Geek of Oz

Before I jump into this review I feel I should come clean; I'm no TopCow fan. Although I've dabbled with some of their titles from time to time, their roster of characters have never really resonated with me. I blame this almost exclusively on my personal taste although the intimidating continuity of the TopCow universe has always been a turn off. This probably begs the question as to why on earth I am here reviewing Artifacts #34. The answer is twofold; for starters it's a one-shot so is free from the entanglement of continuity but more importantly it's written by Eugene Ward and illustrated by Martin Gimenez, both of whom have never been professionally published before. It's always a real thrill to see new talent, something the incestuous comic book industry could always use more of. Artifacts #34 is a self-enclosed tale starring Ian Nottingham, the bearer of the mystical artifact known as the Blood Sword. This 22 page thrill ride sees Ian c...

 Everybody, at least every fantasy fan, has a mental image that pops to mind when the term "HIGH FANTASY" is used. Somehow, in some divine miracle, Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic seem to have read my mind and spilled its contents all over the page. Coming the February is RAVINE, an all new creator-owned graphic novel series from long time collaborators, Marz and Sejic. From just initial cover and a more comprehensive art preview, it is obvious that these guys have an overwhelming understanding of what fantasy should look and feel like. With artwork that looks every bit as epic as the intended story, RAVINE has just burst its way onto my most wanted list for 2013. Check out the press release and a link to the full art preview after the jump!