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It is fairly rare, when I can say that I enjoy everything a particular
company does, but it's definitely true of Lone Star Press. It's not just my
perfectly natural desire to promote things that originate in my home state of Texas,
if that was the case, I would have to say nice things about the Dallas Cowboys and I
couldn't give a #!*& about them. No, it's the fact that Lone Star is putting out
some of the best small press comics on the market, today. If you love super heroes,
and I do, you should give them a chance.
The newest addition to Lone Star's line is Strange Heroes. In composition,
it's a lot like Marvel's old Tales to Astonish, being a single anthology title, with
two continuing characters featured in their own stories. Both are written by the
irrepressible Bill Willingham, one of the best writer/artists in the business, if
not the most prolific. For years, Willingham has treated readers to his own unique
interpretation of comic book heroes, beginning with his own Elementals and
continuing, today, in his Clockwork Storybook and lone Star Press's Pantheon and
Strange Heroes.
First, in Strange Heroes #1 is Spellbinder, the story of Thomas Oliver
Bowen, combat-sorcerer-in-training, as he begins his internship under the tutelage
of his assigned familiar, and mentor, Cornelius of Madragore (a powerful sorcerer,
himself, who is spending a century in the form of a cat, after losing a magical
duel). The art by Kelsey Shannon, suits the series perfectly, with just the right
blend of believability and humor. Tommy Bowen must keep his abilities secret, as
magic not an accepted practice on Earth, so he's forced to work in the guise of a
super hero. Over the first three issues, we are treated to a battle with a baby
grendel and the more mundane adventure of a sorcerer trying to keep his work secret
from prying, female eyes, in issue 3, with art by Derec Aucoin. This story smacks of
old school comic books, with the hero ineptly maintaining his cover, with the
possibility of discovery, ever lurking around the next corner.
Otherland, is the second story, (both stories alternate between first half
and second, of each issue) which follows the adventures of Mary Arevalo, a castaway
in an alien world. Washing ashore after a storm, Mary finds herself in a strange new
place, beset by a huge creature which resembles a cross between a large dog and a
giraffe, called a Kanasnak, which translates, roughly, as 'murder-sticks'. Otherland
has the feel of an Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure, with the protagonist magically
transported to another world, to become a great hero. It is unusual for the main
character to be a woman, but that can add a new twist, to an old formula. Add to
that Willingham's sometimes twisted sense of humor, and adventure, and the artist,
Bobby Diaz's excellent artwork, and you have a series that should please a lot of
readers.
Bobby Diaz is one of the talents at Lone Star that keeps me coming back for
more. His style is comical and interesting, and he can tell a story, visually, like
few others. This is somebody you're going to be noticing, in years to come.
If your comic shop isn't carrying Lone Star's books, then I urge you to
email Publisher, Bill Williams at Lspress@flash.net, for information on ordering
back issues. These are really good comics, by people who enjoy what they're doing.
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