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Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser:
AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1, TRIPLE HELIX #1, MARA #6 Plus TEMPLATE #1

Let’s pretend that we’re dead with another amazing Halloween issue, this time set in a place as dark as Riverdale with Afterlife with Archie #1, John Byrne expands on his Trio comic book Byrne-verse with a new superhero team in Triple Helix #1 and Brian Wood and Ming Doyle wrap up Mara in issue #6.

Over at ComiXology Submit, Template #1 uses the screen in effective ways to tell a futuristic scifi tale!

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1
WRITER: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
Publication Date: October 9, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Archie Comics
UPC: 76281606624200131
Buy it HERE

Archie Comics, as a publisher is one of the most surprisingly progressive and forward thinking in the industry.

From the gay marriage of service man Kevin Keller to the diverging timeline tale of Archie The Married Life, the Riverdale kids are mature characters not being put to waste by cheeseburger gags (though, when done right are as charming as when you read these at the barber shop or salon as a kid).

Zombies have been popular for about 5 minutes or so I guess, so why not make a new ongoing Archie series with a horror bent?

This is more Dark Shadows the movie remake than The Walking Dead, but finally Sabrina and Salem exist in a book where spellbinding seems plausible, the dark corners of the night are gloomy, and the night of the Halloween Dance gives everyone an excuse to be dressed in costumes.

Did we mention that powerhouse Triple Shot favorite Francesco Francavilla was spotted in a cemetery near the burger joint spotting blacks? The artwork here is incredible, and people will be talking about this book all winter!

TRIPLE HELIX #1 (of 4)
WRITER/ARTIST: John Byrne
Publication Date: October 9, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Comics
UPC: 82771400521900111
Buy it HERE

Controversy surrounds the comic book master John Byrne when he works on new material, though in recent years, his takes on licensed properties such as Star Trek and Jurassic Park for IDW have been praised or at least have avoided complete tear downs of the man’s artwork, storytelling and general dismissal of his talent. That’s fine, reviewers gonna hate and all that!

And truth be told, my harshest critics say one thing of me —”You like everything”. Can’t help it, I’m a glass half empty kinda fan.

Last year’s Trio was ripped apart by critics as a re-tread of ground explored in Fantastic Four and Avengers, and Triple Helix is expanding on this world uncovered in Trio.

In fact, to wrap everything nicely under one umbrella, a Next Men villain Golgotha makes an appearance, expanding on the Byrne-verse.

What do we have here, that’s new? New heroes make up the Triple Helix team. A Beast-like Apex, the female speedster Lithe, and superdude Cataclysm are teamed up with robot/Colossus Pylon as a smaller Justice League in the trope-filled book. The exact analogs aren’t quite spot on, but familiar.

Classic Byrne action, fight scenes and shocked faces contrast the detailed backgrounds and storytelling in this very standard but awesome superhero story. Perhaps Mr. Byrne wants to play with the toys of the big two without relinquishing ownership? Who knows, but I am happy to pick up this limited series to see where this goes to compliment my Next Men, Trio, and Danger: Unlimited books.

MARA #6 of 6
WRITER: Brian Wood
ARTIST: Ming Doyle
COLORIST: Jordie Bellaire
Publication Date: October 9, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Image Comics
UPC: 70985301275700611
Buy it HERE

Wood and Doyle reach their highly anticipated conclusion to the critically acclaimed Mara limited series about a sports hero in the future who is manifests superpowers in a very public display.

Mara Prince’s story doesn’t end here, perhaps leaving opportunities for a sequel.

Off planet, after Mara’s launch of nuclear weapons on the world, in self imposed exile on the moon, she reflects on her earliest memories of her parents as Earth launches a lone astronaut to deep deep space.

Please pick this book up in trade, if you thought I was going to spoil this book you are wrong! Ming Doyle and Brian Wood have created a wonderfully strong female superhero of sorts with lots of positivity. Ming’s beautiful and sometimes rough and organic inking style borders on fine art rather than cartooning. There are heavy black spots in this issue, as most of the action is in deep space, but no figure is lost. The Earth scenes, intentionally colorful and beautifully colored by Jordie Bellaire have thinner lines, richer tones, contrasting both set pieces in a very elegant way.

In trade or on the app, you will be able to gush over the artwork, feel great about an awesome story and you won’t need to wait as long as we did for issue #6. Congrats to Image, Brian, Ming and Jordie for a five-star book.

TEMPLATE #1
WRITER: Quinton Miles
ARTIST: Andres Quezada
Price: $.99
Imprint: QAM Comics
Page Count: ~122 pages GUIDED VIEW
Digital Release Date: October 9, 2013
Age Rating: 15+ Only
Buy it HERE 

Template #1 is on par with Thrillbent titles and last week’s digital review of Moth City #5 from a purely technical standpoint.

One of ComiXology’s latest innovations, released before this weekend’s New York Comic Con are GVN comics, or GUIDED VIEW NATIVE.

Using the advantages of the platform’s scaling and animation, GVN comics make reading easier, more interesting, and use the digital medium as a tool beyond zooming into pixels on the page.

The guided view on this story about an android being trained while struggling with her identity as a robot and the field agent template she is based on. This is a very cool cyberpunk story, told with great art and of course effective GVN tech to move the panels along.

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