Soulless No 1. Kim Roberts (Writer), Chris Royal (Pencils), James Johnson (Inks), Chunlin Zhao (Colours), Ken Reynolds (Letters). Swampline Comics (2017)

Very enjoyable and engaging first issue that neatly sets up the story, delivers a great hook ending and has a generous story to tell in its own right. The Carnival of Souls comes into a small town, it is followed by two people, Raul an ex-priest and Claudia a carnival survivor . The carnival sets up and Rail and Claudia join the customers and it all gets nasty, exactly as it should. The carnival has a deliberate purpose and Rail is determined to prevent it succeeding, a process Claudia may be helping or may be complicating.
Kim Roberts has packed a great deal of story between the covers, the major players are economically and confidently introduced and the action is kicked off with a bang. The reason why the carnival is touring is given, Raul and Claudia are going to be involved in a very serious fight.
The art is lovely, the cast are strongly expressive, they have energy and physical force as they move, they move as individual members of the cast and react to each other credibly. The female member of the cast, in particular Kali and Claudia are treated with respect and given the opportunity be be actual personalities. Kali burns with purpose, all the people she meets are just means to her end. Claudia is in slightly over her head and determined to push ahead. Raul is slightly more conventional, an experienced demon hunter he is not really tested yet. The use of panels to control the pace of the story and create variety on the page is a pleasure to read.
The colouring catches and emphasises the details of the cast and context as well as the emotional tones of the story with precision. The carnival is a riot of bright colours that smartly brings out the dark ideas that swirl around it.The lettering is quiet and natural until it needs to be loud and obtrusive in the sound effects.
Soulless is a great fun comic that showcases strong comics storytelling by very talented creators. It is going to be a thrill ride.

Resurrected 1 . Kim Roberts (Writer), James Johnson (Art), Chris Allen (Letters & Colours). Swampline Comics (2017)

A smart and engaging take on a classic cartoon show about a group of  supernatural investigators who drive a minivan spiked with a welcome shot of gore and a sharp edge. On Blackwod Island four investigators set out for the Blackwood Funeral Home (right beside Black Wood Cemetery) to check for ghostly activity. Naturally things take a turn for the worse and then the worse starts to expand and become significantly worse again.
What is greatly enjoyable is the way that Kim Roberts does not fight against the genre requirements, instead they are embraced and employed as fully as possible and then given a little boost. The conflict in the group is not banter it has a force that gives the story the push it needs. A ridiculous situation is not just taken seriously, it is actually serious and that brings the reader right into the story.
James Jonson's art is perfectly matched to capture the nuances and hints within the writing and delivers a deeply satisfying balance. The first zombie to be revived is both funny grotesque and horrifyingly grotesque  at the same time, there really are no rules for talent. The rest of the cast manage this same fine balance, cartoony art that brings astonishingly eloquent and expressive body language that allows for laughs and is nasty at the same time.
Chris Allen's colours match the cartoon heritage of the story and the art perfectly, when it comes to delivering the gore the colours smoothly and naturally manage the process without blinking. The lettering is quiet and natural to read, the sound effects are cleverly placed to give just the extra push needed at critical moments.
Resurrected has managed an fantastically difficult task in comics, take a well known pop culture idea, mash it with a related idea and make it work as an independent entity without betraying the origins. The steely core of horror in Resurrected makes everything else work and makes for great story possibilities that the talented creators can exploit for the delight of their readers.

Radiation Burn. James Johnson (Writer and Artist). WP Comics (2016)

An entertaining and engaging collection of science fiction stories that capture the devil-may-care tone and atmosphere of the underground comix decades ago. Without ever being old fashioned or unduly nostalgic James Johnson has captured the moving spirit of the comix and created an engaging and sharply funny set of stories.
Dead Tree introduces Jeddediah and Miclantecuhltu a skeleton shaped, luchador battle robot who are wandering a irradiated wasteland when they are attacked by a mutant, whom they kill. They take the mutant's severed head into the town of Dead Trees to claim the bounty and this do not go well. This is a smart version of a classic western storyline, where a stranger comes into town and upsets the status quo with unpredictable results. The story is full of sly humour and nice set ups, the climax is true to the anarchic spirit of the comix as well as the western stories.
The art is friendly and a pleasure to read, it has a rough quality which fits the story and tone. The cast are all lively and strongly expressive, in particular Jeddediah who is rarely as in control of circumstances as he would like to pretend.
Lil'Mutants is a suitably altered version of a troublesome children comic strip, two young mutants make trouble for neighbors and get into trouble themselves. In all the cases the trouble is entirely in line with the prevailing spirit of the comic. The joke does not quite come off, without the core of whimsy that supported the original stories the framework is not strong enough to support the weight that is put on it here. The framework is slightly at an angle to the content which muffles the impact slightly.
Son of A Demon is the longest and most successful story in the collection, it brings all of the elements together and adds something extra that gives it a strong force. Jeddediah,  Miclantecuhltu and Annabelle, a girl whom they met in Dead Trees, are captured by a predatory insect in the desert when they are rescued by a group who are interested in Miclantecuhltu. Jeddediah leaves group's base and encounters a stranger on a motorbike. Naturally things go downhill from there, they do so in unexpected and engaging ways. The final panel is a sharp break with the lighter tone of the rest of the story and adds considerable force and weight to the story.
The colours bring the story to life, they make the details of the context stand out much more strongly and give the cast an extra depth and vitality.
Fairwell is a nice one page joke that works very well.
Radiation Burn follows its own path very successfully, it has a sharp edge and a tremendous storytelling momentum that work together very well. James Johnson has a strong creative voice and that it is very welcome.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent by Kim Roberts. To purchase a copy of Radiation Burn, which you should to get the pleasure of a sharply original talent, you can get it from http://www.wpcomicsltd.com/comics

Temple of The White Ape God. James Johnson (Writer & Art) WP Comics (2016)

A great, short sword and sorcery story that delivers all the genre requirement with energy and wit. A warrior and a warlock come to the Temple of the White Ape God to get an artifact and more importantly the payment for doing so. A quick battle with some apes sets the scene nicely before they move into the temple. The events in the temple are both everything they should be and nicely surprising. There is also a perfectly set up joke that joyously plays with genre tropes.
Writing sword & sorcery well is a very difficult task, like any genre it appears to be easy as it follows a widely understood set of rules and is so inherently absurd and theatrical that it should be simple to do. It is simple to do it badly, there is a very delicate balance within the genre that has to be handled with the care that James Johnson lavishes on this story. James Johnson may be gently mocking the genre, he is doing so from the inside out, the story is strong enough in its own right to carry the extra baggage without any strain.
The art is very friendly, James Johnson has not used a realistic style to create a convincing context for incredible actions, everything is slightly cartoony. This plays well with the light tone of the story, the action is fast but never brutal. It is easy to imagine the comic as an animated cartoon. The cast are well defined, the warlock has a bald head and a chin beard, the warrior is broad shouldered with an animal skin kilt. A beautiful and half naked female prisoner and a female winged monkey complete the cast and hit all the right notes.
The colours are as bright and vivid as required, this is a story that does not need subtlety, it needs amplification and that is delivered with care and detail by the colouring.
The sound effects are loud and support the action.
This is a smart, short comic that delivers the story with force and thoughtful force.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent by Kim Roberts. to purchase a copy of Temple of The White Ape God, good comics are a leading indicator of improved happiness and joy in living, it is available from  http://www.wpcomicsltd.com/comics