Today's Fresh Friday Features will reveal secrets hidden in the tales of these stories. From spies and agents learning the truth about their governments, secret supernatural creatures that must be neutralized, or family secrets long-buried brought to light, there's more than enough thrilling drama to sate your hunger for the best-kept secrets.
- Comic - Spy School: Link is a teenage computer hacker/millionaire. Wayne tends to kill people in his sleep. Meet the two newest recruits for the US government's clandestine Spy School.
- Comic - The Theory (Twisted Sci-Fi): An archaeologist struggling to save our future, a time traveler working to fix our past.
- Graphic Novel - A Prayer For The Hunted: Abandoned by his CIA handler, KGB double-agent Nikolai Dzerzhinsky desperately seeks asylum in the US before he is discovered.
- Webcomic - Darkest Fears Collection: A collection of short horror stories to keep you up at night…
Spy School, 77 pages - Published by Arcana Comics, (cc/ @SeanArcana)
Link is a teenage computer hacker/millionaire. Wayne tends to kill people in his sleep. Meet the two newest recruits for the US government's clandestine Spy School. Using their adaptive skills, the duo must balance their new studies with the paranoia surrounding their new caretakers. As the mystery unravels, the new students must re-acclimate into civilized life and agency spies are forced to...
Story and Art by Frank Tra and Keith Burns
To quote a panel "A computer hack and homicidal sleep-killer seem par for the course". That's one heck of a way to summarize this title and it's an exciting ride. Seeing a series of lead characters that are so incredibly unusual, working together to evade the government.. it's a thrilling ride with a wild premise that matches that kinda makes you question who to root for, in a good way.
The Theory (Twisted Sci-Fi), 172 pages - Published by Neil Gibson's Twisted Comics, (cc/ @stacitpub)
An archaeologist struggling to save our future, a time traveller working to fix our past. Years in the making, The Theory: a Twisted Sci-Fi is finally ready!
Story and Art by Neil Gibson's Twisted Comics
Sometimes it's better to not know the truth. The Theory was the first title I read from Neil Gibson's Twisted Comics, and I loved it enough to grab my own physical copy. It's the type of story that has great re-read value, as after the surprise is revealed, you'll need to go back to see what you missed! Reading it a second and third time, I find more hints that, before seemed insignificant. It's a thrilling ride you'll want more than once!
A Prayer For The Hunted, 77 pages - Published by EvansArts, (cc/ @EvansArts)
Abandoned by his CIA handler, KGB double-agent Nikolai Dzerzhinsky seeks asylum in the US before he is discovered. He offers the Washington Post proof of war crimes in exchange for safe passage into America. His former CIA handler, Anthony Greenglass, has no intention of going to prison. He sends disgraced Special Forces commander Robert Harper undercover as a journalist. Harper's mission is to intercept the evidence and kill Nikolai. The two meet at a long-abandoned Soviet listening post deep in the Mexican desert. And, both men quickly learn that the hopes and prayers of the hunted are heard by none.
Story and Art by Ariel Orea, Justin Eugene Evans, Marco Daeron Ventura
It's obvious and apparent to me that the team did a lot of research and worked hard to ensure the quality of this title. The art is clean, something harder than it seems with a greyscale palette. Utilizing intentional contrast or intentional lack of contrast really helps set the tone. Backgrounds also appear consistently and in detail. I think what's especially great about this book is the moments when it slows and takes its time. Sometimes it feels slow, but it's a natural pace in those moments. I wish more comics and manga would do that. It's a beautiful book with espionage and secrets tucked within its pages.
Darkest Fears Collection, 80 pages - Published by Howl comics, (cc/ @howl997)
A collection of short horror stories to keep you up at night… All stories and art created by me
Story and Art by Howl comics
Neutralizing threats to national and public safety is a rough job and rarely goes as planned. I love the anthology feel to these and after the end of the first story, I'm getting the vibe that these are all connected in some way. I look forward to exploring those more! Love the action and stark contrast of the greyscale artwork combined with great choreography and flow. Well done!
That's all for now, but we'll have another set of Fresh Friday reading recommendations next week. You can also browse through our Featured Comics news section and add them to your Library for future reading!
Check out more amazing stuff from @ArtCrumbs below.
Did you get a chance to check out any of these fresh picks? If you enjoy any of these stories, don't forget to add them to your library, and share your thoughts in the comments below! You can also join our Discord server to talk with other readers and creators.