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Island #3
Island #3
THIRD ISSUE OF THE OVERSIZED COMICS MAGAZINE! This issue introduces MATT SHEEAN & MALACHI WARD's sci-fi series ANCESTOR!
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2015
About the author
Brandon Graham
197 books202 followersBrandon Graham (born 1976) is an American comic book creator.
Born in Oregon, Graham grew up in Seattle, Washington, where he was a graffiti artist. He wrote and illustrated comic books for Antarctic Press and Radio Comix, but got his start drawing pornographic comics like Pillow Fight and Multiple Warheads (Warheads would go on to become its own comic published by Oni Press in 2007). In 1997, he moved to New York City where he found work with NBM Publishing and became a founding member of comics collective Meathaus. His book Escalator was published by Alternative Comics in January 2005, when he returned to Seattle. His book King City was published by Tokyopop in 2007 and was nominated for an Eisner Award. In May 2009 Graham announced that King City would continue publication at Image Comics and his Oni Press title Multiple Warheads would resume publication after a delay, this time in color. Also at Image he is the writer on Prophet, the return of a 1990s series, with the rotating roster of artists Giannis Milonogiannis, Farel Dalrymple, Simon Roy, and himself.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Born in Oregon, Graham grew up in Seattle, Washington, where he was a graffiti artist. He wrote and illustrated comic books for Antarctic Press and Radio Comix, but got his start drawing pornographic comics like Pillow Fight and Multiple Warheads (Warheads would go on to become its own comic published by Oni Press in 2007). In 1997, he moved to New York City where he found work with NBM Publishing and became a founding member of comics collective Meathaus. His book Escalator was published by Alternative Comics in January 2005, when he returned to Seattle. His book King City was published by Tokyopop in 2007 and was nominated for an Eisner Award. In May 2009 Graham announced that King City would continue publication at Image Comics and his Oni Press title Multiple Warheads would resume publication after a delay, this time in color. Also at Image he is the writer on Prophet, the return of a 1990s series, with the rotating roster of artists Giannis Milonogiannis, Farel Dalrymple, Simon Roy, and himself.
(Source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 24, 2015
This is issue #3 of Island, the comic creator anthology magazine I recently discovered and have been enjoying. It's always a mixed bag as you never know exactly who you will be seeing within the pages and it's collected together by Emma Rios and Brandon Graham, but this issue has little of their own stuff. I actually found myself really enjoying this issues because we had a lot of vibrance and colour throughout the whole issue and there were a ton of new creators I had never heard of seen before. Some of the stories are just the first part and will be continued in later issues, others are complete stories.
The first story we see is on the opening few pages and is mostly an image-based design with bright rainforest, highly stylised artwork. The artist is José Domingo and the colour palette is bold, solid colours. It's a fairly interesting short look at what happens when someone comes to a new location and builds there, destroying the culture and nature that used to reside there. 2*s it was okay, nice to look at but not a lot of plot.
Next we have a story from Malachi Ward and Matt Sheen and I was intrigued straight away because it seemed futuristic in set up and the main characters all seemed to be able to access a sort of 'service' through their brains (eg. a virtual wireless network hooked into your thoughts). The ideas and story were compelling and interesting and I have to say it has potential. I didn't love the art style for the people (although the landscapes were nice) and I am interested to see where it will go to next. 3.5*s
Then we have a story from Dilraj Mann which is full of bold colour schemes, some pages with such reduced palettes that there are just two colours on the page. The people within this comic strip were highly stylised and definitely not to my personal tast, although the colours were. I thought that all the expressions and body shapes were just a bit too cartoon-y and peculiar for me to truly connect and the story was contemporary and not ovely exciting to me. It's the story of two girls who meet at a club. 2*s
Then we have Amy Clare's story which I honestly couldn't tell you what it was about. The artwork is very stylised again, but in a more 'old newspaper comic' way and it certainly is reminiscent of this old style comic formatting. The colours are bright and fuzzy on some pages giving the reader a hard time with reading and looking at the artwork because it's intentionally confusing to the eye. I did like the more out of focus panels as they were bright, colourful and exciting, but I didn't 'get' the story much so this is only a 2.5*s overall.
