The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 801: Spacepig Hamadeus and the Captive Planet, 2016

Where to begin? The main story begins with Hamadeus having lost his memory after his crash landing, but this proves fortuitous in that he's captured and sent to a gladiatorial arena in which he meets a couple of powerful allies. Where, as I've said previously, the interior work is taking its cues from old school movie serials, today's comic's cover is a callback to the old Gold Key painted covers from the 50s and 60s. In the production blog for the comic, Mr. Yaciuk notes that that was often the best part of the comic, and I have to agree. I don't have a lot of Gold Key stuff in my collection, but what I do have often promises one thing on the cover and delivers something not quite as fabulous inside.

Such is not the case with this issue of Spacepig though. Not only is there the main story (which leaves us on a cliffhanger again!), but a tribute to the old Marvel monster comics of the 50s, and a couple of backup stories set in the Spacepig universe, one of which is illustrated by James Zintel, whose Spacesquatch is one of the coolest, weirdest comics I've read.

But now the wait is on. The next Spacepig comic isn't scheduled to be out until next year, and with both Tremb'axx and the Intergalactic Crime League after Ham and his comrades, it's going to be a long one. I suppose it's a good thing I've got a lot of comics to keep me company in the intervening months.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 800: Spacepig Hamadeus and the Ambush at the Hourglass Sea, 2011

A short adventure for Hamadeus today, though also the first one written according to the site. This is more of a bridge from the previous adventure on Enceladus to what looks to be a major story on Mars. Unfortunately it seems that nothing in Ham's life is straightforward, and before he can touch down on Mars he is, as the title notes, ambushed and shot down. We'll have to see tomorrow how things work out for him.

I'm feeling a bit low from my surgery still, so I'm not going to write much today. I still have a graphic novel to write up that I missed yesterday, and a magazine for today. The cool thing about this little comic is the character profiles that make up the second half of the issue. There's some familiar faces and some that I haven't met yet, but what's really neat is to consider these profiles from the point of view that this is the first Spacepig Hamadeus comic that was produced. Some of the characters profiled don't show up until later issues, yet their "First Appearance" entry lists that issue. What this basically means is that Mr. Yaciuk seems to have had this all planned out in advance, which really does come through in the comics themselves. As I mentioned yesterday, or the day before, there's a real coherence to this fiction that you don't necessarily see in a lot of the time in serialized comics. Setting is a character all by itself, and Mr. Yaciuk has payed as much attention to that character as he has the more mobile ones.

Sadly, last issue until next year tomorrow. But I'm sure it'll be awesome.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 799: Spacepig Hamadeus versus The Spectre General, 2012

I couldn't help myself. I had to see what happened next. This issue is really neat, in that it gives us a bunch of back story on some of the characters from yesterday's comic, and introduces some characters that I'm sure are going to pop up soon. I think what today's comic really did for me was to solidify my love for the characters and universe. There's even an ad for a new issue coming out next year, which made me give a little internal "Squee!"

The background on Tremb'axx was nicely handled, though I'll admit I saw the twist in the story coming. This is not a criticism of the storytelling, though. It served to reinforce just how evil the character actually is. And showed that even the evil amongst us will do crazy things for love. The second story, about Dillo Dhatta boasted some really cool art, especially in the sections dealing with Dhatta's memories. The panel borders disappear and we have jumble of images and captions relating his tale of woe to the reader. This disappearance of formal guides on the page nicely mirrors the way memory works, with prominent events at the fore, overshadowing more background occurrences. Of the three artists represented in today's comic, Justin Schauf really stands out. Not that any of the art is bad, but his fits the tenor of the story really nicely.

And then we have the continuation of Hamadeus's adventure, a battle with the Spectre General. I quite love the way that these comics are building this vast universe full of awesome, yet slightly ridiculous, characters. A story that gives you action, intrigue, drama, but doesn't take itself too seriously, is a good story. Both art and writing recognize that the concept is not a serious one, but also that just this lack of seriousness doesn't necessarily mean you can't explore some serious ideas.

I'd had the thought that I'd split these comics up over a week or two, but who am I kidding? I'll continue tomorrow with Spacepig Hamadeus and the Ambush at the Hourglass Sea.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 798: Spacepig Hamadeus and the Geysers of Doom, 2015

Alright alright alright! It's time to get onto one of my absolute favourite bits of any comic convention: reading and talking about the amazing indie comics I've procured.

I was chatting this weekend to the creators of a "queer space opera" called Crash and Burn (the first collection of which will be a featured graphic novel in the next couple of weeks), and I asked if it was okay to do a review and send them a link to it. They said yes, though only so long as it was a nice review. This got me thinking, and I realized that I don't think I've ever reviewed an indie comic from a con poorly. There is something about such a comic that is genuine. The passion of its creator comes through so much more than one might find in the more mediated properties that come from professional comics and publishers. And you actually get to talk to the people involved in the production of these comics, and hear their passion in their voices. This really, really enhances the experience of reading their work.

I had the opportunity to talk to writer, colourist, and letterer of this first Spacepig Hamadeus (though not first published, I think) adventure Donovan Yaciuk this weekend. I was delighted to discover that one of his influences in creating the series were old pulp fictions and movie serials, and that part of the aesthetic of Spacepig was to take on some of the dialogue qualities of those early serialized stories. It really, really comes through. If you're a fan of something like Atomic Robo, you should check out this comic. We're dropped into a fully-fleshed science fiction environment that is at once novel and familiar. The characters, both design and personality, are realized quickly and expertly (I really love Micanaut shaman Dar-Kushh), and the environment is introduced through a number of familiar tropes (underground alien kingdoms, high-strung robotic companions) that let the reader settle into the story with a minimum of confusion over who's who, and what's what. This is the first in a series of four I acquired at the Calgary Expo, so I'll be reading them over the next week or so (interspersed with some of the other comics I picked up). The art chores, handled in this issue by Justin Shauf and Ryan Howe, nicely depict the two eras in which the action takes place. Mr. Schauf's more stylized look is a nice fit for the non-stop action section of Hamadeus's adventure, while Mr. Howe's slightly more realistic flashback art provides a solid historical foundation for the present time events. I'm excited to see where the story goes. And given how much I enjoyed today's comic, it's very likely we'll get to see more of Spacepig Hamadeus tomorrow.

In the meantime, have a look at the website, and if you're intrigued, grab yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed.

To be continued.