alterna comics on any of his social media.. he seems pretty supportive of them, in fact, so hopefully that means the issues MRP heard of are in the past.
Now I'm off to check out a couple of the things from the ads that looked interesting!
Edit: Hmmm, one of those things 'Exilium' by Ben Slabak with art by Salomon Farias, DOES seem that there must have been a problem.. Alterna advertised it in the Eden book, and they sell a TPB, but the writer is selling it himself under another label with no mention of Alterna at all.
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 16, 2020 18:37:19 GMT -5
Next up, 'the XII' by Patrick Trahey, art by Luis Suarez. Not a bad little series, but nothing too exciting.. somehow standard post-apocalyptic fare. No explanation of why the world is trashed, just a family living in the wilderness that is trying to escape the remnant of civilization in the promised land (Chicago). There's a 2nd mini coming out soon (which they are calling #6, which is a nice change).. I might check it out.
On the business end, clearly, if the creator goes back for a 2nd series, things much be decent. It does look like he used kickstarter for the collection. though, which is a bit odd.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
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Post by Crimebuster on May 22, 2020 14:16:45 GMT -5
There's a series called Midnight Mystery that has some really great art in a sort of Darwyn Cooke style.
There's a guy near me who runs a local convention who wrote a mini-series for them about cereal box mascots who come to life and become superheroes. It's called Mighty Mascots and it's pretty fun.
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 22, 2020 19:30:17 GMT -5
I saw that one, but didn't get it in this lot.. maybe next time!
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 7, 2020 20:08:53 GMT -5
3rd mini I got was definitely the worst 'Wicked Righteous' by Terry Mayo (writer and creator) and Lucas Romero.
This is another post-apocalypse one... a disease wiped out most adults (only the most violent survived), and children. The story follows 4 brothers in San Diego as the navigate the world. There's lots of violence between the 'Chin-AM' government people that seem to be Mexican drug lords and southern rebels that seem to have the Bible States of America down south. The plot is weird and hard to follow with some hints at religious themes that never develop. Also, I"m pretty sure there isn't a baseball park in downtown San Diego, whichc feature prominently.
On the plus side.. the art is really good... I'd definitely check out something else by this artist.
This is another one that the creator did the trade on kickstarter... makes me wonder exactly what sort of rights thing Alterna is doing.
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