Engage!! My Star Trek Discovery Season 3 theory.

So, I'm still working my way through Vanguard and, while I had originally said that I was going to talk about the comics I've been reading every week on this blog, I thought it best to just talk about all three volumes of Vanguard in one go.

As a result, I have nothing to talk about for the second week running.

Now, I had planned to just take a break this week but I recently started Star Trek Discovery season 3 on Netflix and, this far, it's good (although it would be better of they just released it in one go). However, two episodes in and I had a theory about this series and where it might go. As a result, and because I have a gap in my schedule, I just thought I'd ramble on about this theory here, even though it is probably one which has already been shared.

(So, I'm going to be talking about every Star Trek Discovery episode released to date. So if you are still catching up, be warned that there are spoilers).

So, my theory goes like this: I think that the 32nd century iteration of the Federation, when it finally appears, will turn out to an organization which is something of a cross between the Terran empire and the America that is revealed in Scott Snyder and Charles Soule's comic series, undiscovered country.

The reason I think this is because, so far during these first two episodes, there has been an abundance of love for the late great, Federation. So far all the characters that we are introduced to, particularly Kal, the alien on the colony world, to the communications expert Sahil on Relay, have bigged up the legend of Starfleet to what feels like an almost godlike proportion. However, while the Federation's reputation very much proceeds it in a good way, all of this rose tinted belief is based on nothing but myth as Starfleet's finest have never really been seen.

Therefore, I genuinely believe that the third series will be this whole 'the Federation was awesome. They will come back and save us' belief from everyone that Discovery meets on its journey. However, as with the revelation of Lorca in series one, I think that (certainly this far) all of the excessive praise that seems to be given is setup for a similar mini-series twist where Discovery will find the Federation but as some xenophobic, dystopian, damaged reflection of its former self.

Now, I don't think this is entirely without precedent as both Discovery and Star Trek Picard have hinted that Starfleet is certainly capable of such thinking. In Discovery, while they were on the brink  of losing a war, Starfleet's senior officers were happy to utilize the Barbaric mirror Georgiou to commit genocide. Meanwhile, in Picard, the fleet's top brass were equally content to let the Romulans die after their star went supernova. Neither example seems fitting of Roddenbery's original vision of the Utopian, enlightenment organisation.

However, going this route of making the Federation out to be this mythic Camelot-like entity to a galaxy who don't know them first hand, only to reveal the opposite is the case feels like the only way to shake up the story. As a result, I also theorize that this would lead into series 4 as Discovery lead a war/revolution against this new, more oppressive regime for the soul of the federation. This too has precedent because (as I was recently reminded) Discovery has always been a series whose characters vehemently believe in the ideals of those they serve.

But this is all conjecture at this point because, only two episodes in, the story could really go anywhere. However, regardless of where everything leads, I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series (to the point that I wish they just released it all in one go).

I just now have extra skin in the game as I get to see just how close my theory is.

Project Hail Mary

I'm currently working my way through all three volumes of Vanguard (I'm just finishing up volume 1 as I write this) and so I didn't have anything comic book related to post this week.

So, instead I thought I'd bore everyone and talk about what a project I've been working on for what feels like years.

As the title suggests, this project is called Project Hail Mary. Having previously spoken to Ryan K Lindsay and David Pepose regarding the reasoning for using project names (as well as how cool it sounds), I decided I wanted to do the same thing instead of just talking about 'this project I'm working on. I also, wanted to a totally talk about what I'm doing without giving too much away about what km actually doing (although I've talked to so many people about it, I'd be surprised if it wasnlt common knowledge).

For years now, I've wanted to write my own comic. There are two reasons for this: firstly, I feel it would help me appreciate the creative process more when I review other people's comics. This is because it is easy to critique someone else's work but I don't think you can fully appreciate the work they put in unless you do it yourself. The second reason is simply that I've been having ideas of my own for years, almost all of which are stored in the funky looking green notebook I have by my bed.

Back in 2017 (wow, that long) I took part in a short comic competition run by Matt Garvey. Now, I didn't win but, working with the fantastic Ayoade Adobarin, we still created the Hipster Beard, which I've since given it's own page on my blog for everyone to see Ayo's skills for themselves.

However, after creating that short strip, I have found myself thinking up more and more ideas in the same vein, short little strips with this horror vibe and a bit of twist at the end. They are probably not the greatest compared to the greatness already put there but oh well.

Therefore, this has become Project Hail Mary. I call it Project Hail Mary because this is my ... well, my Hail Mary Pass, my one desperate attempt to do this (because I'm unsure if I would be able to have another chance).

My plan for Project Hail Mary is pretty simple (from my perspective). I've so far written 9 short stories (including the Hipster Beard) which totals around 50 pages (I do have two additional stories that I haven't written than I think could add an extra ten pages but for now we'll stick to 50). All of these stories have this kind of 'classic horror tropes (Dracula, the Wolfman, etc) set in the present day' notion to them that are probably incredibly derivative but I got a kick out of as I wrote them.

From there, my plan would be to have different artists create each story in a very sin city look (I.e. black and white hit with hints of colour). I already have a (very) long list of artists I want to work with for this (because of it's my one shot then I want to take advantage of it) but they would probably depend on budget.

