Fresh Friday Features: Deep Troubles

They say when you find yourself in a hole, you should stop digging. The characters in these comics certainly have never heard that line before. Be it out of necessity or just plain stubbornness, they've decided never to stop and keep moving forward no matter what. Best of luck to all the characters in our Fresh Friday Features this week!

This week, Shane from Comic Book Squares 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 - Cavity - Workers on a sugar farm endure inhospitable conditions. Isolated and stricken by poverty, farmers remain indoors throughout heatwaves, with stockpiled supplies lasting until the next year’s harvest.
• Comic - Time Town: Tim is a fox and nothing is going to get him down! No sir!
• Manga - Wings of the King: Kingsswell island, a former prison colony, is home to the only known source of God's Ore. Only the King can Control the Gods Ore ….The King is Dead, Long live the Queen!
• Manga - Something About Girls with Glasses:  Gori Akira, a man with dead eyes. He's having some trouble with his love life. Maybe he can finally buck up the courage!

Now that we've met our four fresh picks, let's dig into each of them!

CAVITY, 28 pages - Published by Gestalt Comics, (cc/ @Gestalt)

In a future ravaged by climate catastrophe and political cenralisation, workers on a sugar farm endure inhospitable conditions. Isolated and stricken by poverty, farmers remain indoors throughout heatwaves, with stockpiled supplies lasting until the next year’s harvest. At night, the moon shines red, bathing the landscape in a sea of crimson as starving monsters (mutated wildlife) pass through barren fields, too weak to migrate or hunt for prey. Easily scared by music or shiny objects, the farmers have distinguished themselves with songs and melodies.

Story and Art by Justin Randall and Wolfgang Bylsma

Comments from Ben @comicbooksquares:

In a world where mutated monstrous beasts roam the Outback seeking scarce food and water, pest control agent Luna is getting exhausted. Climate catastrophes have ravaged the planet, and in Australia the government of “The Big City” needs agents like Luna to keep the sugar farmers up and running - and alive. But with her latest mission, she may be getting more than she bargained for.

That’s the set up for “Cavity,” a new comic book from writer/artist Justin Randall and editor/letterer Wolfgang Bylsma. Justin has created a wholly new future hellscape - so much so that I have difficulty thinking of comparable media.

In Luna’s world, mutant creatures are easily scared off by bright lights and loud noises, so the denizens of the wasteland wear bells strands of Christmas lights, and they identify themselves to each other with their signature flute songs. Luna travels in a hut carried by a hot air balloon, but it’s filled with high-tech gadgetry that keeps her in touch with the Big City.

Do you see why it’s hard to pinpoint a comparison?

Justin’s art and Wolfgang’s lettering brings this world to grotesque life. Between the attention to detail and the expertly used sound effects, we are constantly reminded that every clanging noise and flickering light are the only things keeping the horrors at bay. Additionally, Justin’s twisted realism and use of muted colors reminds us that this is a land that is suffering, if not outright dying.

After reading the first issue of “Cavity,” I am fully invested in Luna’s story. But it was one small sound effect in the final panel that has me waiting on the edge of my seat for issue 2. You’ll have to read it to see what I mean.

Tim Town, 60 pages - Published by Caroline Foley, (cc/ @tuffwaffles)

Tim is a fox and nothing is going to get him down! No sir! Except maybe homelessness, gentrification, and... Christmas socks? Follow Tim on his adventures to the moon (questionable), the sewer (obviously) and the 99 cent store (YES!). 

Story and Art by Caroline Foley

Comments from @ArtCrumbs:

Tim Town to me is a GlobalComix Classic. It's a silly and somewhat questionable comic in terms of humor. I think that's what captured my interest the first time I read it, honestly. Tim is such a silly fox, not very smart, but oddly endearing! He gets into so much trouble, and a lot of his struggles are relatable in a bizarre way! lol It feels like a lot of shorter stories that blend seamlessly into one longer one.

Tim himself just wants to live a good live, with his stump, but things keep getting in his way. He has no socks, what a shame! His rent goes up and he needs a space doctor to cure his space illness, totally normal things, right?

I enjoy these types of comics as I can take a break or enjoy single parts of it without needing to know the whole thing, so it's an excellent comic I can share with friends. I especially like seeing them excited to know there's more to read!

I'm hoping to see more someday, and I'd love to see the downfall of Wally!

Wings Of The KIng, 15 pages - Published by Daimondrewthis, (cc/ @dhampton)

Kingsswell island, A former prison colony ,is home to the only known source of God's Ore, a mysterious mineral that can be used to create clean energy and powerful weapons of war. Though its true potential has yet to be tapped. Only the King can Control the Gods Ore ….The King is Dead, Long live the Queen!

Story and Art by Daimondrewthis

Comments from @ArtCrumbs:

The first thing that caught my attention is the fabulous character design and the cover. Usually covers, especially of fighting manga or manga with fighting themes are very "aggressive", look ready for action and battles! This one did not. Between the crazy beautiful character design and the interesting choice of cover, I needed to read this one. It's actually been on my list for a while and finally get to share it all with you.

By far, this is probably one of the most dynamic and well drawn manga I've seen in a while. It's sense of motion, choreography is fantastic. The character dialogue is fun as well. Overall, I can really praise this enough, and anyone who loves a good fight need to read Wings of the King. The first chapter contains primarily fighting between two people who clearly know each other well, with magic or some sort of special skills at their disposal. At the end of this chapter, it did NOT end how I thought it would, and I love it. It's the perfect set up for something more!

My only real feedback is the lettering and SFX can be a bit hard to read at times. The sizing varied a bit too much, and some of the SFX were screentones that blended in to the art itself. However, I consider those to be minor tweaks to an already astounding bit of work. I would recommend checking out Blambot's Lettering Guide, or reach out to me for manga specific info! I'd be happy to help.

I'm hoping to see more from Daimondrewthis and really want to see this manga succeed. Absolutely amazing work. I'm so excited to see how our hero takes on this mysterious tournament!

Episode "Air", 32 pages - Published by Ketsukira Comics, (cc/ @Ketsukira)

Compilation of stories centered around Gori Akira, a man with dead eyes.

Story and Art by Ketsukira Comics

Comments from @ArtCrumbs:

We've all been there, nervous to talk to someone. Gori is no exception. He seeks advice from friends... though those friends turn out to not be very good friends. He's struggling with his love life and that's a mood, isn't it? He meets another girl, and is totally taken with her, can he muster the courage?

The art itself is also incredibly beautiful. The cover actually does a good job giving off the feeling of this manga. It's a very delicate but chaotic cover with all the details. The art inside matches this feeling, and you can see it shift into something more chaotic as the pages progress. It's super interesting to see the art slowly change as the character changes.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, and it left me thinking about what might happen next, if it were ever continued. I loved the small mini comics at the end as well. I'm very happy with this manga and I'll for sure reading the large library of manga from Ketsukira. Fantastic job on this manga!  I can't wait to read more from you.

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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