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Berry, Brandon – Cat #4

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Cat #4 (not available for sale as of 1/29/23, but it’ll most likely be here soon)

What, did you think that the Hound was just going to give up? Does that sound like a proper hound to you? We catch up with the hunter this time around, as he shakes down a bartender for information. But he does not do this unnoticed, so our “hero” (seriously, for all I know the hound is the one with a good and true reason for finding Cat, not the other way around) has a little advance warning. He’s also impatient, so his flying right through a space checkpoint without stopping looks like it’s going to get him into a whole heap of trouble. This one feels longer than the previous issues (and I mean that in the best possible sense), probably because Brandon packs a lot of details in here while also going nuts (again, best possible sense) with his signature visual style. The confrontation in the bar and <event redacted because spoiler> at the end were impressive as hell. I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes from here, and if you’ve been following along on these weekly reviews, you’re in luck! This is the last issue he sent me, so now’s your chance to get them all as a clump to catch up. Then you’ll be ready for the next issue, whenever that happens. Just like me! $5

Berry, Brandon – Cat #3

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Cat #3

It’s dangerous for me to say something like this considering how long I’ve been reviewing comics, but I’ll say it anyway: this is the closest I’ve come to just putting up an image of the cover, a link to the comic and using the sample image for the review. Because really, what could be more perfect than that? But hey, that’s not why you pay the big bucks (I’m talking to you, future millionaire who buys the website and lets me devote more of my spare time to comics). Our hero is still trapped on a strange planet, but he lucks out and has somebody named Xen come by and offer him a ride. Is it luck or a nefarious plan? Still unclear! As they’re traveling through the cosmos they run into a space whale, which gives Cat a better understanding of the universe (and raises a few questions about his place in it and what happens to him after he dies). After that we get an object lesson in the wisdom of questioning the phrase “do you mind if we get to know each other better,” then a few more brief bits that I shouldn’t mention to avoid too many spoilers. I will say that I maybe jumped the gun on reviewing these weekly, because I only have one more issue left and it sure doesn’t look like this story is going to be wrapping any time soon. Ah well. Maybe the clamor from the hordes of people who love the weekly reviews will motivate Brandon to start cranking these out. What’s that you say? Rushing works of art is a terrible idea that more often than not leads to mediocre (at best) results? OK, fair enough. Either way, it’s still a fascinating series and you should still be reading it. $5

Berry, Brandon – Cat #2

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Cat #2

Is that a dog on the cover of a comic called “Cat”? Yes it is, because this time around we spend about half of the issue getting to know the dog who’s chasing our hero across the universe, and he goes by Hound. We left off in the last issue with the introduction of Zada, the ancient star in the cosmos. He/she/it has a conversation with Cat, and it turns out that they’re a bit of an asshole! Still, we learn more about the situation, although perhaps not as much as Cat would have liked. As for the Hound, we see where he works and how he tracks his prey through the universe, although the source of his grudge against Cat is still a mystery. Or is it? That’s my attempt at leaving a bit of intrigue in here, as it’s a short enough comic that I feel like I may have said too much. If so, hey, there are at least two more issues coming, so there are a lot more surprises in store, I reckon. I see nothing this time around to change my recommendation from the last time around: this Brandon guy sure can draw, and the story seems to be picking up steam, so give it a shot. $5

Berry, Brandon – Cat #1

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Cat #1

I’ve been sick for the last week and a half, so please bear with me as I try to remember how this reviewing thing is supposed to work. Why yes, I have been doing this for over 21 years now and it should be second nature, but hey shut up. Quick, take a look at that cover and build a mental image for yourself on what the comic is going to be like. Done? What did you guess? Was it fluffy? This is actually the story of a secret agent cat who’s given a “big” job to do by what looks like a Christmas tree with a cat head. we learn a little more about it, but not much, and we learn that our hero is mostly doing this because he’s expecting a big payout. So maybe he’s a mercenary and not a secret agent? We also see that a dog cop is in hot pursuit of him later, so yeah, maybe he is a crook. Things end on a delightful if baffling cliffhanger, and this is a damned solid first issue of a series. Just enough hints to get the reader intrigued, with promises of more to come. So hey, it’s a good thing that he sent along the first four issues of the series, right? Still, if you’re not afraid of a little risk, Brandon’s art is always welcome and there’s more than enough for you to give in and buy an issue to check it out. For the more cautious types out there, I’m sure more reviews are coming, so just stay tuned! Which is a thing I wonder if younger people even understand, as far as phrases go. See? I should have wrapped this up a few sentences ago. Rusty! $5

