M33: Galaxy of Hybrids, Issue #1

M33: Galaxy of Hybrids

by Natalie McKean

Somewhere amongst the stars an alien awakens. Alone and unsure of their past, they are soon discovered by an ominous ship and are quickly indoctrinated into the crew. Life becomes monotonous, until one day when they meet a beautiful and mysterious Grey alien who is soon to change their whole existence.
M33: Galaxy of Hybrids is an LGBTQ science fiction comic that follows the intertwining storylines of different lifeforms spanning across multiple galaxies, some in search of power, some in search of love, and others in search of answers from the universe itself.

44 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2022

About the author

Natalie McKean (they,she,he) is a self-taught, full-time working artist and designer. Throughout their career they have created a wide body of work, starting in pen and ink, with the occasional acrylic, then evolving to scratchboards or “scratch art”, which is essentially sgrafitto. Natalie quickly found that they favored this new medium, of scratching off the black ink to reveal the white clay board underneath, then adding colored inks to bring the images to life. With this method, instead of adding shadow to light, they could reveal light within complete darkness. This dichotomy is the fuel for Natalie's art, which tells a story of a harmonious existence, where supposed opposites are fused; light and dark, magic and science, organic and technic.

Influenced by artists such as MC Escher, HR Giger and Frank Frazetta, Natalie's work is dark and mystical yet it hopes to inspire love and expansive thought. It is science fiction representing the metaphysical world, often portraying experiences, views & visions through imagery. Natalie began their professional art career in 2010 with a series of mechanical sea creatures on scratchboard, inspired from local marine life, titled 'Robotic Aquatic', but also explores themes such as extraterrestrial life, queerness, the strength of women, and human-technology hybrids. In addition to external influences, they use their lucid dreaming and astral projection experiences as a large source of inspiration.

After years of selling art nomadically and living out of a vehicle, Natalie found a home/studio in San Francisco, CA where they are currently working on my new comic, M33: Galaxy of Hybrids.

Reviews

[Deirdre Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dropped into a alien spacecraft with no memory of their previous life, we follow the adventures of Ka-Li and their new friend Sig as they navigate among different species of aliens. Will Ka-Li ever remember where they came from? Can Sig help them out? This comic has a great storyline and gorgeous full color illustrations. It is a quick, but very interesting read.
With an exciting sequel soon to be released, this little gem will leave you wanting to know more about Ka-Li and Sig and their life among the stars.

[Ann Carin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read- sexy and fun. The characters are engaging and feel real in their complex fly space ages alien way. Nate’s artistic style is really beautiful, and there story telling is exciting. I like what others have written about it. My whole house is looking forward to reading the next one.

[Chuck Whelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting and different story featuring cute aliens. Very enjoyable read for people who love sci-fi and alternative comics. Looking forward to book 2.