I had a fine time last Wednesday at Things From Another World signing copies of the first issue of the new Dark Horse Presents and answering questions with publishers Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley and fellow artists Paul Gulacy and Michael T. Gilbert. This story from Examiner.com should give an idea.
David Chelsea is reading:
“Full Moon” by Andrew Chaikin
Meanwhile, most of the reviews I’ve seen are favorable, and many of them single my story Snow Angel out for special praise. Here’s a roundup of quotes (sorry for tooting my own horn, but since I don’t have a publicist I have to do this kind of thing myself):
“I’m not even sure I know how to properly talk about this comic. I probably can’t convey how and why I like it so much. This tale stands out from the rest because the art style, and narrative tone, is so drastically different. This is a child’s fantasy as thought by the child, or at least that is my very liberal interpretation. It is a picture book wrought to life through comic pages. It is the glee of imagination.
Snow Angel is about a girl who can do a snow angel and become a snow angel. She then does good deeds. It’s amazingly simple, almost too much so, and it’s so sweet you won’t need a snack for the rest of the day.”
–The Weekly Crisis
“David Chelsea—best known so far as the writer/artist of an amazing graphic how-to guide (Perspective! For Comic Book Artists) launches an amusingly whimsical series called “Snow Angel”, about a little girl who can apparently turn into a crime-fighting angel by falling backwards and flapping her arms in the snow, as we’ve all done. Chelsea’s art is technically superb but has an alluringly abstract, enigmatic feel to it—he always reminds me a bit of Windsor McCay, artist of “Little Nemo”—and I look forward to this series, which seems kid-oriented.”
-Adam Prosser, Thor’s Comic Column
“A delightful young girl wish fulfillment religious/superhero strip”
-Rich Johnston, Bleeding Cool
“a weird, haunting piece”
– Blake Petit, cxPulp
“It’s a fun all-ages story with really enchanting and colourful artwork.”
-Edward Kaye, Hypergeek
“I love the almost wordless approach to storytelling he takes here; no dialogue is needed to carry the story to its final page, and it has such a mix of joy and wonder as we watch Snow Angel make her imprint in the snow and chase after a bicycle thief. It’s quite different from anything else I’ve seen from Chelsea, and I’m dying for the next chapter.”
-Greg McElhatton, Comic Book Resources
“It’s cute.”
-Danny Djeljosevic, Comics Bulletin
“ I don’t get it.”
-Greg Burgas, What I Bought
Meanwhile, I can’t take credit for this one:
Snow Angel, published by Arcana, is an original graphic novel coming out this month by writer Kurtis Wiebe and artist Tyler Jenkins. It’s described as “a gritty little tale that delivers as much character as it does blood.” I guess there’s room for more than one Snow Angel in today’s comics market, but whose will reign supreme?