Keith Foster words
Ed Condon art
From Invader Comics
Do the sounds of leaves crunching in the distance provide a thrill? Does a twig’s snap force a gasp? I’ve got the comic you need. Peep the solicit:
A hunter in Olympic National Park dies from what an eyewitness insists was a long-dead elk coming back to life to exact revenge. Next, a bear stalks a camper with human intelligence and determination. Animals are killing people, and it's up to Sheriff Jack Bertrand to figure out why.
If you know me, you know I love my dog, Bruce. He’s adorable. He’s chaos. He’s my little dude. After reading Keith Foster’s Animals, I don’t trust him. I keep waiting for him to bite down too hard and get the taste for blood. I keep waiting for the change to take him over.
Of course, this isn’t going to happen, but the paranoia instilled within Animals #1 is very real. It’s an uncomfortable read, but the tension and pacing don’t let up. It won’t let you put the book down until it's finished with you.
The animals are turning against us. They’re killing for fun. They’re coming back from the dead. Unlike traditional zombie narratives, the animals are coming back far more intelligent, more than hunters.
They’re killers.
Ed Condon’s art keeps the strong paranoid vibes flowing. The imagery is unsettling. At times, it’s muddied and strategically unclear. It disorients the reader, and the results are quite astounding.
Within these 32 pages, Foster and Condon seem to effortlessly manipulate the audience. Fear is manufactured and evenly distributed. Sound effects perfectly replicate themselves inside the mind. You know you’re safe inside, but the book won’t let you feel safe. That dangerousness sets Animals apart from a lot of what’s on the shelves.
Animals is a comic book that you not only read. You experience it, and that experience is worth the price of admission. Then, when you consider Invader’s stellar track record, when you add in Condon’s digitized painterly style with its dark, brooding colors, the value truly begins to show.
Animals is live on Kickstarter until May 10th. Afterwards, it will be released in comic shops on June 28th. I’d recommend backing the campaign for the gorgeous Kickstarter exclusive cover by Daniel Crosier.
Once the campaign wraps up, so does that variant. It’ll get locked away with your safety, and you’ll be left alone in the woods wondering about that rustling.
What’s out there?
Is it getting closer?
Is that breathing?
Save yourself that trouble and click here to visit the campaign page.
If you’d like to know more about this terrifying comic, Keith Foster will be on Blake’s Buzz on Monday, 5/1. Click below to set a reminder (and go ahead and subscribe to the YouTube channel as well).
A Review of Animals #1
My goal is to listen to your interview while also selling in my first auction in a hot minute!