However, once the art is done, I would produce a pdf file and make it digital only (to keep costs down) and then sell it at £1/$1 per copy. I'm thinking this price because I feel it would A. Entice more people to take a look (because 50 pages for £1/$1 sounds pretty good to me) and also because while I'm sure the art would be fantastic, I don't want to overcharge people for what could be crap stories from an unknown quantity (i.e. me).

So, that's where I am with this. Now, I'm sure anyone who has gotten to this point is wondering 'why haven't you done this yet?' and the answer is pretty simple. Firstly, I'm still tinkering on the stories. First drafts are written but changed are needed on at least three of the ideas, while I still want to add two more ideas to the collections. Also, I want to flesh out the characters with a sort of 'character bio' for each idea, just so artists aren't working from scratch.

The other thing is that I, currently, don't have the money to get this thing made. I'm considering running a Kickstarter to get this funded, but I feel that I'd need some, if not most, of the art created before I get to that point. Unfortunately, I don't have the capital to hire the artists in advance at present (and I'm SO not willing to ask them for the payment of 'exposure' and the hope of money later). Therefore, I'm a little bit stuck in a holding pattern for the time being.

However, it's still on my wish list of things I want to do in my life and I'll keep tinkering away at it. I just figured, with nothing to write I'd just share this while also giving some insight as to what I'm talking about whenever I mention it in future.

Oh, and before I forget ...

My review for this week over at Pipedream Comics was Daniel Reed's the Mycelium Complex #1 & 2, which is currently coming to the end of its Kickstarter campaign. I've got to admit, I was intrigued by this one, mainly because of the word Mycelium and my wonder if Daniel Reed was a Star Trek Discovery fan.

And, in a way, I enjoyed reading this. As I feel I reiterated several times in the review, I was intrigued by what was going on. However, I also found it extremely frustrating. There is so little information as to what is going on in either time zone, how they connect, how the world ended, anything. As a result, the more I read through, the more of a slog this was becoming. It wasn't helped by the fact that very little is given about the characters beyond a name and some brief intro to their personality. In fact, only Pat and Benny are more filled out and neither I would call a 'sympathetic character'.

The art was solid (minus a small niggle here and there) but it really was a frustrating read because I'm certain this comic has so much potential. If the author offers up some information to the seeming time travel aspect, Pat and Benny's connection to the world ending or what happened to Evelyn, then I'd be more than happy to go back but, for now, I'd be hesitant to return until the whole story was available.

 

So, that's another week done. It's obviously a bit less comic-focused and, hopefully, that's something I will rectify for next weeks post (although, at 14 issues, I'm skeptical I'll complete Vanguard in that time). However, for now, I'm glad I took the time to air my plan/dream/idea.

Even if it is a little pie in the sky.

Kickstarter Catch up

Well, it's been a week!! Since last Monday, I must confess that my life has felt non-stop with all that I've had. This is because beyond my standard 9-5 working days as well as trying to help control two under 5's, I've (somehow) scraped the time to read a comic before reviewing it and then sending over to Alex to post up on Pipedream Comics (which only got finished by Friday night), wrote what became an immensely long-winded post on the Black Panther: Man without Fear series and submitted mine and Ayoade Adobarin's short comic, the Hipster Beard, to the Platform Comics short comic competition (oh yeah, and done my half of the Christmas shopping(which, admittedly, isn't much).

So, by the end of it all, it didn't leave much time to get through my next planned read, Dan Butcher's Vanguard, by the time I needed to write this post. However, I instead decided to push it back a few more days (because what's a few more days after nearly eight months) and just clear through a bunch of one shots and single issues.

Fortunately, I happen to have a bunch of those courtesy of Kickstarter. This is because, although it has been a while since I last pledged to a campaign on Kickstarter, I haven't yet managed to make the time to read some of the rewards which came from those successful ones. Therefore, what better time to do that than over a (presently) comic free weekend. And so, with that in mind, I burned through four comics from two campaigns: Samuel George London's Milford Green from that campaign and Ryan K Lindsey's Fatherhood, Little Man in the Big Housr and Tree from his Skyscraper campaign.

First up was Milford Green by Samuel George London and Mikael Hankonen, which sees the titular Victorian village become the target of an alien invasion when a fleeing intergalactic agent crashes there and entrusts a local with the safekeeping of a mysteriously powerful relic. Now, I've probably downplayed the complexity of the comic by breaking it down to its essence, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this was a fun and enjoyable read. I'm not going to lie, the story was a little confusing in places but I found this to be a minor inconvenience as the direction and pacing were solid and so I got the general idea of what was going on, even if I missed on the minutiae (which in fairness, may have been due to me being tired when I read it). It also helped that the characters (maybe with the exception of George) were just so likable, which really helped keep me invested I think.

