via M.A.D. Rants by noreply@blogger.com (MAD) on 6/5/08
ZOIR is, to quote the copy on the cover "a zombie-detective-noir comic with possible super-hero-like action". The creators are Mason Johnson and Mariano LaClaustra. The credited website is: http://geekocracy.com Unfortunately, it says that a new version of wordpress killed their blog.
The artwork in ZOIR is fantastic, really, on a scale of one to ten, this is one of those 11 books in my humble opinion. The book takes place in a corrupt church, which is rendered beautifully in black and white. Our protagonist Jacky finds himself in a bad situation. He is chained to a church pew by his ankle. His face is distorted, and he has a golf club embedded into his stomach. He is imprisoned by the mysterious "Garbage Boys" who aren't fully explained, and a corrupt reverend.
The evil priest rambles to his congregation of zombies, asking them to repent for their sins. He flips back and forth between pleading with them and spouting obscenities and accusations and the zombies respond with a series of expected groans and moans.
When the priest gets close enough to Jacky he leaps into action, simultaneously beating the preacher man to death and demanding to know what he has done. In case you are wondering the obvious, "why didn't the zombies eat the priest?" the priest mutters his last words "If I die no one can control them." Jacky thinks the preacher means the garbage boys and wonders what he is going to do with all these zombies.
What a great setup!? Is Jacky part zombie himself? Will he be able to control the other zombies? Will they turn and attack him now that they are no longer under the priest's control?
I don't know. I don't think there is an issue two. I found an email on digging around on their dead blog so I should probably shoot these guys a line and see if anyone is answering.
Looks like I got another Geekocracy book here, this one was written by Mason Johnson with art from Greg Barley. It's called Flight of the Penguins, and has a ridiculously cute cover with a semi-Gothic city scene, a penguin perched a-la-batman upon a gargoyle, and a spotlight with a silhouette of a flying penguin a-la-bat signal.The story is very amusing and absurd. Basically there is a heroic penguin who is dreaming of the great penguins of old. His daydreams are interrupted because thuggish king penguins with fez hats are trying to rob a pitiful and cute female penguin. The hero penguin tosses throwing stars and rocks at them then leaps down from on high and headbutts and flipper slaps the villains. The art is very solid in this book. Great stuff!
In the back we are treated to see Mason's original concept art. It is sketchy and somewhat childish and has the handwritten statement "This is why writers need artists", it looks like at the last second he second guessed that and added in the word most below. "This is why MOST writers need artists." There is also a quote from Mason "Greg, I want penguins dammit! Penguins just like these!"
Yeah, I really should at least try to talk to these guys.
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