The Sequels

by Norm Harper

Remember the ‘80s? Avery, Gwen, Russell, and Dakota will never forget. As children, they each experienced unique adventures . . . saving the life of a sentient robot, partying with an intergalactic alien, battling the likes of vampires and werewolves, and defeating a nightmarish monster to protect imagination itself. Now, 30 years later, they’re directionless adults, still obsessed with their pasts. When a mysterious figure brings the group together to cope with their experiences, will they be prepared to live out the "sequels" to their childhood adventures? THE SEQUELS is a four-issue, creator-owned comic book series written by Norm Harper (Eisner Award-nominated RIKKI, THE NAUGHTY LIST), illustrated/colored by Val Halvorson and Harvey Award-nominated Bobby Timony (THE NIGHT OWLS, THE SIMPSONS), flatted by Deanna Poppe, lettered by Oceano Ransford (A GEEK'S GUIDE TO CROSS-STITCH, Eisner Award-nominated RIKKI), and featuring cover art by Don Aguillo (RISE, WINTER, ISUGID PINOY!) and a foreword by Andre Gower (THE MONSTER SQUAD, WOLFMAN'S GOT NARDS - A DOCUMENTARY). In the height of 1980s nostalgia, THE SEQUELS dares to question whether our grasp on the past is endangering our future. The series is collected into a printed trade paperback that is now available from Fanbase Press.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

108 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2019

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really neat idea. Four adults who were involved in adventures as kids live stunted lives until they meet each other. The four went through thinly veiled versions of Short Circuit, E.T., Monster Squad and The Neverending Story. So what happens when they finally get their sequels?

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would have benefited from more pages spent in these adventurous worlds, but that just speaks to what a loving and effective homage to ‘80s kids-know-best adventures THE SEQUELS is.

[Michael Lent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun premise and art with a lot of potential. I'm definitely the target audience, nostalgic for all things '80s. Narrative is a bit confusing in places. Sometimes felt like some pages and panels were missing.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this is very descriptive. The main characters are all "survivors" of the kind of adventure stories that made up popular movies in the 1980s. The twist is that they are brought together as adults, and circumstances lead them to find out what really happened after their own adventures ended.
If you've watched E.T. and Buffy and a few other things like that, then this story will take you on some interesting twists and turns. It reminds me of the Seanan McGuire "Wayward Children" series, and in a good way.

[Justin Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be fair, I don't think any book could have lived up to a concept this good. Or if not good, one designed to speak directly to my lizard brain. It never quite gets where it wants to go, and ironically enough, could use a sequel. Or at least twice the number of issues. It's still a promising effort, and the attention to detail shown by the differing art styles shows a storytelling skill you don't often see in the medium.

[Andy Nordvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d been waiting until I was at a Con with Norm to buy/read this. But at SDCC I decided WTH and got one from Fanbase Press. A very smart deconstruction of 80s movie tropes that offers a glimpse of who the kid heroes would become as adults. (SPOILER: kind of messed up)