Wednesday 27 February 2013

Pick of the week x 2!!!!

Last week was fun! So much so, I never got around to doing a blog for pick of the week! All is well, though, because it just so happens that I have had extra time I prepare for this week's entry. I have 3 comics to recommend to cover this week and last. 3 comics for 2 weeks? No, my math skills aren't off, trust me. Read on, you'll see what I mean.

Last week we published and reprinted several new comics where I work, Dead Universe Comics. That means Dead Universe Publishing, now officially a separate business, is off to a great start for convention season! Amidst re-printing issues long sold out and printing exclusive sketch variants and what not, DUP also launched two new titles: The Vale by Brett Uren and Bertie Bear and the Dagger of a Thousand Souls. Two titles, each getting a pick of the week. How does that total to 3 comics? Easy. The Vale released issues 1 & 2 at the same time.

The Vale is a tale about Jan Czerkowicz, a goth guy who has survived the end of the world at the hands of the Elder. The Elder, a race of Lovecraftian squid-headed demon gods from another dimension, have won their war on our world, yet have simply inserted their own personal to run society using its existing infrastructure.

We first see Jan, who has jet eyes and cries blackened tears along with the rest of humanity's survivors, in line at the Aylesbury job centre. Being human, he finds it difficult to get a job legally. What Jan doesn't tell his job advisor is that he secretly does sorcery on the side and gets paid for it under the table. Sorcery which he learned from his pub frequenting Elder friend, Shugg, who happens to be the human loving rebellious son of Aylesbury Vale's new ruler. Shugg speaks an incomprehensible dialect of English called, "Chav," making the character difficult for an American reader like myself to understand at first.

Chav speak aside, The Vale's brilliance is that, like Aylesbury Dead (one of DUP's first titles about zombie apocalypse in, well, Aylesbury), it is set locally. The settings and landscapes are familiar, even with the demonic makeover that some readers may consider to be an improvement on Aylesbury Vale's actual current condition. It's a buddy story about two guys who spend most of their time at the pub while also plotting to overthrow the Elder's grip on our world. It's mad, it's genius, it's £2.50 each for issue one: Council State and issue two: The Wycombing.

Pick two is Bertie Bear and the Dagger of a Thousand Souls, written and drawn by Andy Clift. Imagine a treasure seeking badass like Indiana Jones crossed with a suave secret agent like James Bond. Now make him a Teddy Bear. Now gouge one of his adorable eyes out and cover it with a Nick Fury patch. This is Bertie Bear.

When we first see Bertie, he is being interrogated by a vampire cult led by a femme Fatale wannabe in a red dress named Rose. Bertie takes his licks, spitting blood on the floor after being knocked around a bit, before making a hardcore escape using a mystical size-changing machete. Next, we see him being asked by the US government to aid in hunting down a Mayan artifact which, in the wrong hands, could doom all of humanity.

Bertie Bear is a little bit of everything that people should love about comics. It has a badass hero, it's action packed, and it's just a little bit crazy and silly with its premise. For £3.95, this is one of the best comics on shelf at the moment, and it's written by one of our proudly sponsored creators.

While we're at it, I'm also going to just recommend the rest of our line to any Aylesbury locals out there. Aylesbury Dead (issue 2 now available), Apes 'n' Capes, Little Terrors, Mystery Boys, Kaiju Steel and Nowhereville are all available right here at Dead Universe Comics. Find us on facebook, as well as the Dead Universe Publishing page. For those reading this not local to Aylesbury, post your intererest on our pages and I'm sure PayPal and delivery can be arranged!

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