More preview pages from Alecto.

As we get ready to send this baby to the printers, I wanted to share a few new pages. Hope you enjoy!

Harry Roland featured on HeroSpy.com

Harry Roland





The amazing Harry Roland has a biography and art up on Herospy.com. We're fortunate to be working with Harry on Devil Water and Innocent. Nice bio.

Comic Avalanche Interviews Benito Olea Bellido

Beni is someone to watch.



Comic Avalanche posted an interview with Benito Olea Bellido. Benito is the artist on Family Bones #2 and is already working on more Family Bones issues.

Check it out.

Julian Aguilera on Hero Spy

http://www.herospy.com/?p=948

Hero Spy has a cool biography up for Julian Aguilera, one of the artists on Innocent. Even I learned a thing or two.

Ten Things I Hate About Commandments

Here's the trailer http://www.break.com/index/10command.html
Worth checking out.

Alecto Songbook Preview

A new sneak peek....


Over at the King Tractor Press website we've got a PREVIEW of the new ALECTO : SONGBOOK 64 page graphic novel coming out in June. Check it out.

Orlando Baez Interviewed On Jaded Expressions

Orlando gets interviewed on the Jaded Expressions website about his wonderful work on Family Bones.
"Family Bones: An Interview with Orlando Baez
New independent publisher, King Tractor Press brings you one of its first debut titles, The Family Bones. A tale based on the true story surrounding the Copeland killings. With the release of its first issue this month, we spoke to the artist Orlando Baez about the book, his approach, and why he chose the project."

Jaded Expressions

King Tractor Press going to be in Pasadena, CA. on Sunday.

Come celebrate Mother's Day with us!

If you're in Southern California please come visit, we'll be at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market this Sunday (May 14th) at an entrance table. There should be a group of small press publishers there like Nifty Comics and Dreamchilde Press. Never know who else might show up.

http://www.rgcshows.com/EventInfo/RoseBowlFleaMarket/tabid/52/Default.aspx

Moebius film is coming, looks amazing.

Right after the new Final Fantasy DVD, I think this is one of my MUST SEE films of the year.

Check out THE MOEBIUS STRIP.

Broken Frontier Reviews Family Bones 2

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/reviews/details.php?id=777

Words: Shawn Granger
Pencils: Benito Olea Bellido
Inks: Benito Olea Bellido
Colors: N/A

Story Title: N/A
Publisher: King Tractor Press
Price: $3.50
Release Date: June 00, 2006

The family plot thickens as Sean meets his very first country girl and, in an abrupt about-face, is forced to face his very first kill….

In Family Bones #1, author Shawn Granger introduced readers to a fictional Shawn, a rebellious city boy left behind by too-busy parents (and even a preoccupied grandparent), to stay one summer in the country with his unstable Uncle Ray and sweetly distant Aunt Faye. It isn’t long before his relatives begin evincing near psychopathic behavior, bullying Shawn to work long, laborious hours in the field, and – when last we saw him – he had been driven to and consequently stranded within a field that needed to be plowed. Without any further instruction, he was told to get to work – they’d be back for him come evening. Thankfully, clueless, helpless Shawn is quickly introduced to a self-prepossessed country girl who is more than a match for his own, defiant-of-all-things attitude. Together, the duo oscillate between skittish flirtation and heavy duty toil, and come nightfall Uncle Earl returns as promised, to lead Shawn back to the homestead, there to undertake a far more gruesome task than shucking countryside dirt.

As in the first issue, Granger’s script remains sparse, allowing for the art to tell most of the tale. Thankfully, Benito Olea Bellido’s style is far more fitting to the subject matter and sensibilities than Baez was. The artistic concept for FB is to allow a different artist free reign with each individual issue of the ten-part series, implying that every chapter will sport a brand new look and feel. For his twenty-seven pages of fame, Bellido turns in a sumptuous set of pencils and inks, filled with both cartoonish, serio-comic dynamism and darker, thickly realized settings marked by a superabundance of shadows and grit. Such a blend of paradigmatic affections mixed with bleakly etched surroundings gives the script a far greater dramatic affectivity this issue than the last, and even brings to the table a playful kind of intelligence – a subtle wit that the first issue lacked (just take a look at the cover that spotlights Shawn gripping tight a blood-stained axe with a round-eyed, slack-tongued chicken’s head – one can just hear the poor bird clucking away for its life!).

As for the story itself, Granger continues to portray Ray and Faye as a beguilingly unsound couple, old and simple and yet sharp and alarmingly vital. They move slow, think slow, but only as a cat appears to do when stalking a bird; underneath – and always threatening to be unleashed at the worst possible moments – is an irrepressible violence, staggering in its severity. The story of Ray and Faye Copeland – the oddest pair of serial killers to be captured in the past century – is a true one, and Family Bones is meant to be a semi-fictional accounting of their final days. Granger’s execution of the plot would be intriguing enough on its own merits – it’s leisurely paced, taking time for all the mundane, seemingly pointless proceedings of daily life, which brilliantly enhances the undertones of efflorescent hostility buried between the panels. Still, the knowledge that this unquestionably terrifying couple were once living and enacting similar scenes in the real wide world as are witnessed in the comic – that is just plain chilling in all the right ways.

