Small Press Comic Review: Unico Collections #3
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Unico Collections is an anthology comic that was started by Unico Comics and the Amateur Comics Guild to put together an amateur only comic book open to any artist or writer from across the UK who felt they were up to the challenge of making their own comic.
This means that the artists who are wanting to break out into the comic would will be given a chance to show their talent through this comic and give them that rare first step on to the small press network, through website, shop, and convention sales.
This is the third such collection to see print, and all of the strips that see print in this issue seem to share a common theme, they all features demons and monsters in some shape or form.
The Son
Written by David Wallace
Art by Mark Nevins
Lettered by Michael Burness
The Son is a pretty high-octane action story, about a business man who is the son of Satan, and a vigilante, who with this knowledge, is out to destroy him. The whole strip, is pretty much one huge fight scene! That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, because the action is nicely choreographed, and there are lots of cool intense moments, like when the vigilante leaps off a building onto a moving limousine, and stabs it in the engine, causing it to burst into flames.
While the story is essentially a huge fight scene, David Wallace, manages to throw in several surprising twists to keep things interesting. The artwork by Mark Nevins is pretty colorful and chunky, with slightly lose lines and thick inks, and really suits the story perfectly.
Say Goodbye to Hollywood
Written by Phil Cutherberton
Pencilled by Steven Howard
Inked by Steven Howard
Coloured by Phil Cutherbertson
This story starts with a military helicopter moving through the night, with the caption “5 minutes from what was Hollywood California.” On board we find a troop of soldiers at combat readiness, and we follow the interiour monologue of a hardened soldier, who has lost everything that he holds near and dear and now only wants vengeance. As the story progresses we learn of the soldiers’ mission in Hollywood, and that they are to eradicate the “Vermin”, who as it turns out, are zombies!
This was a pretty dark and compelling tale, but I really felt like there should be more, as it felt like it stopped right what the story was only just beginning. The artwork by Steven Howard was absolutely amazing, and Cutherberson’s colours were also top quality.
I hope to see more of this one!
Reapers
Written by Michael Burness
Art by Brian Gorman
Letters by Chris Harvey
The concept of this story is that at the end of WWI, demons began terrorizing the world, and so angels also appeared to guide us out of the darkness. Demon hunters are now a part of everyday life, and are dispatched to deal with outbreaks of zombies, vampires, werewolves, and that sort of thing. In this story we follow two such detectives, as they head to a block of council flats to investigate a suspected vampire. If you thought your Mondays were back, wait till you see how theirs turns out!
This story had a pretty interesting concept, with a good strong script by Michael Burness, and had a pretty fulfilling dark ending. The artwork by Brian Gorman was very dark and intense, matching the mood of the story, but the one thing I wasn’t keen on is that it felt like a lot of photo references were used for peoples faces, which gave the characters some odd looking expressions. I’ve never been to keen on that look.
The Exile’s Daughter
Script & Art by Caroline Perkinson
The Exile’s daughter takes the form of a traditional Japanese tale. When her father is exiled foe offending the emperor, a young girl leaves the city in search of him. After many days of searching, one night she comes upon a group of priests planning to sacrifice a young girl to a sea serpent that dwells in the waters near a small fishing village. If the beast is not appeased at least once a year, it causes catastrophic storms in revenge, that drown many of the fishermen. Unable to find her father, she decides that she has nothing left to live for, and so takes the young girl’s place, only asking that she is given a spear to defend herself. Can she survive the dreaded sea serpent?
This tale had a great script, and gorgeous artwork, and had a wonderfully magical feeling to it.
ReEarth
Script & Art by David Burns
Lettered by Michael Burness
This is a story about two boys who find a secret cave in the hills and decide to go inside to explore… big mistake! The cave has stayed secret for so long for a good reason, and the dark forces within do not plan to let the boys walk free.
This was a decent tale, but I found the storytelling to be a little unclear at times. The artwork was pretty nice though, especially all the arcane hellboy-esque imagery.
The Woodsman
Written by Michael Burness
Art by Mark Bell
This one is a classic tale of a couple that are out walking in the woods one dark night, when the man tells the woman a spooky horror story, that just happens to be the terrible truth. In this case it is the tale of a murderous woodman, who when burned at the stake swears that he and his undead victims will return to take revenge on the living…
It’s a cliched plot, but that’s half the fun really! Burnell pulls it off well, with good pacing, and lots of suspense that keeps you wondering when… it’ll… finally… happen! The story also has pretty artwork by Mark Bell, with particularly impressive colouring The burning hoot prints in the road are especially nice!
Summary
Unico Collections #3 was really strong anthology that showcases many bright new talents in the UK small press comic industry. I give it my highest recommendation. In my opinion the standout stories would have to be The Son, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, and The Exile’s Daughter. However, your tastes may vary from mine, which is the beauty of an anthology, there is something for everyone!
Unico Collections #3 is available from the Unico Comics online store for £2.50 by clicking here.
Alternatively, you can view it for free on Myebook, by clicking below:
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