Berry, Brandon – Supercar #1

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Supercar #1

OK, this comic looks gorgeous. That loopy art style, the shifting angles, the attention to little details on the characters, all damned solid. I want to emphasize that up front, because this comic really does have enough to get by on looks alone. As far the story goes, however, you really don’t get much more in this issue than you see in the title. It would make a great first chapter of a longer story (and I’m assuming that’s the plan), but as a stand-alone story there’s just not a whole lot of meat to this. The story here is about our hero as he gets a new upgrade for his vehicle. From there we see him speeding away, then we see him catch the attention of the local law enforcement. And that’s it, really. This would make a ridiculously compelling cartoon, and may very well make up a genuinely great graphic novel down the line, but as a single issue it doesn’t add up to a whole bunch. That little bit of negativity aside, I do still recommend that people buy this comic. Sounds crazy, right? But if people don’t support stories like this when they’re getting started, sometimes the creator thinks there’s no interest, and this joins the endless piles of comics series that starts and stops at #1. Don’t let that happen with Supercar!

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Berry, Brandon – Daucus Carota #2

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Daucus Carota #2

Ah, this is what I love most about running this website and chattering about comics for going on 11 years now. Brandon sent me the first issue of this series years ago, I loved it and never heard from him again. Until now! Scroll through the archives to find my review of #1, but Brandon put together a nice, succinct recap on the inside front cover, which is where such things should go. To sum up, as it’s silent: angry monkeys, confused giant rabbit creature, cartoon cloud of dust representing the battle, giant rabbit creature walking away triumphantly as a monkey arm belonging to a defeated monkey lays on the ground. Perfect. In this issue the rabbit creature is still doing his thing, whatever that might be, and the defeated monkeys return to their leader to report their failure, which goes about as well as you’d expect. The monkey king takes his strangely floating crown (it hovers over his head in most of the panels and he never loses it, no matter how many punches he takes) and goes out in search of our hero. A big old battle ensues with a shocking finale, of which I should say no more. Once again his brief use of colors here and there has more impact than an entire brightly colored comic, and the art is still impressive as hell. Even if he does say in the afterword that he’s embarrassed by the art of the first issue, which is madness, but hey, when are artists ever happy with their earlier work? He implies that the series will continue, which it damned well better now that he’s gone and gotten me hooked. Here’s hoping it’s not another three years before #3. Oh, and some contact information listed in the comic would have been nice, as I had to search around the internets to find it. And in case you were wondering, yes, it is always hilarious when I do a Google search and the first thing I find that I can actually use is a link from Optical Sloth. Funny every time. $5

Berry, Brandon – Daucus Carota

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Daucus Carota

Note to aspiring comic artists: please don’t take four years drawing, re-drawing and re-re-drawing your comic before putting it out.  Sure, you may end up with something that looks as incredible as this book, but at the end of the day you’ve spent four years on a mini comic when your better alternative would have been to put out the book as you made it the first time and hate it for all time while working on improving your craft with other books.  That’s my opinion anyway, I am well aware of the desire of the artist to achieve the unachievable: perfection.  This book really is stunning in every way, with gorgeous splashes of color (making even more of an impact because most of the book is in black and white), and a downright mesmerizing fight scene.  This is a silent book (which, as Brandon says in the afterward, just kind of ended up that way) involving that giant rabbit creature on the cover taking on some ninja monkeys.  Yes, you read that correctly: ninja monkeys.  Maybe he has a different term, but any monkey that has whittled a bone down into a long sword is a ninja monkey in my book.  I’m not entirely clear on their disagreement, but it seems to boil down to a carrot vs. banana argument.  As I said, every page of this book is phenomenal.  It almost looks like he could have spent four years on this thing; the level of detail is just that great.  This sample should convince you, if it doesn’t there are more at that website linked above, but you should know that it isn’t a proper website, more of a showcase for art from the comic.  $5