Independent Focus 1

[SilvaShado]

INTRODUCTION
Over at another site that many of you are familiar with (HeroRealm), I write a column called Independent Focus, wherein I focus on independent comics.

So as not to create any conflicts of interest, I am going to start posting old columns that I've written. For some, you will have read them already. For others, you may have missed them. For the rest, they will be completely new. To all, I hope you enjoy!

IF: INDEPENDENT THINKERS

Neko Press is a company that I’ve been following for the last several years. Wildflower, by Billy Martinez, was one of the first indy titles I picked up as an adult.

Before I get to a review of the comics, I’d like to give you short history of the company.

Neko Press was started late in 1998 by Billy Martinez who wanted to self-publish his comic Wildflower. Wildflower was originally picked up by Sirius Entertainment in 1996 and published 5 issues by 1998, but because they were having financial difficulties, Billy move out on his own.

During his first few years on his own, Billy taught art classes and managed a chain of comic book store called Comics N Stuff to stay afloat financially. It wasn’t until 2002 that Billy quit the managing position and made Neko Press a full time position. He continues to teach art classes at his studio.

Conventions were the main way he spread the word about Wildflower and sold the books. He also met other professionals, one of whom was Kevin Eastman. Kevin helped Billy get a Wildflower story published in Heavy Metal. Being in Heavy Metal really caught people’s attention and more people became interested in Wildflower. Since then, there have been 4 Wildflower stories in Heavy Metal.

As Neko Press was getting on its feet, Billy was pointed toward the website of FSC (Foo Swee Chin). Billy really enjoyed her art style and asked her to do a one-shot. While her mainstay is as the artist of “Nightmares and Fairy Tales” published by Slave Labor Graphics, she has continued to release one-shots through Neko Press.

Steadily growing from a one-man operation to a small company, Billy signed Dark One onboard to do a 4 issue miniseries titled Brutal Planet. Also, a trade paperback of “Lily” by Butch Adams was published.

Last year, Neko Press published two more creators/series – “The Night Wraith” by Dave Wilkins and “9 Lives” by D. Ronzo.

One unique aspect of Neko Press is their merchandise. Not content to just to t-shirts and hats, Billy has done a variety of Kickass Girl merchandise including a soundtrack, skateboards, notepads, and mousepads. There were even ceramic tiles of Wildflower for a limited time.

I was hoping to do a full interview with Billy, but since both of our schedules have been tight, only a few questions were asked and answered. Here they are:

SARAH: What were your original intentions of starting Neko Press?

BILLY: To put out great books and still be artistic and true to readers. I hope our readers feel we are doing our job. That's what I work my ass off to do! I love this business. I am so lucky to have a job that I love.

SARAH: How have your goals changed over the years as more creators came onboard to have their work published through Neko Press?

BILLY: My goals never changed. My goal has always been longevity and making fun books. The group of artists we have are very close to me as well. They are like my brothers and sisters. I try to watch out for them and believe that they would do the same for me. As artists we share similar goals. We want to continue to do what we do best... entertain. I feel it's important to keep things at a modest size. It would be impossible to look over too many artists in a company and not be true to them or the readers. It's always important to remember why you do things on a daily basis and why you start things such as a company like Neko Press in the first place. I love what we do, if it wasn't fun for me, I wouldn't do it. Too many people get greedy and lose focus on things they once loved as hobbies. Artists, publishers and retail store owners are so fortunate. We get to do some really cool things. We are giving back the same feeling we got when we were young to a new generation. Life is all about passing torches and giving back. We should never lose focus.

SARAH: Where do you want to take Neko Press in the next couple of years?

BILLY: It would be great to do something with animation. Maybe a Kickass Girl cartoon or something. An Fsc show featuring her twisted tales all in a manga style animation for television would be awesome. Most of all, I want to be celebrating our seventh year and hopefully many more to come. I just want us to still be around!

