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Stafford, S. Tyler – Agara Book One

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Agara Book One

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m reading Lone Wolf & Cub again (and if you love comics and haven’t read that series, shame on you), but I’m perfectly content at the moment to let a series take its time in opening up and revealing what’s going on. That being said, the first book of this Agara series came at the perfect time for me. Tyler spends something like the first 20 pages slowly showing this odd alien world and a young alien woman trying to master some kind of mental exercises. She has troubles, the other students get annoyed that they have to start over due to her failures, and a mental battle ensues. From there the story moves to a human man and his teenage daughter. He’s an archaeologist, she’s a mostly indifferent student, and we get to see them go about their days for a bit before he comes across an ancient find that he needs to investigate. Things are slow to get going but, like I said, in this case it’s a good thing, Sure, Tyler could have just said “and that thing over there is ____, while this alien society has been here for ____ years,” but it’s always better to show than to tell, and so far he’s doing a fantastic job of that. And don’t worry, there’s still lots of mayhem here, with some physical fights, some mental fights and some fights that fall somewhere in between. I have no idea how much he has planned for this world, but the mysteries on that first page alone could take a book to explain. The art is mostly gorgeous (although it does look a little rushed here and there) and this is a really solid first book. The one piece of advice I’d offer him is to maybe include a character listing at the start of the next volume, as that can get out of hand quickly in an expansive universe like this. It’s worth a look, is what I’m saying. $12 (also that crappy sample scan is the fault of my scanner, not the comic)

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Stafford, Tyler – Folk #4

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Folk #4

Hey look, a giant issue!  Well, technically Tyler said that his computer was on the fritz and he usually shrinks everything down to “normal” mini comic size.  As long as there’s a good story in here the size isn’t that big of a deal, and there is a good story in here.  Also quite possibly the most straightforward thing I’ve seen from Tyler, at least if you strip away all the imaginative visuals.  This is the story of a two friends: a young boy and girl.  The boy has the latest dream from a hot celebrity, as the thing to do for the youngsters is to get dreams from famous people and experience them for themselves.  Some people think this is too personal, and others are disappointed when it turns out that their favorite stars have been using chemical enhancers to improve their dreams, but for these two kids it’s all about the quality of the dreams.  While talking about the new dream they realize that the dreamer has killed himself and this is the last new dream they’ll ever see from the guy, and everybody knows that the first time you experience a dream is the best.  The dream itself was a haunting and creepy thing, as the viewer was essentially sharing the experience with the original dreamer, who in this case was dead.  I’m on the verge of describing the whole comic again, so I’ll just say that I loved the little touches here (like the newsflash that the newly dead entertainer was 7 years old and how the last dream wasn’t as lucid as usual) and how Tyler can tell an almost mundane personal story when everything involved is so visually fantastic.  Check it out already, this series is starting to pile up and they’re all quality comics so far.  Well, I haven’t seen #1 yet, but #2-4 are certainly worth getting.  No price again, let’s go with $3 just because.

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Stafford, Tyler – Folk #3

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Folk #3

I asked in the review for #2 of this series what Tyler’s work would be like if he rushed, as his work when he took his time was amazing, so what does he do for #3?  A 24 hour comic.  I’m not claiming any sort of cause and effect there, I’m just happy to be able to compare the two approaches.  The conclusion?  This looks significantly better than any 24 hour comic should.  You can see from that cover that he put together a wide array of characters.  Granted, due to time constraints many of them don’t get time to do much but wander around, but points for visual inventiveness.  And I’m not sure if Tyler is aware of this (although he must be; he says this is his fourth 24 hour comic), but most people who go the 24 hour route are only able to succeed by skimping on the backgrounds.  Not the case with this issue, as there are all kinds of trees when they’re outside, bricks on the wall on the inside, a ridiculous number of buttons on a computer panel…this comic would be impressive on a visual level alone, but he also manages to throw in a fairly engaging story.  An alien is on the run, two other aliens are chasing after it and eventually manage to track it down.  They take it back to a cell with his compatriots, and they come up with an even more desperate plan of escape, as they’re left with no options.   I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that it’s as visually impressive as the rest of the book, if not more so, and he even manages to pull out a nice surprising final panel.  The good news is that if Tyler is able to put out a book this great that’s done in 24 hours, he should have a hefty comics library available soon.  That’s how it works creatively, right?  Just sit them down and make them draw, and soon they’ll have a pile of flawless comics?  In any case, buy his comics.   This guy needs to keep making these things.  No price, but let’s say $2.50 like his last one.

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Stafford, Tyler – Folk #2

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Folk #2

What a fabulously inventive comic.  First off, let’s take a second to unpack that cover.  There’s a creature with one hand cut off sitting next to a chest (with the key sitting next to it) and a self-help book.  He’s watching what appears to be a miniature city coming from a larger city, or perhaps a ship.  Behind this creature is what appears to be a crying tree with something that looks like snails for brains and a happier puffy creature that’s looking over everything from behind a brick wall.  It doesn’t hurt a thing to be this impressed before you even crack open the comic.  Inside it only gets better, as Tyler tells two stories.  One is about another creature (no humans to be found here) and his pet, as they find a deer-like creature, wound it and attempt to hunt it down.  The creature runs into a more benevolent creature who decides that the hunter needs to know what it’s like to be the hunted, and hilarity ensues when he runs into his pet.  The last story sounds simple, at least until you get lost in the visuals.  A ship is almost out of fuel and lands on a planet with a healthy fuel source.  They refuel and eventually fly away.  See there, how I can make the most impressive things sounds boring?  The ship is comprised of a number of crystals, all seemingly able to move independently, and they have a complex mechanism for gathering the fuel rings from the planet.  Tyler even draws the intro to start his comic, the bit where he gives all his contact info and explains that although he wanted his book to come out earlier, he wanted to take his time to make a better book.  I have no idea what it would have looked like if he’d rushed, but it sure looks like he made the right call.  If you go to his website you’ll see that he already has more than a few minis under his belt, and this sure looks to me like the work of somebody who is putting it all together.  Seek out this book if you’re looking for something different, you won’t be disappointed.  $2.50

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