Review: Damsel from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. #1-5

Much like last week, this week I've been spending some time focusing on a comic 'property' which I had been fortunate to be introduced to in my past life.

However, unlike moving onto a whole brand new comic like I did with And I Love You, this week saw me burn through the entire story of a comic series which, previously, I had only read the first few issues of.

That said, with the Kickstarter pledges for it's issue one to five campaign being sent to backers being just around the corner and (no doubt) the campaign for the trade around the corner just beyond that, I figured I take a moment to read through the story in its entirety and see if the early issue opinions of Andrew Clemson, Mauricio Mora and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's Damsel from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. still rang true by the end.

This series tells the story of Bec, a young woman who, having orphaned and abandoned from an early age by her mother and father respectively, has fought her way to being a top operative for the Kingdom's top spy agency to become the titular Damsel from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. However, far from being a rescued princess, Bec is a kick-ass hero whose life is given a thrown a curve ball when the kidnap of a Dwarven Princess leads her on the trail of her long disappeared adventurer father. So now, it is up to Bec, along with a couple of travelling companions she meets along the way, to find the princess and come to terms with her chaotic family ties in order to solve the mystery behind their loss.

With Damsel, I really believe that Andrew Clemson has weaved a fun story, lighthearted story, one that feels like Dungeons and Dragons has been crossed with Austin Powers (though without the innuendo). What really makes this a terrific story are the likeable, but relatable characters which Clemson places the series on the shoulders of, without even a hint of flinching. Up front and centre is Bec, whose wit and charm equals that of the spy greats like James Bond and Napoleon Solo but does so without leaning on the more 'chauvinistic' tropes those characters rely on. However, what makes the character really compelling to follow on this journey is how she shows her struggles and trauma (with this story essentially being a journey in search of her family) with abandonment issues, without making them the pure focus and putting readers of, instead levelling her out with the aforementioned wit.

Of course, she's not alone in holding this series, with some great supporting characters, such as her amphibian boss Henry, POV Knight-in-training Dave and the standout in Hilde, the fallen Dwarven bodyguard who doesn't let her stature stop her from winning a fight ... or hitting on any guy she encounters.

That said, Damsels story isn't perfect as some of the story beats feel a little off to me. These include the focus around the princess' kidnapping which, upon her being reunited with the heroes, the rationale behind it appears to be almost forgotten. Meanwhile, the finale does seem to tie off any and all traumas caused through the story a little too neatly for my taste. Of course, these don't impede the plot as is read, but, upon reflection, they are threads which feel forgotten and will hopefully be dealt with in any (hopefully) future issues.

As for the art, well, Mauricio Mora's artwork within the pages of Damsels is just downright magical. With a style which vibes a lot  like Jim Cheung (Avengers: The Children's Crusade) meets Fin Cramb (White Ash), these visuals have a look incredibly magical like the latter (which makes sense given their focus on the mythological) but a vibrancy and energy (particularly in the action scenes) which imbue more of the latter. As a result, the overall look is one of lighthearted fun which is perfectly in keeping and expertly reflects the tone of the story.

I feel like I've rambled on a bit (again) so, let me cut to the chase a bit. With some likeable, well rounded characters and set in a colourful and fun world, Damsels from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. is a truly fantastical, swash-buckling adventure story. While the first five issues have their faults, they are far too few to make this anything less than a captivating read.

I just hope these five issues aren't the last we see of the Damsels from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S.

Review: And We Love You

A few years back I wrote a review (which, sadly, has been lost to the annals of the internet) about the Fell Hound comic one-shot, Commander Rao. It was a wonderful comic to read; poignant, heartbreaking, beautiful. I seem to recall being sad that it was all there was on this story.

... and then a prequel to it, entitled 'And We Love You' was released.

Well, now that Fell Hound's follow up to Commander Rao has been released on shelves by Scout Comics, I figured it was a good time to return to the 'Rao-verse' and see if this prequel could match with what came before it (or is it after?)

And We Love You tells the story of Julie Rao, the inspiration of the 'Commander Rao' name from the original story. Set a decade before it's previously released sequel, And We Love You follows Julie at the end when, following a botch mission by the Resistance leading to her sole survival and cornering at the hands of the Regime. However, as death reaches 'Private Rao', Julie's life (literally) bleeds out of her as we are given the story of her of her past, her joining of the resistance and the bond she forms with Kasey Cormack, the future 'Commander Rao.

I've always considered prequels something of a tough line to walk, as you have to be careful that you are placing your steps in the same place as you did before (not unlike a minefield to analogise in a fashion which connect to the comic in some way). However, Fell Hound does this incredibly well with so many aspects of the original comic acquiring a sort of emotional resonance as a result.