SARAH: Was a Kickass Girl statue made? If not, do you still have plans to do one?

BILLY: There was one in the making, but unfortunately the company we were working with had some problems with their other lines so they had to put a stop on production due to financial problems. They were great to work with though. Maybe someday soon someone will be interested in doing one. I think it would make for a great statue. We have skateboards currently available, but a statue would be an amazing honor!

Now that you know more about how the company developed, here’s a look at the comics they have published.

[SilvaShado]

NEKO PRESS COMICS

9 LIVES #1
by D. Ronzo

An action packed Egyptian adventure with Ancient Gods, stunning warriors and mummy armies. In the 9th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, the Priestess of the Temple of Bast is about to have her peaceful life shattered. Never having known war or misery, she has to rise to the challenge of facing Anubis, the Jackal God. The question is, is she up to it?

D. Ronzo provides us with a very fast paced introduction to the Priestess Darrian-Lynx and her quest to stop Anubis from taking over the world. Ronzo’s lush art style sparkles in grey tones. The first few panels of the water dripping off Darrian’s skin seem to shine silver. If the thought of a curvaceous and scantily clad woman doesn’t catch you, then the facial expressions and close-up on the eyes might. These characters are as expressive as they are attractive. Ronzo knows how to tell a story visually through body language.

The overall story is solid, a tale of good versus evil and of growing up quickly. While the names might be confusing at first, Ronzo offers us definitions and explanations of the important concepts on the inside cover. The only major problem is that the rush of this issue left me with many questions.

Part two is included in the Neko Press Double Shot (see below). The third or any future issues have yet to be announced.


BRUTAL PLANET #1-4
By Dark One & Matt Kimball

Take a journey to the most vile and violent planet this side of the universe.

Here’s a series where I love the artwork. I love the way Dark One draws animals, monsters and animalistic humans. I don’t like the way he draws normal humans, but then you can’t win them all.

Brutal Planet is a comic that relies quite a bit on its artwork, which is stunning, and its violent combat, which is depicted fantastically. What this story is about… I can tell you that there’s conflict. Some people don’t like these other people. War, you know, good old war…

I think the main reason why the story isn’t clear is that it relies too heavily on the artwork to tell the story. Sometimes there’s dialogue and captions, and that helps immensely, but when the final issue is mostly void of words with no “the end” to conclude it, I’m left wondering what the heck happened and whether it’s over.

Still, this is highly recommended for fans of Dark One – the artwork is stunning.


FSC #1: CONSICOUS
By FSC

FSC #1 marked FSC's first international release, and it’s now in its second printing. Subtitled Consicous, it really challenges the reader. The subtitle itself makes one stop and wonder. Is it a misspelling or a word I’ve never heard of it? I’ll leave the answer up to you to read in the back of the book, because I’m not sure if I get it yet… and I think that’s the point…

Anyway, I was completely stunned beyond words when I first read this issue. In this instance, it was negative because I couldn’t understand what the heck was going on. But then I stopped, read the table of contents and slowly picked my way through the book, trying to reference the individual stories. Mostly void of words, with no transitions between stories, the confusing images were all I had to understand what was happening. It was after the second reading that I realized that I was going about it all wrong. I wasn’t supposed to use my head. I was supposed to use my heart and react/feel what was going on.

Yes, it’s a lot of chaos, but there are ideas being conveyed in this. This is like a trip through a person’s subconscious, very chaotic, yet mesmerizing. If this sounds like your cup of… whatever, then pick it up.


FSC#2: A LOST STOCK OF CHILDREN
By FSC

FSC #2 is about two friends who are trying to escape an alternate dimension, while avoiding being eaten for dinner.

Fascinating. That’s what I think of FSC’s work. A mind-bending ride through nightmarish worlds. Neither good nor bad, it just is.

I’m still put off by the illogical story. I guess I’m really rooted in understanding something instead of just feeling it. Thankfully this comic has a lot of dialogue, though incoherent at points, I enjoyed this story much more.