Family Bones #1 will be released in May, with #2 following in June. This reviewer felt that the first issue was a pleasant read, definitely packed with a potential that was nearly, though not quite, not yet, realized. This second issue, however, either was an evolution into said potential, or I, myself, had grown to enjoy the storytelling style. Either way, it’s a definite plus that the series proves to be an unconsciously diverting, steadily, naturally enthralling read. I can’t wait to see what the next issue will bring; I love the rotating artist shtick, and I am digging the plodding, snowballing effect of the script. I recommend Family Bones for any reader looking for a long-term payoff, for a story that will inexplicably call them back every month and demand to be placed on the top of their weekly reading pile. It really is that good, though there may be growing pains when first faced with such a caliginous narrative structuring.

For more Family Bones and King Tractor Press products, go to: www.kingtractorfilms.com/press.html

Indy-Pendant Reviews Family Bones #2

Based on a true story, Sean, a rebellious teenager sent to stay with his aunt and uncle on their farm, has found himself knee deep in a mess of trouble and chores.

In this issue, Sean is given the task to move rocks and plow the field, something he has never done before. In the process of making a mess of it he encounters an attractive, witty girl who comes to his rescue, much to his delight.

Later on things go from bad to worse though, as teased by the cover, when Sean has to slaughter a chicken for dinner. All this would be somewhat tame if not for Uncle Ray's violent and unforgiving temper, which Sean has learned all too well.

This issue was much better than the last. The writing, for the most part, was not disjointed at all, and the flow of the story was easy and fun to read. Only at one point was there a stutter in the dialogue, which was just a small repetitive exchange that played out one gag too many. Aside from that though this was a pretty solid issue.

The art was also much better this issue. No offense to the artist of last issue, but the new artist just had a much better grasp on anatomy and storytelling. And his women are beautiful!

Speaking of which, as this is tagged a 'mature readers' book, there was one scene where things got a tad graphic, but for the most part was tasteful and discreet.

Knowing this is based on a true story and seeing how the story has progressed thus far both intrigues and sends chills up my spine. You can only get a sense of what is in store for Sean at this point, and that alone makes this feel very real.

For more info on Family Bones Issue 2 and a free four page preview check out www.kingtractorfilms.com/FamilyBonesIss2.html

http://www.comicavalanche.com/columns/indypendant.htm

Family Bones #2
Written by - Shawn Granger
Art and Cover Art by- Benito Olea Bellido
Letters by - Richard Nelson
Back Cover Art by - Dimitar Bochukov
Published by - King Tractor Press

32 pages b&w
Full Color front and back covers
Mature Readers
$3.50

Publish your own comic book?

If you've already got a comic book written and all the artwork created then you've jumped the first hurdle. But now what? It's most likely to die if you send it to a publisher, sorry to say but 99% of the submissions go no where. So how about self publishing? Printing can cost a lot.

Well I just got a sample from a new place called Ka-Blam and I have to say the book looks great. Very professional and the price is pretty good. They aren't the only option, but Ka-Blam is a good one IMHO.

Totally unrelated to anything.

I just like to throw in a little humor once in a while.

Get the spirit http://www.break.com/index/spiritoftruth.html

Did PROJECT VALKYRIE 's inspiration come from hell?

One of my favorite films in recent years was the highly campy, but very entertaining indie film called Stink Of Flesh

This definitely appears to be inspired by Hellboy, but instead they've split him into two characters here. Project Valkyrie looks to be a very strange film. I expect, to the horror of my wife and daughter, I won't be able to resist buying this. From the website "Jim inherits a 1940s giant robot from his grandfather. Unfortunately, he also inherits the robots arch enemy a Nazi virus that turns ordinary people into cybernetic killing machines! Now, only a weapon from the past can save the future as Jim and Valkyrie must race to stop the newly-infected and their plans to take over the city in this zany comic book-style action/adventure!FAST FACTS:2005 Color / B&W 83 mins. plus bonus features Action / Adventure Not Rated Region 0 NTSC DVD-5 FormatCat. No. FC-241 Distributed by Fat Cat DVD (a division of Tempe Video)Retail Price: $24.99 Street Date: June 13, 2006" If you see Project Valkyrie please send me your thoughts.

And to really get me sleeping on the couch I might add these two DVDs to my order. Lots of insane fun.

Mulva Zombie Ass Kicker/Filthy McNasty

Mulva 2