Tag: sci-fi

Categories
Peplum

Salvaged Goods: Alicia Carter and Robot Issue 01

The Astonishing Adventures of Alicia Carter and Robot is a brand new comic series by Tristan Vick, with Chris Awayan on art and Mirza Wirawan on colours. The debut issue of Alicia Carter and Robot (ACaR) was Kickstarted in February 2022 and released by Vick’s own publishing imprint, Regolith Comics. 

SFW cover for ACaR by Karen Darboe (for preview/thumbnail purposes)

ACaR is described on its Kickstarter campaign as an “action-packed sci-fi adventure” in the vein of classic pulps such as “Northwest Smith, Flash Gordon, and John Carter of Mars” with comedy thrown in. The Edgar Rice Burroughs’ character homage is immediately noticed in Alicia Carter’s last name. The comic shares the sci-fi pulp DNA in the same vein as Star Wars does. 


Personal copy of ACaR with NSFW Toshio Maeda-inspired cover by Awayan.

Carter is an infamous space thief whose latest escapade has her stealing a crystal from the reptilian criminal Klaven Skullvek and the two bounty hunters in his employ: the cybernetic Armitage and sniper Kira. While being pursued, Carter crash lands on Junk World, an entire planet converted into a garbage dump by Nova Corp. Amnesic from a head wound during her rough landing, Carter is rescued by Garbage Disposal Unit 3 (GDU-3), a bipedal robot that salvages treasures from the refuse. Together, Carter and GDU-3 team up to evade Skullvek and his henchpeople and escape from Junk World. 

Alicia Carter.

Carter as a character is a fun, rogueish heroine in the Han Solo/Star-Lord sense. As a sword and planet character, much like John Carter, she appears to be incredibly agile and able to leap large distances – or at least within the gravity on Junk World. If Carter has any fault it is due to the temporary amnesia she only suffers from for a handful of pages. If anything, this selective amnesia robs her of precious character development as it otherwise doesn’t advance or effect the plot at all. On the other hand, Carter is extremely animated and emotive. She pops off the comic’s pages with gestures and facial expressions that make her both endearing and easy to read, which is definitely in part due to the art and colour work of Awayan and Wirawan respectively. 

GDU-3 (The Robot).

GDU-3 is quite fleshed out as a robot character. While he has protocols he must follow, he exhibits numerous human-like traits, such as he collects books and other trinkets for his own collection. His relationship to his parent company, Nova Corp, is very like that of Robocop to OCP – he follows his directives, but with the help of others, is able to overcome some of his programming to be more capable and free. 

The art of ACaR is excellent. The Awayan and Wirawan team are able to make the muted, drab garbage planet of Junk World look interesting. All the characters look distinctive, at appropriate times stepping into cartoonish territory, but only for added comedic affect. 

No expense was spared on issue one of ACaR. The comic clocks in at thirty-six pages of content including a gallery of all the alternative covers. The back cover of the comic has a bit of texture on it as well. In addition, folks who contributed to the ACaR Kickstarter received a plethora of fantastic loot as part of the campaign’s stretch goals. 

Trading cards.

Firstly, there was six trading cards, one for each character. The backs of the cards contain stats (strength, speed, charisma, etc.) along with a biography of the pictured character. Hopefully the trading card trend will continue in successor crowdfunding campaigns. They are fun but they also provided paratextual information to supplement the world and character building in the comic.

Stickers and magnet.

Next, two chibi-styled stickers of Carter and GDU-3 along with a magnet of their ship were part of the stretch goals.

Foil art print by Shikarii.

Finally, a holofoil art print of Carter looking bad ass by artist Shikarii is also part of the package.

The Kickstarter campaign was also an avenue to pre-purchase exclusive cover variants of ACaR done by different artists, with most covers also having a NSFW incarnation. Interestingly, most Kickstarter comic book campaigns that have numerous NSFW covers also have corresponding content that is adult in nature (nudity, sex, and violence). Though ACaR has a handful of risque covers (see personal copy above), the comic proper is fairly PG-13. There’s no nudity and barely any profanity (swear words are replaced: “helios” for “hell,” “frack” for “fuck” and so on). The violence is cartoonish, with only one scene showing blood (on a regenerative character at that). 

ACaR is off to a great start. Carter is a fun heroine and GDU-3 a shocking fleshed out, unique character. Unknown if future issues of the series will be episodic in nature, with a different adventure in each comic, or one large arc spanning multiple issues, but the intergalactic antics of Carter and GDU-3 look promising and exciting.

More information about Alicia Carter and Robot and the team behind it can be found at the following locations:

Categories
Interview

Surprise Delivery: Interview with D. J. Kirkbride on Errand Boys

For well over a decade, D. J. Kirkbride has been writing some of the most creative and unique comics to have hit the market. From Amelia Cole to The Biggest Bang, from Never Ending to The Once and Future Queen, Kirkbride has a signature light-hearted wit that compliments his fun and engaging speculative-fiction stories. His latest comic book series is Errand Boys – a sci-fi adventure that sees two brothers as interplanetary couriers – and was originally published as a five issue run at Image Comics. This spring season sees a release of a trade paperback version of this comic from Dark Horse Comics. 

Trade paperback cover for Errand Boys.

What was the catalyst for Errand Boys? How did the comic come about?

The story started with me working out something personal in the only way I know how: wild and weird comic book adventure tales filled with lots of aliens and absurd technology and shenanigans.

I have a kind of Brady Bunch times two or three family, and the relationship between brothers who share one parent but didn’t really grow up together was definitely something I wanted to explore. Different types of families and what it means to be family. Dealing with loss was a big part of the story, too. The comic is not at all literal or a one-to-one with my experiences, but they’re all present or represented in some way.

The ever-growing gig economy, people working not just weekly paycheck to weekly paycheck, but gig payment to gig payment, with no real infrastructure or insurance or any of the things I grew up thinking was everyone’s goal was another aspect of it. That kind of uncertainty can sometimes lead to a lot of us making hasty decisions with potentially heavy consequences.

D. J. Kirkbride, photo courtesy of Kirkbride.

What is the primary goal you wanted to accomplish with Errand Boys?

Entertainment is always the goal! Wage inequality and the devastating environmental impact of big corporations along with family tragedy and stepping up for those in need is all in this story, but if it’s not a fun ride that keeps readers turning the pages, it belongs scribbled in my diary, not in a beautifully illustrated and designed book from Dark Horse Comics, you know?

Cyberpunk stories, such as Snow Crash, Johnny Mnemonic, and the video game Mirror’s Edge, prominently feature couriers and, despite the super presence high tech, take the low tech, sneaker net approach to delivering goods and information, something echoed in Errand Boys. Do you have any sort of affinity to the cyberpunk genre or has it had an influence on you?

I just started reading Snow Crash a few days ago, oddly enough. I’m digging it so far, but, suffice it to say, it wasn’t an influence on this Errand Boys. Also, and this is strange given what I write and watch and read, but I don’t really play video games, so I don’t know Mirror’s Edge. Johnny Mnemonic I saw in the theater when it came out, but I’ve not read the source material. 

Having said all that, so much of this type of work is in the culture, and influences influence other influences to the point that I’m sure echoes of all of these stories made it into my over-caffeinated brain. 

No one in Errand Boys is as cool as Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic (or Keanu in any other movie), though. Jace doesn’t even own a snazzy suit.

What are texts that you feel have their DNA in Errand Boys?

In the original pitch, I put forth the idea it could be looked at like a story about the type of characters in the background of Star Wars movies, the ones who don’t have any Jedi friends and aren’t fighting in giant intergalactic skirmishes. These are the folks just trying to get by and afford the occasional blue milk and all that. 

Someone, either a review or a comment, said Errand Boys seemed inspired by Futurama to them, which didn’t occur to me until I read that. I see it now, though.

The best intergalactic settings have unique planets and a variety of memorable non-human characters. How did you and artist Nikos Koutsis work together to accomplish this aspect for Errand Boys?

Originally, I pictured this more as almost a science/speculative fiction world designed like a Wes Anderson movie. The story was a little more static and introspective. Co-creator/artist Nikos Koutsis, genius that he is, took the script for the original pitch pages, and made them into a budget-less blockbuster movie. Suddenly, and happily, where I originally saw mid shots and formal framing, we had action-packed angles and crazy energy.

When I write, I try to figure out how much description to give to each artist. Nikos would take something like, “Bear is Jace’s heavyset, cigar chomping boss who always has a stain on his shirt,” and make him that amazingly designed alien creature that he is. Nikos did that with all the characters and the tech in Errand Boys.

He influenced the writing and pacing, too. Lots of conversations went from taking place in a room or something to happening while being chased or running or jumping off of all sorts of structures way too high for people to jump off of, and it made the book so much more exciting. 

He’s a great collaborator and became a friend as we worked on this book. I hope to work with him again. 

You’ve written quite a few speculative fiction comics. What would you say is the most distinguishable, uniquely you, aspect about your writing?

That might be for others to say. I’m not the best at intellectualizing what I do or why I do it, if that makes any sense. My hope is that the comics I work on entertain readers and make them feel some emotions. Even the all-ages fun stuff has real stakes that I hope affect readers young and old!

What were some of the new challenges, or perhaps learning something you didn’t know before, that you encountered with Errand Boys?

The background, kind of nuts ‘n bolts of comic book publishing, how much it’s changed since I started working in comics, was, and continues to be really eye opening. Our experience with Errand Boys has been a long and winding road, filled with surprises and challenges that ultimately made me realize that, for the types of stories I like to help tell, the trade format is probably better than single issues. I grew up on single issues, and there are titles I enjoy buying that way, but I don’t know if the market is conducive to that publishing style for my work or level in this zany industry.

What are you most proud of with the comic?

In terms of writing, it was a big breakthrough for me. I always weave in some personal details and whatnot, but this one was the most honest while also being silly and fun, I think. That our characters truly grow and change from the start to finish in ways that feel organic and true was nice, and hopefully readers of the trade will take that journey. Nikos along with color flatter Mike Toris and letterer/logo designer Frank Cvetkovic, all brought the story to life beautifully, and I’m really proud of it.

In one of the scenes of Errand Boys, there’s an alien chilling poolside with a multi-straw libation. This is a perfect segue to ask you how you got into tiki culture and what your favourite tiki cocktail is.

Ah, hmmmmm… my partner introduced me to a nice little place called Ventiki in Ventura, CA. I’m sure I had a tiki cocktail or two before that, but that opened me up to a whole new world of tasty, fancy, fun drinks! It’s become a must visit when we’re near, and we like finding tiki bars in other towns we visit. I enjoy the style and happy vibe of most of those places, but I’m fairly ignorant of the actual culture that inspired this style. It’s something I need to read up on and learn more about, actually.

As for my favorite drink, that’s a tough one! A Mai Tai, in almost all of its variations, is always good to try out when visiting a new place. There’s a drink called the Jet Pilot that I also really like, as I’m a fan of cinnamon. 

What are upcoming projects or news you’d like to share?

Nothing set in stone at the moment. One pitch is being pitched, and another is being lettered now, and I have some ideas scribbled in my notebook, so… hopefully more soon!

Finally, and most importantly, (but not related to Errand Boys), why does Amelia Cole eat tacos from the top? 

That’s a question for artist/co-creator Nick Brokenshire. Once he drew her eating a taco like that, though, co-writer/co-creator Adam P. Knave and I acknowledged it as perfectly in character and noted it in the script the next time she had a taco for lunch.

Sincere thanks to D. J. Kirkbride for allowing me to interview him. The trade paperback edition of Errand Boys will be published April 13. Errand Boys can be ordered via your favourite brick and mortar comic book store, or check out these purchasing options listed at Dark Horse Comics.

Kirkbride can be found at his website and his other publications can be found at his Amazon author page.

Categories
Cocktails

Houston, We Have a Problem: The Tiki Melange

Jasper’s Starlight Tavern is a space-comedy comic strip created by Bob Salley and Jason Sparich that focuses on the interactions the staff of an intergalactic space bar have with their patrons. In 2021, there was a Kickstarter to release the comic in a variety of formats including a compact, hardcover edition.

My copy of Jasper’s Starlight Tavern from the Kickstarter

Like an alluring neon sign, the cover of Jasper’s Starlight Tavern draws readers in with promises of vibrant and terrific artwork. In this department, JST delivers more than promised. The art by Juan Calle, in conjunction with the coloring of Don Mathias, is stunning. Every character looks distinct; each panel pops off the page with a rainbow of colors that emulate well-produced cartoons.

The writing for JST, however, does not live up to its amazing art. The comic strip relies heavily on cameos of characters from popular or cult science fiction sources (usually films and television shows) to convey its humor. Specifically it is the presence of the guest characters themselves that is each strip’s punchline, though in fact the the cameo-ed entities rarely performs any (funny) actions at all.

The following page from JST illustrates the comic’s style of humor:

The joke of the page is literally “we need an extra set of hands because there are a lot of vehicles in the drive through” and those vehicles happen to be spaceships from a variety of sci-fi sources (an Imperial Star Destroyer, a Borg Cube, the Satellite of Love, the Normandy, and so on). Lobot from The Empire Strikes Back is present for an inexplicable reason; instead of adding anything useful or funny, he merely stands there like a drooling mess.

Of particular interest is the appendix of cocktails made specifically for the book titled “Interstellar Mixology Guide.” Sincere there’s no bartender or mixologist credited, one has to assume the writers created the recipes themselves.