Next up was Tessa Black's very short story called Sea Witch and I actually really liked this (although it's odd). The style is very linear with a limited colour palette of blue, white and black and it really worked for the story. We see a young lady transforming into a sea witch and her transformation if both hideous and beautiful at the same time. There are no words, 4*s.
Kate Craig's story is next and this is the one I most enjoyed in the collection, it's also one of the longer ones meaning that both of the longer ones (first and last) I liked. I would say that the art style for this one is the most appealing to me personally, it's nicely shaded, very deep rich tones (but not overly bright or gaudy) and it's the story of a man and his wife? friend? lover? They have been travelling in the wilderness and they have somehow managed to get to a point where the man is injured gravely and the lady is caring for him and hoping to get help. It's emotional, touching, beautiful and definitely a great start to the story. I hope that there's more or that we see more of Craig's work in the future! 4.5*s
Finally we have a short article from Katie Lane about how to get into comics and publishing. Not really something that hugely interested me, but it's something informative for the end of the magazine at least.
Overall this was a mix but I definitely liked the majority of this collection and so I will be excited to continue on with the Island Magazines and hopefully continue to be surprised and excited by all that is within the pages. A 4* rating overall for this one :)
The first story we see is on the opening few pages and is mostly an image-based design with bright rainforest, highly stylised artwork. The artist is José Domingo and the colour palette is bold, solid colours. It's a fairly interesting short look at what happens when someone comes to a new location and builds there, destroying the culture and nature that used to reside there. 2*s it was okay, nice to look at but not a lot of plot.
Next we have a story from Malachi Ward and Matt Sheen and I was intrigued straight away because it seemed futuristic in set up and the main characters all seemed to be able to access a sort of 'service' through their brains (eg. a virtual wireless network hooked into your thoughts). The ideas and story were compelling and interesting and I have to say it has potential. I didn't love the art style for the people (although the landscapes were nice) and I am interested to see where it will go to next. 3.5*s
Then we have a story from Dilraj Mann which is full of bold colour schemes, some pages with such reduced palettes that there are just two colours on the page. The people within this comic strip were highly stylised and definitely not to my personal tast, although the colours were. I thought that all the expressions and body shapes were just a bit too cartoon-y and peculiar for me to truly connect and the story was contemporary and not ovely exciting to me. It's the story of two girls who meet at a club. 2*s
Then we have Amy Clare's story which I honestly couldn't tell you what it was about. The artwork is very stylised again, but in a more 'old newspaper comic' way and it certainly is reminiscent of this old style comic formatting. The colours are bright and fuzzy on some pages giving the reader a hard time with reading and looking at the artwork because it's intentionally confusing to the eye. I did like the more out of focus panels as they were bright, colourful and exciting, but I didn't 'get' the story much so this is only a 2.5*s overall.
Next up was Tessa Black's very short story called Sea Witch and I actually really liked this (although it's odd). The style is very linear with a limited colour palette of blue, white and black and it really worked for the story. We see a young lady transforming into a sea witch and her transformation if both hideous and beautiful at the same time. There are no words, 4*s.
Kate Craig's story is next and this is the one I most enjoyed in the collection, it's also one of the longer ones meaning that both of the longer ones (first and last) I liked. I would say that the art style for this one is the most appealing to me personally, it's nicely shaded, very deep rich tones (but not overly bright or gaudy) and it's the story of a man and his wife? friend? lover? They have been travelling in the wilderness and they have somehow managed to get to a point where the man is injured gravely and the lady is caring for him and hoping to get help. It's emotional, touching, beautiful and definitely a great start to the story. I hope that there's more or that we see more of Craig's work in the future! 4.5*s
Finally we have a short article from Katie Lane about how to get into comics and publishing. Not really something that hugely interested me, but it's something informative for the end of the magazine at least.
