Make Comics Not Excuses

Written: Ron Wolfe

Illustrated: Dusty Higgins

Published: SLG Publishing

This book I stumbled upon when at HeroesCon My friend Seth had gotten a sketch from the artist Dusty Higgins, and it was mistaken by his girlfriend as one of my own pieces of art. Incredibly flattered, but also intrigued by the wonderfully expressive ink lines in the sketch I had to check out his table, and there I found this wonderful comic. Knights of The Living Dead.

The trade paperback I have is broken into 3 short stories.

The first is entitled “Knights of the Living Dead.”  But is truely about the fall of Camelot…. if the fall was brought about by a zombie apocalypse.  Guinevere, after being found guilty of her infidelity stands bound ready to be burned at the stake.  Arthur and his Knights stand ready anticipating Lancelot to arrive and rescue her.  All the while Merlin Warns Arthur that “Walking Starvation” is upon them and that he should lower the gate and protect the kingdom:

Lancelot does come for the queen… but he’s not quite how Arthur and his Knights remember him…

And the rest… the rest as they say is History…. sort of.

 

The End of this story leads directly into the next story “Clearing the Land”  500 years after the Fall of Camelot a Farmer tries plow his land as he remembers the legend of Guinivere and her Court of 7.  Seven Women Knights who picked up at the end of Camelot to clear the Zombie infestation.  This story went through the roster of the court, and Dusty Higgins’ beautiful ‘stain glass’ style art gives it a wonderful feeling that these women were larger than life legends.

The only thing i could have wanted from this story was more.  These women seemed amazing, and I wanted to read about the adventures they had.  It’s a great introduction to the characters, but it left me wanting more, but more was not to be had, as the third story has nothing to do with the first two…. at least not directly.

The third story is… different.  On it’s own I think i’d really like it.  But in juxtaposition to the other two stories it seems, out of place.  It’s a story of a bard, and how he, from childhood has visited this mysterious lady in a lake.  She entices him to come with her into the lake, but he consistently refuses so instead she tells him a story in which he uses in his songs.  The story is told from the bard’s point of view, and therefore is very poetic and nearly musical in the way the narration reads. And as the story progresses, the mystery of this woman deepens.  Is she the Lady of the lake that gave excalibur to Arthur?  Is she Morgan who had raised Lancelot? Is she the cause of the zombies in the first two stories? (as there are hints of her littered through the first two stories. )  And as the story progresses and the Bards sense of reality starts to be shaken, as the reader yours are as well, and it quickly turns into some sort of fever dream.

It’s well told and well illustrated, like the rest of the book.  I just wish that this story in particular was better tied into the rest of the trade.  This could have been done without changing the story at all, and simply adding a 4th story that shows how “In the deep deep shallows” was relevant to the first two stories.  As this third story is great and adds a mystery to this shaping universe.  I only hope that there are going to be more issues and/or trades of Knights of the Living Dead that will answer all these questions I have.  As I’m loving what i read here, and definitely want to see more!

So go get yourself a copy! If you love Knights and Zombies, there isn’t anything better around!  GET IT NOW! DO IT!

Every Wednesday until I can start posting new pages of Shadows of Oblivion again will be “Indie comic Wednesday.”  I’ll talk about an indie comic I’ve come across at a convention, or in a comic shop.  If you have an indie comic you want me to check out, send me a link to where I’ll check it out and I’ll read it! If I like what I see I’ll feature it here!  My only rule is that it truly has to be independent.  Creator owned, preferably self published,  (though if they’re a very small publisher like SLG, I’ll still promote it.)  Even though Image and Dark Horse do great creator owned indie comics, they don’t have any trouble getting word out on their books.  I want to promote creator owned books where the creators don’t have the backing of a major company, and they have to do most of the work promotions and/or distributions themselves.

So tomorrow is everyone’s favorite time of the week.  The Time when I yell at you for the excuses you make!  It’s No Excuses!  In the  mean time follow me around the web:

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Re-blog me on tumblr

And if you love my artwork don’t forget to pick up my comics!

And remember. Make Comics! Not Excuses!