I’m beginning to be drawn in by her art style. I may just have to check out her work on “Nightmares and Fairy Tales” for a more coherent (maybe) story.


FSC #3: MINCE
By FSC

The story of inner demons and suicide and self loathing. I definitely understood and followed this one better than the previous two. It’s still out of this world and bizarre, but that’s definitely a good thing, otherwise this would be a very depressing comic.

Basically, this boy wants to kill himself. Lucky for him there are a few freaky demons who’d like to help him in his endeavor. Unlucky for him, they’re not too bright or successful. But they’re quirky and bring a lot of comedic relief to the story. And then there’s a rather morbid Alice in the bathroom mirror…

For more of FSC’s twisted work, check out FSC: DE SKETCHITOES, a collection of her art, and FSC: PER SKIN PAR SOUL, the story of just how far one person will go to get back their stolen soul and reclaim the life they once had. If you like dark and gloomy then this is the treat for any sunny day!


KICKASS GIRL: SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET #1-3
By Billy Martinez & Mickey Clausen

This mature title, full of profanity and violence, would be called a slice-of-life comic if it weren’t for the supernatural twist. Meet Katrina, your almost normal, average girl who grew up in an abusive home. She’s almost normal except that she can now see supernatural beings and kick their butts. Trying to survive isn’t easy when angels, demons, a skeleton named Dave and a psychic with a big afro are all telling her different things. Destiny never has been so confusing and Katrina couldn’t care less.

Kickass Girl has become a must read for me – I can’t wait for the final issue next month. It didn’t interest me at first because I don’t tend to go for the harsh reality stuff, but this comic has the added elements of the supernatural and there’s a mystery building behind Katrina’s destiny and all these creatures. Everyone is telling Katrina something different and, just like Katrina, I don’t know who to trust. Except to trust Katrina herself because she’s the one who has to survive all this.

I’ve enjoyed Bill Martinez’s art style from the very beginning. He has a good understanding of how to use grayscale and black and white art. I really like his character designs and how telling the character’s facial expressions are. Even on Dave the skeleton, who happens to be my favorite character, the expressions are so clear.


LILY VOLUME 1: WHEN I WAS DEAD TP
By Butch Adams

“This 96 page trade paper back contains all four issues from the series “Lily,” originally published by Straitjacket Studios. Lily is an insane ride that takes you to a world that can only be described as a cross between The Wizard of Oz meets Beetlejuice! From page to page, you will see that anything is possible - the walking dead, crazy old grannies and mad scientists - this book has it all! And let us not forget the adorable Lily herself!”

Unfortunately, I have been unable able to obtain this trade and thus, cannot review it for you. But from what little info I’ve found, it looks like quite a lot of fun. It reminds me a bit of Courtney Crumrin in tone and characters – a lighthearted gothic tale.


NIGHT WRAITH #1 & #2
By Dave Wilkins

Night Wraith is a futuristic adventure between good and bad. The polarity between good and evil is over-exaggerated, which allows the reader to kick back and enjoy the mayhem. I haven’t felt like sci-fi stories very much recently, but this one pulled me in and tied me to the edge of my seat (in a good way).

The background is that the Nazis experimented to create the ultimate soldier – “Nachtgespenst,” or Night Wraith. Operation Night Wraith was never finished. It was revived much later by the same corporation who worked for the Nazis, but this time they want to be in control with a corporate militia. However, somebody wants to put an end to their schemes and that someone is the Night Wraith himself.

Here’s another “unfortunately” on my part in that I wasn’t able to get the second part to this story and so I don’t know how it ends. Just reading half the story left me with a lot of questions, but then that’s good. It means the story was entertaining and enjoyable.

The art was very good – sleek and stylish, as all good sci-fi art should be. I rather liked the black and white and grey tones, it was done very well. Sometimes I think that people don’t appreciate black and white art enough, but I won’t get into that here.

