Longtime readers here will know that I am indebted to Josh Howard and then publisher Viper Comics, for publishing my first comic book work. When I mention how much I adore Josh Howard and his work people assume, cynically that I do so because I owe him such emotion for his role in my publishing life.
But while I do adore Josh and appreciated Viper, I am somehow, amazingly, able to read his work without thoughts of Oh I better like this. I don't actually have to do that, I really am a fan. His work on Dead@17, Black Harvest, and more all strike me in the taste box. Some of my appreciation is his very unique art style, that is, you cannot see a work by Josh and not identify it.
His work moves me for the quality of images. More so, his story telling is layered, it has content that can only be discovered by deeper thought. I was confused in the early days of his work because it seems there was a sense of spirituality but I could delve it out. And then it all delivered, and I had no more confusion. So, even if some of his writing has a spiritual nature, it is not at the forefront, it is not meant to be the primary result of reading, and, it is delivered with a sense of subtly that almost anyone else fails doing.
His writing is a strength that is often overlooked by people. It tells stories that have content that challenges various notions of right and wrong, normal and deviant, formal and informal, and the always complex world of, what do we demand of leaders, followers, and individuals. I cannot read his work and not feel better for doing so.
Currently his work TBird and Throttle is being released first by being crowdfunded through Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and then released through comixology. There are going to be 4 issues, not counting Issue zero which was a brief introduction, and laid his concept out for a taste.
An astronaut, Mitchell Maddox returns from a disastrous visit to the moon, where an alien race collided with earth's astronauts. Although Maddox should be dead, he returns with alien technology imbeded into his flesh. This alien tech thereafter leads to his gaining super powers. On the planet Earth Maddox takes on the codename TBird, as the implanted tech resembles the T form of a thunderbird of native American tradition. Somehow, the world has superheroes, and they are a form of police unit, but are not the only police. His powers leads him to making choices that cripple his marriage, and in the process of his new life he makes mistakes that lead to tragedy. This work considers the depth of heroism and cost, the cost to family of those who are courageous in the face of fighting evil, and, how government plays a role in control, and conformity in a manner that is not positive, nor is it aimed at the greater good.
The themes of this work move me. The quality of story, the layers of relationships, and the sort of metaphors going on all make this work far better than any mainstream work at DC or Marvel that I've read over recent months/years. I offer that it should become a comic you, the reader, find, and read yourself.
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