Overall this was a mix but I definitely liked the majority of this collection and so I will be excited to continue on with the Island Magazines and hopefully continue to be surprised and excited by all that is within the pages. A 4* rating overall for this one :)
December 23, 2024
Now this anthology is starting to feel like what I wanted from this type of book.
Quirky and strange stories with interesting and original art and concepts. That's definetley what I was looking for, and I think Brandon Graham is finally steering it towds that way.
I think the new story by Matt Sheean and Malachi Ward was really strong. Its about people who have an interface connected at all times and who rely heavily on it as it is in front of their face constantly. A trip outside the service area causes the interfaces to turn off, and the way the characters have to adjust to being disconnection is interesting. Throw in some weird going on's and we have a compelling story.
There's also a story about a hiker who is hurt, and who has a friend comforting him while help arrives. This was also a high mark of the collection, as it was charming and interesting - all the while the unease of knowing that time is running out for survival running in the background. Compelling and closer to real life than anything prior in this anthology, I really enjoyed this story in the middle of all the weirdness.
Hopefully issue 4 will continue hitting the high water mark.
Quirky and strange stories with interesting and original art and concepts. That's definetley what I was looking for, and I think Brandon Graham is finally steering it towds that way.
I think the new story by Matt Sheean and Malachi Ward was really strong. Its about people who have an interface connected at all times and who rely heavily on it as it is in front of their face constantly. A trip outside the service area causes the interfaces to turn off, and the way the characters have to adjust to being disconnection is interesting. Throw in some weird going on's and we have a compelling story.
There's also a story about a hiker who is hurt, and who has a friend comforting him while help arrives. This was also a high mark of the collection, as it was charming and interesting - all the while the unease of knowing that time is running out for survival running in the background. Compelling and closer to real life than anything prior in this anthology, I really enjoyed this story in the middle of all the weirdness.
Hopefully issue 4 will continue hitting the high water mark.
December 14, 2020
Brandon Graham's inventive weird and comics anthology continues offering up stories that often are more confounding than they are compelling, and seemingly stop mid-thought so they can continue in some future issue. The result is something that definitely won't be for everyone, but there's enough promise here that curious readers will keep coming back to see if it gets any better.
February 2, 2016
Continuo a seguire con grande interesse Island, l’antologia del fumetto il cui scopo è portare alla conoscenza di un pubblico più ampio alcuni artisti meno conosciuti.
La prima e la quarta di copertina, disegnate da Farel Dalrymple, mi sono proprio piaciute: fantasiose, ben disegnate, colori che attirano lo sguardo. Non vedo l’ora di leggere Island #4, in cui ci sarà una sua storia.
Una delle idee che mi piacciono di Island è che c’è del contenuto in ogni singola pagina: già a partire dalla seconda di copertina si sviluppa una storia concepita e realizzata da José Domingo. Lo stile del disegno è molto particolare, così come i colori utilizzati, che sono peraltro molto interconnessi con il racconto; la costruzione dello spazio ricorda un videogioco metroidvania, cosa che rende la vicenda non troppo facile da seguire. È da ammirare l’abilità nel raccontare una vicenda completa e interessante nell’arco di sole 6 pagine, con una caratterizzazione e uno sviluppo del protagonista più profonda che in altre storie più lunghe.
La pagina dell’indice e la terza di copertina contengono disegni di Brandon Graham… e Brandon o lo si ama o lo si odia. Io lo amo. Riesce sempre ad avere delle idee divertenti con cui mi fa sorridere: comprerei Island solo per lui.
