By Brian LeTendre
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Moth City creator Tim Gibson about his fantastic Moth City series (you can hear that episode of See Brian Write here). Gibson is definitely a rising star in the comics scene here in the States, and is joining the ranks of other well-known New Zealand creators like Roger Langridge (Fred the Clown, Thor: The Mighty Avenger), Colin Wilson (Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Point Blank) and Dylan Horrocks (Hicksville). And while US comic fans may not be plugged into the New Zealand comics scene, there are some amazing creators over there, and a dynamic duo has taken it upon themselves to shine a spotlight on them.
Back in 2012, Damon Keen and Amie Maxwell decided to try and crowdfund a comic anthology that spotlighted some of the amazing talent that New Zealand has to offer. You can actually watch the original pitch video below, which gives you a glimpse of some of the fantastic stories that were included in the first volume, as well as hear directly from Amie and Damon how passionate they are about the New Zealand creator community.
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Moth City creator Tim Gibson about his fantastic Moth City series (you can hear that episode of See Brian Write here). Gibson is definitely a rising star in the comics scene here in the States, and is joining the ranks of other well-known New Zealand creators like Roger Langridge (Fred the Clown, Thor: The Mighty Avenger), Colin Wilson (Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Point Blank) and Dylan Horrocks (Hicksville). And while US comic fans may not be plugged into the New Zealand comics scene, there are some amazing creators over there, and a dynamic duo has taken it upon themselves to shine a spotlight on them.
Back in 2012, Damon Keen and Amie Maxwell decided to try and crowdfund a comic anthology that spotlighted some of the amazing talent that New Zealand has to offer. You can actually watch the original pitch video below, which gives you a glimpse of some of the fantastic stories that were included in the first volume, as well as hear directly from Amie and Damon how passionate they are about the New Zealand creator community.
The campaign was successful, and the first volume of Faction was born. Since that time, there have been two more volumes of Faction, with the most recent one debuting in June.
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Thanks to Damon, I was able to check out all three volumes of Faction, and I devoured them in one sitting. Simply put, Faction is a gorgeously-produced collection of stories that covers a spectrum of styles and genres. Here are just a few of my favorites:
Damon Keen’s One Giant Leap is a silent sci-fi story featuring an astronaut who gets stranded outside of his ship and has to fight to survive. Over the course of its nine pages, Keen tells the entire story without dialogue and makes you feel every panel.
Jonathan King’s Bookish is a fascinating and creepy tale about a man who collects people’s life stories--at the cost of their lives. As a writer I immediately fell in love with the premise.
Damon Keen told another of my favorites in the second volume of faction with Ectype. An interstellar surveyor travels to plants via technology that assembles a clone of her when she arrives planetside. But this time around, something goes wrong with the body her mind is inhabiting.
Katie O’Neill tells a touching story about and android and a human forming a bond during the end of the world called Don't Let Go.
The Reservoir, Tim Gibson’s stand alone prequel to Moth City, appears in volume three of faction and feels right at home. You can hear my original review of that story in episode #575 of Secret Identity here.
Damon Keen’s One Giant Leap is a silent sci-fi story featuring an astronaut who gets stranded outside of his ship and has to fight to survive. Over the course of its nine pages, Keen tells the entire story without dialogue and makes you feel every panel.
Jonathan King’s Bookish is a fascinating and creepy tale about a man who collects people’s life stories--at the cost of their lives. As a writer I immediately fell in love with the premise.
Damon Keen told another of my favorites in the second volume of faction with Ectype. An interstellar surveyor travels to plants via technology that assembles a clone of her when she arrives planetside. But this time around, something goes wrong with the body her mind is inhabiting.
Katie O’Neill tells a touching story about and android and a human forming a bond during the end of the world called Don't Let Go.
The Reservoir, Tim Gibson’s stand alone prequel to Moth City, appears in volume three of faction and feels right at home. You can hear my original review of that story in episode #575 of Secret Identity here.
And those are just a few of the highlights from Faction’s three volumes. It truly is a wonderful collection of some of New Zealand’s best, and it deserves to read by comic fans everywhere.
5 out of 5 Superb Collections
NOTE: You don’t have to take my word about how awesome faction is, because you can download and check out the entire first issue of Faction for free. And if you love it, which you will, then purchase the other volumes and support these awesome creators who came together to make this anthology.
You can also get the first two volumes of Faction on ComiXology right here.
5 out of 5 Superb Collections
NOTE: You don’t have to take my word about how awesome faction is, because you can download and check out the entire first issue of Faction for free. And if you love it, which you will, then purchase the other volumes and support these awesome creators who came together to make this anthology.
You can also get the first two volumes of Faction on ComiXology right here.
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