SuperSearnold - Comic Book Reviews

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Sunday, September 21st, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
A Tale of Dust by Jeremy Rathbone (Munkie Revolution, SCCG TV) with dialogue by John Ostermiller (SCCG TV). This is another self-published venture by a fellow member of the Sacramento Comic Creators Group. I’ll try not to let my biases get in the way of my review. If you want to check out A Tale of Dust for FREE (that’s right - FREE) go to http://taleofdust.smackjeeves.com/comics/289365/cover/

Premise:
In the cruel times of the old west, Lieutenant John Saint returns to the town of Dust Valley to find that it is not the town he remembers. Now he must fight to save the town from its corrupt leaders. A Tale of Dust does get a semi-mature rating for a discussion about whores and a graphic bar fight.

The Awesome Parts:
I haven’t read a good western tale in a long time. I still haven’t read a good western tale in a long time (okay - that wasn’t true - I just thought I’d say it because it’s the obvious joke.) Seriously, A Tale of Dust has everything a good western should - whores and a bar fight. Corrupt officials. And a lone man fighting for justice and honor. The writing is also very poetic and even beautiful at times. Check out this quote: “Like the unceasing waves of the ocean wearing away the shore, even the steadiest stone or the most virtuous soul… could break.” I also enjoyed the panel layout - and I use the term loosely. There weren’t really “panels” the way we think of them in modern comics. The layout was more of an Eisner-esk feel, where the pictures on the page blend together to create a feel and tell a narrative without each of them standing alone in a seperate panel. And it was done WELL, too - something that is NOT easy to do (I say this from experience.)

The Less-Than-Awesome-Parts:
Unfortunately (I saw unfortunately - maybe it’s not for you) the comic is clearly an independent venture. There is no retail price listed on the cover. The crease on the binding is not solid. Some of the words are chopped off at the edges of the pages. One copy I got my hands on even had the pages printed backwards. Many of the faces - especially the eyes - look simplistic. Yes, this is a style, but I mention it because it adds to the non-professional feel of the book. The only problem I had story-wise was one of the major villains not being explained. His actions clearly deliniate him as a villain, but we don’t really know WHO he is. You could argue this adds an air of mystery - but I argue that it adds an air of confusion.

My Recommendation:
Why would you ever pass up FREE entertainment? I can’t possibly think of a reason. If you like westerns, I’m sure this will fit your bill. If you don’t… well… this is definitely a western. Remember, you can check it out for FREE at http://taleofdust.smackjeeves.com/comics/289365/cover/

That’s it for today. Spider-Man - Brand New Day week is coming soon (I promise!) As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

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