Segue la prima parte di Ancestor, una storia di fantascienza di Malachi Ward e Matt Sheean. Questa prima parte è più che altro un’introduzione alla vicenda, in cui vengono delineate l’ambientazione e la situazione in cui i personaggi si trovano, senza che accada nulla di particolarmente sorprendente a livello di trama, che per ora è piuttosto standard. Sono però curioso di vedere come proseguirà: ha le potenzialità per rivelarsi molto interessante, ma potrebbe anche facilmente cadere sul banale. L’idea di fondo, ovvero l’essere umano sempre collegato alla rete, non è certo nuova, ma acquisisce una dimensione social che mi ha colpito: gli autori immaginano ad esempio che, incontrando una persona, si abbia immediato accesso tramite feedback visivo a informazioni e ricordi condivisi da tale persona… con l’aggiunta di alcune pubblicità adatte alla situazione, come video di consigli su come fare conversazione nel caso stiate parlando con una ragazza carina.
Queue, di Dilraj Mann, non mi è piaciuta. L’idea alla base avrebbe potuto funzionare: 4 persone sono in coda fuori da un locale, e viene raccontato perché si trovano lì. Le vicende di ognuno risultano essere collegate con quelle degli altri, e tutte insieme raccontano la storia di un quinto personaggio. Il primo problema è che ognuna delle quattro persone racconta in prima persona, e il cambio di punto di vista tra l’una e l’altra non è per niente ovvio, tanto che ho dovuto rileggere la storia una seconda volta per capirne il senso. È vero, a ogni personaggio corrisponde un font diverso, ma quelli utilizzati per le prime due vicende sono troppo simili e il cambiamento passa inosservato, mentre il terzo è molto diverso, ma è utilizzato per due frasi in quattro pagine, non abbastanza per aiutare il lettore a percepire questo secondo cambio di punto di vista.
Non mi hanno convinto nemmeno il disegno e i colori: per quanto probabilmente possano avere un loro perché non sono di mio gusto, e ho l’impressione che Queue avrebbe funzionato ugualmente bene in bianco e nero, come peraltro era stata pubblicata inizialmente dall’autore a fine 2014.
Amy Clare dimostra con Straylight, il suo primo fumetto, di avere potenziale: alcuni scorci e alcune inquadrature sono fantastiche, e mi sono piaciuti anche lo stile del disegno e della colorazione. La storia ha però due problemi: non è sempre chiaro cosa sta accadendo, e alcune vignette sono fuori fuoco, immagino per una precisa scelta stilistica, ma per quanto mi riguarda risultano così praticamente illeggibili. Rimango comunque curioso di leggere le prossime puntate della storia.
La brevissima Sea Witch di Tessa Black è la storia che mi è piaciuta di più di tutto il volume. Parlarne significherebbe rovinarla: è da leggere (o meglio, da guardare) senza sapere altro.
Una seconda autrice che mi ha colpito è Kate Craig, la cui Don’t Talk So Much, è estremamente semplice, in senso positivo: la semplicità della trama e dello stile permettono alle emozioni di emergere. È una storia piacevole, ricca di sentimento e di emozioni, che dura il giusto.
La prima e la quarta di copertina, disegnate da Farel Dalrymple, mi sono proprio piaciute: fantasiose, ben disegnate, colori che attirano lo sguardo. Non vedo l’ora di leggere Island #4, in cui ci sarà una sua storia.
Una delle idee che mi piacciono di Island è che c’è del contenuto in ogni singola pagina: già a partire dalla seconda di copertina si sviluppa una storia concepita e realizzata da José Domingo. Lo stile del disegno è molto particolare, così come i colori utilizzati, che sono peraltro molto interconnessi con il racconto; la costruzione dello spazio ricorda un videogioco metroidvania, cosa che rende la vicenda non troppo facile da seguire. È da ammirare l’abilità nel raccontare una vicenda completa e interessante nell’arco di sole 6 pagine, con una caratterizzazione e uno sviluppo del protagonista più profonda che in altre storie più lunghe.
La pagina dell’indice e la terza di copertina contengono disegni di Brandon Graham… e Brandon o lo si ama o lo si odia. Io lo amo. Riesce sempre ad avere delle idee divertenti con cui mi fa sorridere: comprerei Island solo per lui.