The art was exceptional as well, with Mikael Hankonen's art fitting the tone and atmosphere of both the story and the location in my mind with a look that reminded me very much of Sarah Millman's work in A Heart of Time (which makes sense as they are both predominantly based in the Victorian era). By the end, I realized that I had a lot of questions about this series such as;

• With all the LOTR references, is Alfie destined to become Tolkien or something (given LOTR doesn't get published for another 50ish years)?
• What does Mary see in George? She turns on him right at the end, but that seems a little odd given all he's done up to that point.
• Also, why did Mary's dad offer George up so willingly? Did he know what was going to happen/how it played out?
• Finally, funny how they were so quick to believe Fandalg's story.

Anyway, just some thoughts which came to my mind but, nonetheless, it was still a fun read that I need to find out how it continues. I'll have to reach out to Sam about buying the sequel instalments.

The next read was Fatherhood Ryan K Lindsay, Daniel Schneider, Paulina Ganucheau and Brandon Destefano which told the story of one man's mission to make his daughter happy, and the damage it causes to any who get in his way. Now, this comic absolutely blew me away by the time that I was finished reading it. I had expected a noir story based on it's gorgeous cover (and I'm not sure I could reiterate that enough) but while I was partly right (as the second half really comes across that way to me), this story about the love of you child and what you would do for them was so incredibly (and brutally) captivating. The thing is, I think I found it so captivating was down to how I connected to the main character. This because while the protagonist is a real nasty piece of work, I completely understood why he did the things he was doing. As RKL alludes to in his notes at the back, a parent will do anything for their children (as I myself have often stated to people) and so this character is just a manifestation of that promise.

 

Meanwhile, the artwork in this comic was just as perfect to me as the story it accompanied. The style is fantastic, with Mr Schneider and Ms Ganucheau's respective pencils and colours marrying to give the story such an awesome, vibrant look. In fact, the scene and the page where the protagonist nearly runs down a woman in the street still stick in my head it was so gorgeous. This only continues when the protagonist dons the noir trademark hat and coat, as the art takes yet more gorgeousness in some great monochrome colours, and letterer Brandon Destefano makes me giddy with joy as I read the narration on a very fitting 'written on line paper' look that is just inch perfect for this noir vibe. I have to admit, by the end I feel heartbroken that this is only a one shot, but in truth it's perfect as just that (although I am curious why the guy is being arrested). All I can do is hope that RKL brings this team back for something equally awesome in future (which, given his pedigree, I doubt would be too long a wait).

In the meantime though, I move onto Little Man in the Big House, the next free comic from Ryan K Lindsay's Skyscraper kickstarter by Lindsay himself, Paul Tucker and Ryan Ferrier and told the story of a former size changing superhero called Little Man who is called in when the occupants of a Super-Villain prison undertake a hostage situation. Now, this was another fun little comic, with a really cool concept that feels perfect for a character of this ... stature (no pun intended .. well, maybe a little), in the same vein the Ant-Man movie was a heist movie. I really love the ideas that are thrown in here, and thought the use of Little Man's powers are used in fun and unique ways.

That said, the art was good but it wasn't really my thing. Mr Tucker's style had this slightly rough, 80's, almost Valerian and Laureline look to it that I did find a small bit confusing as I read along. That said though, maybe that's something I would get use to if the comic was longer than nine pages because, I would certainly enjoy seeing more of this.

Finally, I read Tree, the third of Ryan K Lindsay's works that I went over the week, with this one created with Mitch Collins and Thomas Mauer as it told the story of a quirky, Deadpool meets Veronica Mars bounty hunter as she attempts to track down the man she's been hired to find. This was a short comic, totally only 14 pages, but its length was the only downside to it as I really loved this comic. I thought the script was so quirky with it's unusual narration and made me think of some fourth wall breaking series like Deadpool and ... well, that's it really. Nevertheless, I thought that idea was fantastically unique, like reading the comic equivalent of Enola Holmes crossed with Human Target (or better yet, Burn Notice). The art meanwhile, was equally gorgeous, with Mitch Collins style making me think of Matthew Dow Smith (whose work I certainly adore after that recent Star Trek one-shot). By the end, I don't know if more of this story was made, but if it was then I've gotta get it.

And so that's all for my comic reading in the last week and, I just confess, I wish I'd gotten around to them all sooner. It was a fun selection of reads which confirmed that the pledges I had made at the time were worthy investments.

Oh, and before I forget ...

This past week I got the chance to read the full graphic novel of Future, the sci-fi, time travel story by Tom Woodman and Rupert Smissen, for Pipedream Comics. Now, I recall that I had enjoyed the first issue when I reviewed and felt the comic had potential but, after reading full story, I really felt like it exceeded all expectations.

The review (as usual) is more depth but I felt the story was so engrossing, watching these two people never giving up on each other. Woodman really found their voices and made I think it was that and their dynamic with each other which made Future so captivating.

As for the art, this was equally gorgeous and so reminded me of Alex + Ada but with a much more stylish, cgi-esque look. This isn't a downside to me but a plus as this style really makes Future look unbelievably beautiful.

I'm gonna have to start thinking about my favourite comics for the Pipedream top 50 of this year, but after this read I think Future is going to be one of them, because it was one hell of a read.

So, that was my week (and then some). Hopefully, I can now get started on Vanguard (as I've been planning to do for some time).

Although, I'm sure something else will come up first. It usually does.