Our Fresh Friday Features continue, and these stories run on the clock! Solve the mysteries of mysterious Haxan witches, figure out who is putting hits out on people in a small town, a sumo club asking themselves to save their club before it's too late, and a deadly game of hide and seek! This list of must-reads is hard to put down!
Each week, KeepingitGeekly and ArtCrumbs have picked out four titles that they feel deserve more reads! In our line-up this week, we've got one comic from each category to give you a varied list of must-reads for your weekend!
- Comic - Haxan: An anthology series about Haxans, magic users, from the world of Lore.
- Graphic Novel - Now Hiring: 80's Crime Nior meets aliens with a bloody pact. Nobody is safe anymore!
- Manga - Sumo Dunk!: Players of the Sumo club are forced to play basketball when their own club is disbanded.
- Webcomic - BOO! GOTCHA: Hide and seek on a new level! It'll only keep you safe for so long!
Now that we've met our four fresh picks, let's dig into each of them! KeepingitGeekly and ArtCrumbs will provide comments about the comic and why you should read it too!
1. Haxan, 159 pages - Published by Dire Wolff Comix, (cc/ @dwolff)
A Haxan is a Magic user in the world of Lore. This is an Anthology of their stories. This is a companion series with Side Questers.
Story and Art by Dire Wolff Comix
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
The strange symbols on the cover caught my attention and made me curious. Inside, the artwork has a nice contrast and more of the strange symbols. Each story is unique, but holds a common thread being these "Haxans" or magic users. I'll admit I haven't gotten very deep into the Side Questers by the same creator just yet and Haxan reads great as a stand alone as well! It's actually really exciting to know there is a lot more to come from this same universe.
I absolutely loved how these stories keep the mystery of what's going on until it's the perfect time for the reveal, my favorite release being the third one, where a town requests help from a witch. I knew something was up pretty early on, but I was wrong until the last page. From that point on, I knew I had to finish the series. What I discovered is that, while it IS an anthology, it has a deeper connecting thread underneath all of the stories and many characters reappear.
I really think the artwork and hand-written lettering works so perfectly with the stories. It was such a pleasure to read, and I loved the lore of Lore! Keep up the great work! I'll be definitely checking out "Side Questers" over the weekend!
2. Now Hiring, 65 pages - Published by Spelledeg, (cc/ @spelledeg)
80s crime-thriller set in an alternate world where aliens made human contact in antiquity. At the crossroads of danger and opportunity, two strangers forge a bloody pact built on control and brutality—Maks, a struggling alien refugee, and Aisel, kingpin of the criminal underworld. Nothing good follows.
Story and Art by Spelledeg
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
Maks, an alien refugee, really has the short end of the stick here. In the beginning, we are introduced to Maks looking for work. It's relatable and I felt sorry for him. I also loved the limited color in this story. It's used incredibly well throughout the pages of this comic to emphasize important moments.
It's very interesting to see Maks struggling constantly with find work, keeping work, and then his stuggles with the language and fitting in with the humans and other alien races. Despite all of his struggles, never once did he get mean or cruel back, and that, personally, makes him a really endearing character. When he suddenly gets work, for a shady group of people it's super concerning! We are introduced to these no-good characters in first pages. Seeing them work their way back into the story as we get to know Maks was done very well and smoothly!
I'm super worried for Maks though, and when I read all that was up so far, I definitely needed to know more! I can't wait for the next update!
3. BOO! GOTCHA, 9 pages - Published by Blue Cat, (cc/ @bluecat4271)
This short comic is about a boy trying to escape the ghosts :)
Story and Art by Blue Cat
Comments from @KeepingitGeekly:
Reader Discretion is Advised, this work contains content that might be disturbing to some readers!!
BOO! GOTCHA begins with our protagonist Liam hiding from some unknown entity. Blue Cat makes great use of the vertical scroll as we transition from hallway to bedroom to Liam trembling in fear. In doing so the tension and anxiety just sky rockets as each scrolls reveals more and more of what he is hiding from. The visual of eyes opening and closing was also well crafted, opting to to indicate this creature is walking by the sound of it’s feet.
Just when we think Liam is safe Blue Cat comes swinging out the gates with a twist that will leave you screaming BOO!
4. Sumo Dunk !, 8 pages - Published by littlepinkpebble, (cc/ @littlepinkpebble)
My comics will always be free to read for everyone, but donations helps a ton - https://ko-fi.com/littlepinkpebble https://www.patreon.com/littlepinkpebble
Story and Art by littlepinkpebble
Comments from @KeepingitGeekly:
Warning, do not attempt to read this manga unless you are a real sumo! We begin with a group of students heading towards sumo practice, having fun with why they train. One thing that really stuck out with this manga was how fun it felt, and the humor layered within. The interaction of each of the individuals reasoning ranging from a Bollywood actress to perfecting a technique was complimented with hilarious reactions... That is, until they discover the sumo club has been disbanded?!?
WIll the sumo club be able to get the club back together before the championship, or will they be forced to stay in basketball? See, that is exactly what I mean.
That's all for now, but we'll have another set of Fresh Friday reading recommendations next week. If you're looking for more recommendations, make sure to opt in for our weekly reading list email! You can find that in your User Profile Notification settings. You can also browse through our Featured Comics news section!
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