Segue la prima parte di Ancestor, una storia di fantascienza di Malachi Ward e Matt Sheean. Questa prima parte è più che altro un’introduzione alla vicenda, in cui vengono delineate l’ambientazione e la situazione in cui i personaggi si trovano, senza che accada nulla di particolarmente sorprendente a livello di trama, che per ora è piuttosto standard. Sono però curioso di vedere come proseguirà: ha le potenzialità per rivelarsi molto interessante, ma potrebbe anche facilmente cadere sul banale. L’idea di fondo, ovvero l’essere umano sempre collegato alla rete, non è certo nuova, ma acquisisce una dimensione social che mi ha colpito: gli autori immaginano ad esempio che, incontrando una persona, si abbia immediato accesso tramite feedback visivo a informazioni e ricordi condivisi da tale persona… con l’aggiunta di alcune pubblicità adatte alla situazione, come video di consigli su come fare conversazione nel caso stiate parlando con una ragazza carina.
Queue, di Dilraj Mann, non mi è piaciuta. L’idea alla base avrebbe potuto funzionare: 4 persone sono in coda fuori da un locale, e viene raccontato perché si trovano lì. Le vicende di ognuno risultano essere collegate con quelle degli altri, e tutte insieme raccontano la storia di un quinto personaggio. Il primo problema è che ognuna delle quattro persone racconta in prima persona, e il cambio di punto di vista tra l’una e l’altra non è per niente ovvio, tanto che ho dovuto rileggere la storia una seconda volta per capirne il senso. È vero, a ogni personaggio corrisponde un font diverso, ma quelli utilizzati per le prime due vicende sono troppo simili e il cambiamento passa inosservato, mentre il terzo è molto diverso, ma è utilizzato per due frasi in quattro pagine, non abbastanza per aiutare il lettore a percepire questo secondo cambio di punto di vista.
Non mi hanno convinto nemmeno il disegno e i colori: per quanto probabilmente possano avere un loro perché non sono di mio gusto, e ho l’impressione che Queue avrebbe funzionato ugualmente bene in bianco e nero, come peraltro era stata pubblicata inizialmente dall’autore a fine 2014.
Amy Clare dimostra con Straylight, il suo primo fumetto, di avere potenziale: alcuni scorci e alcune inquadrature sono fantastiche, e mi sono piaciuti anche lo stile del disegno e della colorazione. La storia ha però due problemi: non è sempre chiaro cosa sta accadendo, e alcune vignette sono fuori fuoco, immagino per una precisa scelta stilistica, ma per quanto mi riguarda risultano così praticamente illeggibili. Rimango comunque curioso di leggere le prossime puntate della storia.
La brevissima Sea Witch di Tessa Black è la storia che mi è piaciuta di più di tutto il volume. Parlarne significherebbe rovinarla: è da leggere (o meglio, da guardare) senza sapere altro.
Una seconda autrice che mi ha colpito è Kate Craig, la cui Don’t Talk So Much, è estremamente semplice, in senso positivo: la semplicità della trama e dello stile permettono alle emozioni di emergere. È una storia piacevole, ricca di sentimento e di emozioni, che dura il giusto.
September 23, 2015
Every issue that comes out I enjoy more and more. It's great to read alternative stories by artists I know and absolutely wonderful to be introduced to so many artists that I haven't had a chance know.
August 5, 2016
La historia de Malachi Ward y Matt Sheen, me ha resultado interesante, parece un capítulo de "Black Mirror", aunque el dibujo me ha parecido bastante flojo. Destacar también el trabajo de Amy Clare, me ha deslumbrado su dibujo aunque no he entendido nada de lo que quiere contar, la verdad.
October 4, 2015
so o o o o good. consistent fantastic quality
December 18, 2016
I liked the Ward & Sheehan story and the Kate Craig stories best.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews