Diana has the Apperal page started, and soon, we will be exapanding it into a full store front with all our comics and merch! Check it out! Click here for more!
Hero Shack Apparel!
Catching Up With You All
We’ve made it through another campaign, successfully funding the Great Cyclopian #6! Thank you to all our supporters for coming through once again! With issue seven right around the corner, we will be making some huge improvements to the way we run the next campaign, the stretch goals we offer, and with a little luck, the number of books actually put into the hands of readers everywhere!
We anticipate this campaign finding for a longer of period of time which is giving us the unique opportunity to produce and offer our first ‘ash can’ comic. Stay tuned for more information on that!
Comic Book Fest! Presented by The Athol Library and Hero Shack Press!
Saturday, October 14th, was a pleasant fall day for the second annual Comic Book Fest! Families and fans alike came out to meet the seventeen Independent artists from a vairey of genres.
A new addition this year was the Cos-Play Contest! We had a great turnout by cosplayers ranging in ages 3-adult. The three age categories produced 1st, 2nd and 3rd place all were awarded a prize. The Cos-Play contest brought a very cool element to the fest.
We held creator panels again this year. Our guests did a great job answering questions. This is one part of the fest we tend to improve on for next year.
From inddependent comic book creators, authors, illustrators and artists, the fest was a huge success. We are already in the works of planning next years third annual Comic Book Fest!
A huge thank you to The Athol Public Library and a special thanks to Emily and Robin, and of course to all of the people who took part – we could not do this without all of you!
The Great Cyclopian 6 – Pre Order Now!
A New HeroShack Show!
Join us as we countdown the Top 25 Campaign trailers from Fundmycomic.com We will be airing the last Wednesday night of each month unless announced differently, 8pm Eastern time!
THE GREAT CYCLOPIAN #5 is VICTORIOUS
Our campaign maxed out at $1,191.00! Thank you backers! We are so excited to be sending you issue number five, and can’t wait to present you with issue number six!
PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK NOW!
THE GREAT CYCLOPIAN #5 – FULLY FUNDED AND AWARDING STRETCH GOALS!
NOW available at fundmycomic.com
Getting Excited
We are getting very close to launching the Great Cyclopian #5 on Fundmycomic.com! We’ve elected to do a 21 day campaign this time as we experiment with the crowdfunding model. The book is 100% completed and now its time to sell some copies!
The Great Cyclopian #5 Is Coming
The Canadian Shield Issues 1 & 2
Blending Christianity and comic books seems an unlikely match, but Rick Piper at Cross Comics has done just that with his comic book series “The Canadian Shield.” Although there is a Jesus vibe to his stories, it’s not preachy. Rather, he uses various elements and plot structures to introduce an angel messenger from God who sends Canadian Shield off on missions of moral pursuit. But I am getting ahead of myself…
In his first issue of Canadian Shield, the reader is introduced to his protagonist, Man Like Cougar, the name reflects the character Indigenous heritage. Man Like Cougar, begins his journey with Jesus, but it’s not that simple. Add time travel and a suit that allows the wearer to become an enhanced version of himself with super powers then pepper in heroic adventures blessed by God, makes this comic book an interesting read!
Canadian Shield #2 uses the same protagonist, Man Like Cougar. In this issue he continues to receive heavenly orders and meets the antagonist, Toxico. This character is on a mission to destroy a nuclear power plant, possibly killing millions. Man Like Cougar aka the Canadian Shield is sent to stop Toxico. Throughout the narrative, Piper touches upon Christian theology, but again he does a good job of not shoving it down one’s throat, so to speak. Once again Canadian Shield, a superhero for God, takes down Toxico one punch at a time!
The Positives.
Rick Piper’s desire to combine his love for superheroes and his love for Jesus is appreciated. I enjoyed the quirkiness of his character’s and his creativity in the overall story arcs. The basic superhero plot structure is duly noted in both issues. The pacing in both issues was reasonable and it had enough dialogue/action to keep the reader engaged. I preferred the coloring, panel layout and dialogue boxes in issue 2, however, issue 1 idiosyncratic’s coloring, panel layout and lettering at times diverted my attention from the story.
Areas that need work.
The most notable area in issue 1 that should be addressed is the different styles of fonts used as well as the many typographical and grammatical errors. An editor would have been able to help in this area. Issue 2 on the other hand did not have those errors. I enjoyed the addition of Piper Pulpit, but the overall tone and word usage could use some tightening up. To take these stories to the next level and reach a wider audience, a solid comic book editor could really help.
Overall both issues were an interesting read and since I know the creator, I know how much of his heart and soul he puts into his work. I look forward to reading his next issue of Canadian Shield!