Review: THE ARTWORK OF CARTER ALLEN, VOL. 2

ALL THESE WORLDS: THE ARTWORK OF CARTER ALLEN, VOL. 2
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/WARNING COMICS

ARTIST: Carter Allen
24pp, Color, $5

Prolific writer/artist, cartoonist, and graphic novelist, Carter Allen, has produced a sequel to his art book, All These Worlds: The Artwork of Carter Allen. It is entitled Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen, Vol. 2.

Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds is about “nose art.” Nose art is essentially graffiti on airplanes. Nose art is painted on the fuselage of military aircraft, usually near the nose of the craft. The most familiar nose art is probably the art featured on aircraft during World War II. There was pin-up “girlie” art like that on the Memphis Belle and. There was also pin-up art depicting real-life figures like Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable.

Dub Trub, a graphic novel series, and The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch, a comic book series, are two titles by Carter Allen which share a universe. In this universe, the Voyd, an alien race, invade Earth. Humanity fights back with countless space fighters leading the charge. Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds showcases the nose art that adorn fighter craft, which includes heavenly pin-ups, as well as cartoons depicting kick-ass soldier boys and other fighting types.

Of course, Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen, Vol. 2 is a faux art book. While reading any of the Dub Trub graphic novels, I never noticed nose art on fighter craft, but since there are fighter craft, I suppose that the Dub Trub’s pilots would follow our real-world tradition of painting images on the nose of their glorious flying machines.

Like the first volume of All These Worlds, the second volume, Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds, shows off Allen’s brand and style of good girl art. I’m always surprised how he uses computer art to turn photographic models into shiny vinyl goddesses and ice cream fantasies. My favorite piece is the space craft on the first page, which is as slick and as cool and as the sexy pin-ups.

Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen, Vol. 2 is like the first book. Both are nice primers and entry points into the futuristic and funky world of Carter Allen.

This book is available for sale at http://www.candlelightpress.com/shop.htm

Review: THE ADVENTURES OF NIKKI HARRIS THE CYBERMATION WITCH #4

"Back to School"
THE ADVENTURES OF NIKKI HARRIS THE CYBERMATION WITCH #4
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/Warning Comics
 
CARTOONIST: Carter Allen
40pp, Color, $5.00 US

The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch is a comic book series published by Candle Light Press. The series is created by illustrator and graphic novelist Carter Allen. Allen has created the Dub Trub series, the Man is Vox series (with writer John Ira Thomas), and produced the graphic novels, Atlanta and And the Sky Turned White…

After nearly two years since her last comic book, Nikki Harris, the Cybermation Witch, returns. The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch #4 (entitled “School Daze”) finds Nikki returning to her alma mater, Grantham Academy. This college is located in New Paris, a city on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

Grantham is considered one of the finest schools devoted to the teaching of Cybermation, and Nikki has been invited to be a visiting professor. Nikki is also reunited with Jeanie Carlisle, the younger sister of Annie Carlisle, Nikki’s now-deceased best friend. Not everyone is happy to see Nikki at Grantham, however, as the bitchy Headmistress goes out of her way to antagonize our heroine. There is also something sinister going on at Grantham, and it may be too powerful for even a Cybermation Witch to handle.

Writer/artist Carter Allen produces the images, graphics, and texts that become the art of The Adventures of Nikki Harris comic book digitally. With each issue, I’ve noticed that the production values and quality of the graphics has improved. This fourth issue is an ice cream fantasia of hot pinks and fluffy cotton candy pinks. Black vinyl reflects white in every direction, and red and gold explode to depict energy blasts.

Like previous issues, The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch #4 is a self-contained, single-issue story. “School Daze” is pretty much like other Nikki Harris tales, but in this latest issue, the dialogue is sharper, and Allen pays a little more attention to detail. For instance, there is a surprising explanation of “Cybermation” that makes as much sense as most explanations for magic and super powers in other comic books.

This is also a larger than usual issue of The Adventures of Nikki Harris (40 pages instead of the usual 24), and it still seemed too short for me. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another two years before Nikki returns. This quirky, but sparkling sci-fi, super-chick series will grow on you.

Visit the CLP store: http://www.candlelightpress.com/shop.htm

Leroy Douresseaux on FRAGMENTA 3: On the Record

FRAGMENTA 3: ON THE RECORD
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS

WRITER: John Ira Thomas
ARTISTS: Carter Allen, Jeremy Smith
56pp, Color, $7.00

I am a big fan of the comics, graphic novels, and various publications put out by Candle Light Press. Go read Zoo Force/Not Zoo Force.

In recent years, Candle Light Press and its leading man of letters, John Ira Thomas, have published small mooks (magazine/book) collecting odds and ends concerning CLP’s comics, graphic novels, aborted projects, etc. Those include Fragmenta: The Art of the Writer and Fragmenta 2: Cross Nurses & Agile Clothes.

Fragmenta 2, from Thomas and artist Will Beard, focused on stories that never made it all the way to finished form as a comic book or graphic novel. Thomas also shared his aborted attempts to create horror comics that capture the feel of cheap movies, especially horror/exploitation movies. It’s a must have.

Now, comes Fragmenta 3: On the Record. It’s a bit different. Fragmenta 3 is part script book, part history, and part transcripts based on recordings (record LPs). The material inside is based on real creators, real events, and fictional characters from actual comic books and graphic novels. The content of Fragmenta 3, however, is not necessarily based on actual published works.

Readers who are familiar with CLP’s comics and graphic novels will love Fragmenta 3. The opening two pages are a history of and manifesto about comic book creators dealing with Hollywood. It’s fun to read, and makes a lot of good points about staying true to the characters and what that means for creators, fans, and media rights holders. For me, reading the scripts was like experiencing old time radio programs, but since I am a fan of old time radio, perhaps, I’m just projecting my favorite things onto Fragmenta 3.

Like most anything Candle Light Press publishes, Fragmenta 3: On the Record is smart, funny, engaging, and simply a good read.

A-

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