Here's what I think

So, a couple of days ago I told you all how I contributed a short piece to Only in Whispers #2 (Free Lunch Comics). Well, I finally got the time to read the rest of the book, and well, I think that it is a pretty good tome. the book consists of three illustrated tales (two by Free Lunch Publisher, Steve Kanaras), a prose tale by Steve, and a trio of prose true ghost tales (one of them mine).

I do so enjoy this type of format, that of multiple tales each showcasing different artists (or writers) each exploring the soft underbelly of the pseudo mystical side of our world. It really reminds me of the kind of comics I read when I was much younger, and these type of creepy tales made up a larger part of the marketplace.

Well, I’ve been enjoying this series and, I’m recommending that you look it up and chase down an issue of your own.

Pledging for Rusty

This past Sunday Free Lunch Comics held a benefit for our mutual friend Rusty Haller. Rusty is an extraordinarily talented CT cartoonist who has fallen on some hard times (his mom with whom he lived, passed away, his health began deteriorating, and he was forced to move out of his apartment). Well, a bunch of us got together at the Free Lunch studios in Granby CT, and held a benefit auction to raise money to help Rusty.

About 50 people showed up at the auction and we managed to raise some $1,300.00 for Rusty. Another $800.00 was raise by Bryanna Bunny, who set up a donation fund to aid Rusty. (you can still go to the Bryanna Bunny site and donate funds if you wish to contribute to the cause).

Steve Kanaras from Free Lunch has gone on to indicate that the possibility of setting up an ebay auction site to help raise money for Rusty (I hear talk of a Chris Torres painting as being one item, as well as some comics and other items — I’ll keep you posted in this regard).

Anyway, I’m glad to say that — for the moment at least — Rusty has found lodging with a friend in Ohio,and we all wish him well. He is also back at work, drawing, addressing his health issues, and believing that he will come out of this adversity better and stronger.

Our hope and prayers are with him.

Only In Whispers

When you want someone to hear you, you shouldn’t shout, you should whisper.

That’s right, Whisper. At least that’s what I’ve heard. It is what my good buddy Steve Kanaras does, and he ought to know, especially as he is the publisher and chief writer of Free Lunch Comics’ newest title, Only in Whispers. This is a supernatural anthology in the vein of the old Tales from the Crypt, with an other-worldly narrator named Mr. Quiet who acts as “host” and introduces each story.

There are four illustrated stories (three written by Steve) with a fourth prose piece also by Steve. One the stories is a continued story, while the others are all wrapped up in this issue. In addition to the fiction, there is a section of “True Tales of the supernatural. Unlike the rest of the comic, this section is dedicated to friends, associates, and readers relating “otherworldly” events that happened to themselves. This section makes for an interesting counterbalance to the rest of the comic. At this point I want to mention that the lead story is done by one of my personal favorite artists, Matt Ryan. (Matt illustrated my own Wúlf Girlz stories which appear in Psychosis! (Guild Works Productions).

The comic itself is more of the suspense and “boo” type of supernatural than the blood and gore of the slash & hack kind. which also makes it something of a novelty in this market. The stories are all throwbacks to the kinds of stuff I remember reading in those nameless horror comics from the ’60 and TV shows from the ’70s like Night Gallery and the like. (not that any of that is bad, it is just the feeling that it evokes in me).

Overall, I enjoyed the comic, and am looking to see where it goes next.