Week of 10/22/2024

More answers and major announcements comic in this week's Shapes and I talk about Elaine M. Will's new graphic novel The Last Band on Earth.

The Shapes

Annual Anniversary Special 11-12

For all my confused influx of new readers, the Q&A saga begins here.

And for Halloween, a Trick or Treat rerun!

John Barleycorn’s Halloween

News

Faith’s Art Station

My 10-year-old sister is selling her art at her Etsy shopfront, so I’m plugging it in here since she’s been asking me for so long and I’ve been procrastinating. Support the kids!

Sammy the Critic

The Last Band on Earth Review

Nat and her friends Rick, Axel, and Will are the members of the faltering rock band The Dead Layaways is based in some presumingly southwestern city that’s now being governed by demon creatures whose parasitic presence is draining the population and overall livability literally and figuratively.

There’s an almost dystopian casualness to the plight that the characters tolerate until one of the bandmates is consumed by the sprawling vines which becomes the wakeup call for them to skedaddle before they’re next in the social food chain. Where to? Anywhere I suppose. Perhaps in search of Nat’s missing online friend in Brandon.

Just as the demons had fatefully claimed, the road out is plagued with even more difficulties and cosmic entities getting in the way both in the obvious monster horror and Lovecraftian fashion.

Beneath all the paranormal, metaphysical havoc, I think there’s a metaphor to be derived about the American Dream illusion and how capitalism drains the working class which the demons are representative of. Meanwhile, the monsters are emblematic of the pervasive hindrances that come with attempting to go against the accepted narrative.

Packed with dynamic action, rich characters, and relatable themes, Elaine M. Will will please the inner horror fan of a struggling creative. You can follow the author’s Kickstarter here.

Thank you Elaine M. Will for this ARC in exchange for a review.