As stereotypical as this books seems, it’s quite a lot of fun. I know I’m looking forward to reading the last part, and I hope to see more from Dave Wilkins in the future.


WILDFLOWER
By Billy Martinez

When I first started this column, I was planning on going over each and every Wildflower story by itself. This being one of my favorite comics of all time, I wanted to give Wildflower the most attention. But I decided that, rather than giving a little attention to each miniseries and one-shot, I would focus on the basic story for those who’ve never read any Wildflower (which I imagine is most of you reading this column).

This is the story of girl named Cassandra du Charme in a world where dinosaurs roam and humans rule the land. Cassandra just happens to be the Princess of a very peaceful kingdom with very loving parents. Of course, as everyone knows, that spells doom and destruction, which is on its way in the first few pages.

The du Charme Kingdom is indeed over-run by creatures called Bosh, troll-looking mercenaries for hire, and they were hired by a man named Thyten. Thyten, it seems, has a grudge against King du Charme and a fancy for Queen du Charme.

The good/bad news is that Cassandra is away from home when the kingdom is attacked. The good news is that she’s alive to take revenge, but of course the bad news is that she was unable to save her father. So she sets out with her sturdy stead, a raptor named Juni.

Before leaving she meets a man named Zeno, a wandering wizard who was trying to steal from a dead body. Cassandra, of course, is pissed at him, but when he tells her that her mother is still alive, she decides that he’ll come with her and help. He’s an empath and can sense some things - he might be able to track down her mother. But first – reinforcements! Cassandra decides to visit two of her best friends – Angelique and Georgina, who happen to be shape-shifters and as good of fighters as Cassandra. In this world, women swings swords just as well as men do.

So the small group heads out in search for her mother and the man who killed her father and kingdom. Along the way they encounter dangerous animals and plants, more Bosh, and some aliens who crash-landed on the planet. Quirky eh? Those aliens are great comic relief and add an unusual touch to what would otherwise be a true fantasy story.

And that is the basic story in a nut-shell. I won’t ruin the ending of the first story by telling you what happens, but suffice it to say, she continues on with her life and starts wandering the world. That leads to more adventures - new friends and new enemies. There’s even an old enemy that comes back from the past to haunt her and, of course, hurt her.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about Billy Martinez’s art – he’s one of my favorite artists after all. One of the things I’ve liked the most about this series is seeing Billy’s art improve with every issue. It started out rough at the beginning, but still had its charm, which is what drew me in. As time passed, the art got better and better, and now I’m always sad whenever another artist fills in. Thankfully Billy still writes all of the Wildflower adventures, but it’s just not the same if someone else draws it. Nothing against the fill-in artists, which have been very good. It’s just that Wildflower and Billy are synonymous in my mind.

Below are all of the Wildflower comics published so far with short synopsis. I’ve listed all of the Wildflower comics in a sort of chronological order, partially by publication and partially by story. In other words, this is the order I’d recommend to read them in, but others might say otherwise. At the very least, start with Wildflower: Beginnings TP. From there, it’s up to you.

WILDFLOWER: BEGINNINGS TP
By Billy Martinez

Trade paperback that collects the first story arc of Cassandra du Charme. Contains re-mastered art and production. Take a journey to a world where dinosaurs roam the land, and kings and queens rule it. It is a world of wizards and magic. And a warrior princess that kicks major buttocks.

WILDFLOWER: Y2K/TWO TALES
By Billy Martinez & Butch Adams

When the limited edition Wildflower Y2K sold out, it was reprinted as Wildflower: Two Tales with additional art from F.S.C. and Scott Morse. It contains two short stories, both written by Billy Martinez, one drawn by him and one drawn by Butch Adams. The first story is “The Brat from Hell,” which introduces a new enemy in the form a young boy with very strong powers. The second story is “What’s in a Name?” and shows the events where Cassandra gets the nickname of Wildflower.