Much like with Commander Rao, And We Love You is a beautifully told and truly heartbreaking story. It's made even more so of both thanks to the fact that it imbues Commander Rao with greater context to it's own story, making it even more impactful. Of course, that's not to say that And We Love You needs it's 'sister' comic in order to make sense because even on its own merits, this issue is just heartfelt and captivating in its execution, as Hound displays and exhibits a bond between characters which just feels immensely sophisticated compared to so many other comics (and that's not a knock on them, it's simply that this is THAT good).

Meanwhile, Hound's art in this comic is equally outstanding, especially in the use of colours. While the art style itself has a look which mirrors a lot of indie romance comics (the one which springs to mind is the webcomic, Curia Regis), it's the use of colours in And We Love You which really packs of punch. This is down to the contrast Hound uses both monochrome and colour in equal measure, with the black and white becoming more prevalent in the present as Julie's memories (and with them the colour) (even literally) bleed out of her. As a result, this read gives us a new twist on an old adage that life is colour while death (as the Black Lanterns would probably attest) is not.

I've rambled on for a bit here but let us get a bit more back on track as I finish up. A few years back I got the opportunity to read Commander Rao (as previously mentioned) and it was always my intention to buy it for myself when the opportunity came. Sadly, I missed it and forgot but now I've had a second chance I'm glad that I took it.

Because, at it's core, whether paired with Commander Rao or not, And We Love You is a story about finding love and friendship even when the world is throwing its worst at us. And in a world which has seen no amount of strife in the last few years, a reminder like this that there is always someone there to hold our hand maybe isn't such a bad thing.

Then again, having that reminder in our hands to read maybe isn't such a bad thing either.

Analysing when a comic dream ends

So, it's over.

As of yesterday (so, March the 1st), the Kickstarter campaign which I set up in the hope of funding the remaining pages of my comic short, Predators, came to an end.

And, unfortunately, it didn't really end on a positive note.

At the conclusion of my campaign, I ended up with £185 from 67 backers, a little bit short of the £800 I was looking for.

Now, to be fair, my target was a high one from the beginning, and certainly not helped by some of the restrictions I placed upon myself like the low price, the lack of pages to show off and (maybe) no printed edition.

However, I try not to be someone who looks at the negative on a situation (well, I do. I'm a pessimistic kind of person), but try and see what I can learn from when something goes wrong.

So, what have I learned?

Well, let's start with the numbers (because I am an Accountant). £185 from 67 backers (which, I'll confess is far better than I expected. I figured only my mum would pledge) is definitely NOT £1 per backer. In fact, the average is £2.94 per backer, meaning that nearly every backer was willing to pay £3 for what was, essentially 12 pages of comics. Now I'm not sure why. Maybe it was Rob(ert Ahmad)'s connection to my project? Maybe it was the concept? Or maybe the backers all knew me and understood my sensibilities (I mean, it could happen!)?

In the end, I'm loathe to change the price because, as I've said before, I do feel that comics are expensive and, for a hobby that was once 'throwaway' (and I do mean comics being thrown in the rubbish. Crazy huh!!!), I am forced to spend a small fortune to read the adventures of the FF, Spidey, Supes and the rest month in, month out.

That said, I think I was being over confident thinking that 800 people would be able/willing to give £1.

This brings me to my next thought. I think another flaw on my part was that I neither cast my net wide enough in terms of bringing attention to this Kickstarter and nor did I give it enough of a push where I did cast the net.

For the first part, While, I did post the link on Facebook (in a couple of comic groups) and Instagram, I primarily focused on Twitter. The reason for this is my comfortableness (yes, it's a word ... now) for this app over the other two as well as a great deal more connection with a lot of comics related folks (who I hope know that I can't thank them enough for all of their help in terms of shares and shout outs and support).

However, I guess it was a thing that I didn't want to appear too 'pushy' (although why that didn't apply on Twitter is beyond me). Still though, maybe if I had 'pushed' a little harder in these places, I'd have done a little better.

So, what has this taught me?

Well, next time, some good plans of action would be, first and foremost, ensure I get some more support. I think pushing myself on apps beyond Twitter should help considerably, but maybe also seeking help from more podcasts and comics websites in order to get the word out further.

Also, I think it might be wise to raise the price. Now, this is something I'm still hesitant to do. However, with the realisation that multiple backers offered me more than what I initially asked, it certainly is something I should consider more seriously next time.

Finally, I think (as was mentioned to me by many prior to launching. I really should have listened)'ll try and drop the limit. Now, that's one of those things which are easy to easy but not so easy to implement, because if it was, why would I have it so high in the first place. However, with time no doubt going to pass between now and a possible second attempt, I can have time to try and get more pages created in the interim.

Therefore, despite the lack of success this all brought me, it was a tremendous learning experience if nothing else as I got a better understanding of how things work as well as combating my fear and reticence to even attempt it.

Hopefully then, next time I'll have better luck. But that won't be for a while and so, in the meantime, I'll get back to what I'm best at; reading comics.