The eight cocktails are:

  • Dr. Zoidrosé
  • Tiki Melange
  • The Imposter
  • Mocha-Dimensional Madness
  • Galactic Committee
  • The Solitude
  • The Kraken Strikes Back
  • Ecto 1

Each drink is paired with a drawing of what the cocktail looks like in the JST universe, ingredients, and measurements. However, there are no directions of any kind for the cocktails. Stirred? Shaken? Swizzled? With or without ice? Strained? Floated? These are all absent.

The Tiki Melange is JST’s attempt at a tiki cocktail.

Tiki Melange

  • 1.5 oz Kraken Spiced Rum
  • .5 oz Oregeat [sic] Syrup (or Amaretto)
  • 1 oz Lime
  • 1 oz Pineapple

Looking at the ingredients along with the artistic depiction, it is fairly obvious that this cocktail will not work with primitive Earth mixolo-technology and ingredients, but it is a curio and warrants a deeper dive.

Limited edition Kraken from the personal stash.

First, the Kraken Spiced rum is not necessarily a bad call. Spiced rums get a lot of hate in the tiki community, usually under the guise of “you don’t know what is in spiced rum, it could be anything” and “you should be able to control what your drink tastes like.”

To the first sentiment – pluck up a bottle of Kraken and look at its label: “rum with natural flavors and caramel colour.” Now pick up your bottle of Angostura bitters (the salt and pepper of the cocktail world) and read its ingredients: “alcohol, water, sugar, gentian, natural flavors and caramel color.”

Natural flavors can mean anything, so why is it not acceptable in spiced rums but acceptable in Ango (and other bitters)? True, Ango has been around for a long, long, long time – but what’s actually in it is still proprietary and obfuscated. The best way to view spiced rum is to envision it as a rum that has built in bitters.

Take a drink of spiced rum. Now you know what it tastes like. Now you know (and can control) what is going in your drink. For the Tiki Melange, one definitely does not want to use a pricier rum in the cocktail, and the Kraken imagery of tentacles go hand-in-hand with the intended Lovecraftian cosmic horror.

Next, the amaretto or orgeat. These two ingredients are not interchangeable; their only commonality is they are both sweet and both have almond flavors. One is a syrup, the other is a liqueur and they each have different roles in cocktails. One can walk into an establishment and order an amaretto sour and enjoy a fantastic drink. One would not order an orgeat sour, as this would be an affront to all cocktails in existence. For best practice, treat the two as non-interchangeable.

Finally, the lime and pineapple. These are often found together in many tiki drinks, with the Jungle Bird being a notable example that uses both to balance its bitter Campari. Unfortunately, as will be shown, the Tiki Melange is far from balanced.

Looking at the artwork, there is no way these ingredients can achieve this look on their own. There are no directions, but because citrus is present, the best practice is to shake with ice and then strain. There’s no ice in the cocktail proper, so it is either getting its coldness from being shaken with ice and/or the futuristic glassware being chilled. There is the slim, but possible, chance that the drink is dry-shaken and poured into a chilled glass.

There is also a color gradient in the drink: brownish red on the bottom, yellow on top. That coloring is not from the square glassware, so is this cocktail floating its lime and pineapple on top of the orgeat and Kraken? Typically, it is the other way around: the rum is floated on top. There is also a lack of foam on top of the drink, which would be present if the drink was shaken with pineapple juice. With this aspect in mind, the cocktail was either stirred (with no ice) or left out for a length of time for the foam to disperse, both of which are horrible practices for this (or any) type of libation.

The Tiki Melange is a paradox, so the best way to tackle it is to make both versions: an orgeat Tiki Melange and an amaretto Tiki Melange.

The orgeat Tiki Melange has a brownish foam, with the pineapple dominating and the lime in a close second. The Kraken, surprisingly for having a fairly distinct taste, is absent from the flavor profile. There is a slight sweetness from the orgeat, but not much.

The amaretto Tiki Melange has a white foam, with the pineapple also dominating. This incarnation is tarter than the orgeat variation. Both have awful colors and should not be served in clear glassware.

Though the art depicts the drink without ice, this cocktail definitely needs to have ice in it to be even remotely palatable. The pineapple and lime are fighting for dominance in both versions, as this drink is horribly unbalanced. It can be suspected that this cocktail is attempting to be an extremely stripped down version of the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai.

Neither iteration of the Tiki Melange taste good. Unfortunately, for folks who are adventurous and like to try new cocktails, the other exclusive cocktails featured in Jasper’s Starlight Tavern look to suffer the same fate. While the comic book delivers spectacularly with its artwork, it burns up in orbit with its humor and cocktail recipes.

Thanks to Jay Mize for edits and second set of eyes for this article.

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