WILDFLOWER: TRIBAL SCREAMS #1-4
By Billy Martinez & Mickey Clausen

Continues the second story arc of Cassandra Du Charme. In this story arc Cassandra teams up with new and old allies, and also gets her first ever tribal tattoo. Her quest this time - to track down the most fearsome hunter of the Auk forest. And there’s more of those crazy alien brothers.

WILDFLOWER: LOST YESTERDAYS
By Billy Martinez, Braedon Kuts, & Jason Dube

This cute one-shot shows us some adventures Cassandra has when she was a little tyke. The first part shows her befriending a child Bosh and proves that new generations of enemies can be friends. The second part is an adventure she has with three of her friends and the trouble they get into when a large Bosh finds them.

WILDFLOWER: DARK EUPHORIA #1
By Billy Martinez & Keithan Jones

The third chapter of the Wildflower saga begins. The adventure continues with Cassandra and her two friends Zeno and Henna. An old enemy is back from the past and wants her dead.

NEKO PRESS DOUBLE SHOT
By Billy Martinez, Kiethan Jones , D. Ronzo

Contains Wildflower: Dark Euphoria #2 and 9 Lives #2. Wildflower: Dark Euphoria #2 wraps up from the first part and sets the stage for the next adventure. 9 Lives #2 continues the Egyptian adventure of the Priestess Darrian, but doesn’t conclude it. In this issue she enters the Maze of Tefnut, a maze that no one has ever come out of, to find the Obsidian Key, the key to the underworld. To make matters worse, Anubis lets loose a monstrous beast called the Harbinger to kill her. And there’s a mysterious robed figure stalking in the shadows. What’s an Egyptian Warrior Priestess to do? How about kick some butt!

WILDFLOWER IN HEAVY METAL
By Billy Martinez & Mickey Clausen

Wildflower has appeared in 4 issues of Heavy Metal so far. All stories are exclusive to Heavy Metal and of mature content. March 2001 contains the story “Through Desert Plains.” May 2002 contains the story “Love and War.” June 2003 contains the story “Dear Diary.” November 2004 contains the story “Little Devil Run.”

[SilvaShado]

NEKO PRESS MERCHANDISE

I know this is a column about comics, so I will only linger on merchandise for a moment. In 2004, Billy Martinez designed 5 different skateboards. Retailing for $58 each, you can really kick some ass on these things (as long as you aren’t like me and fall off every time you put your foot on something with wheels – then you just get your own ass kicked)


NEKO PRESS IN 2005

Out in April is Kickass Girl #4, the final issue of the series.

Neko Press will be appearing April 9th and 10th at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco.

July 14-17th is the San Diego Comic Con and Neko Press should be there.

Billy Martinez is currently doing artwork for Dig Jelly, who was voted one of Los Angeles’ top rock acts to hit the road for 2005. Billy will be producing a comic book for them later this year that the band will be selling at their live shows. It features the band as true comic characters that rock and roll and kick ass on all evildoers. Check out their site at www.digjelly.com

Sometime this year expect to see collections of Wildflower and of Billy Martinez’ art.

For more information, please visit www.nekopresscomics.com

[blackcatcomics]

Hey hey, cool! Wasn't some smarmy bastard named Greg writing this with you?

heh heh heh BWAH HA HA HA!!

i am sad because i lost my blue beetle...

[SilvaShado]

blackcatcomics said:

Hey hey, cool! Wasn't some smarmy bastard named Greg writing this with you?

Not this particular column.

I haven't decided whether to repost the Independent Forecasts since they get so out-of-date so quickly.

i am sad because i lost my blue beetle...

blue beetle.... ?

[Gray Lensman]

A second-tier DC hero, Sarah. He was killed off in Countdown to Infinite Crisis.

Shame, too. Beetle was great in Giffen's Justice League.

[SilvaShado]

Ah, thanks for explaining. It's always a shame when the good, but obscure characters get killed off.