by tonydoug wright

Fore Shadow (Creative Elementz)

Writers: Jemir Johnson, Vin Varvara, and James Schafer
Artists: Matthew Wilbekin, Hank Summers, Bill Young, Victor Claudio, and Corwin Glenn

Writers and artists vary in the time they need to develop into a legitimate player in the comic book business. For some, they impress with the first issue, while for others, it takes a little while to get respect. Fore Shadow, a new graphic novel from Creative Elementz, is a step in the right direction for a company that fell flat on its face with a debut that failed to impress.

Creative Elementz' first submission to Champion City Comics was the forgettable Retribution, a graphic novel about a voodoo warrior who fights zombies in New Orleans. Poor artwork and clichéd writing made Retribution a lackluster title, but the team has rebounded with Fore Shadow, featuring six comic book adventures and a mini-novel.

Writers Jemir Johnson, Vin Varvara, and James Schafer give readers an assortment of superhero and crime stories with an urban appeal, featuring street-tough characters that are survivors with a good moral attitude towards life. Attorneys, private investigators, and vigilantes make up the Fore Shadow universe, with some stories more interesting than others.

"The Queen of Voodoo," written by Vin Varvara, is perhaps the best of the collection. The story follows Retribution, the zombie hunter from New Orleans and lead character in the infamous graphic novel Retribution. This time, there is a better plot involving a voodoo queen’s quest for power, and most importantly, the artwork has improved greatly. Artist Hank Summers has nice clean lines and a sharp black and white style that makes the story fairly enjoyable.

Overall, Fore Shadow is an improvement, but does suffer from some bland writing with unimpressive artwork. The graphic novel includes a mini-novel that seems a little overwritten and out of place. Johnson and Varvara do have their bright spots with "The Queen of Voodoo" and "Feral Night," thanks to decent writing and fantastic artwork by Hank Summers and Bill Young. Creative Elementz is finding their style and hopefully they will improve with each publication.

Lost in the Wash (Candle Light Press)

Writer: John Ira Thomas
Artist: Will Grant

Isco, formerly known as Francisco, is an unusual Colorado community lacking a good ghost story, which is hurting their image. Although they cannot boast of a haunted town, they can proclaim that Isco’s Laundromat is possessed by a demon that devours tourists. Lost in the Wash, written by John Ira Thomas, is not your typical horror based comic book. Instead it is a psychedelic journey into a bizarre community overrun by anti-French bartenders and various freaks.

Thomas’ latest work, a dark comedy of sorts, is a quick paced look into a town where normalcy is lacking and the uncanny rules. We are first introduced to a double peg-legged bartender who seems more interested in ranting than scaring patrons with spooky tales of dead miners. From there, the focus shifts to the local Laundromat, where a troubled staff member coexists with a demonic entity. The worker is put to the test when a pushy female tourist disrupts his day at the Laundromat.

Lost in the Wash features the sharp and witty writing styles of Thomas and some unusual but impressive artwork from Will Grant, which can be best described as the Grateful Dead meets Dungeons and Dragons. Candle Light Press continues to pump out odd but original comic books and graphic novels that titillates or frustrates readers. Lost in the Wash is more frustrating due to the fact that the layout is extremely busy and does not have a smooth panel transition, which is a shame because the artwork is remarkable. Thomas and Grant do earn points for originality and style, but it looks like the French judge will deduct points for transition.