Now, everyone is entitled to their opinions...if this movie isn't for you, I'm not even going try an attempt to convince you. Instead, I'm going to point out how it SHOULD appeal to fans of the V:IP Universe! So, if you're looking for some great comics to follow up your enjoyment of the film, or have LOVED our works and are on the fence about whether to check out #BvS, this is the post for you!
Since the mid-80's, seminal works of comic lit have shared a drastically realistic, if not gritty take on our superhero myths. Works like the form-deconstructionist Watchmen, the company brand-building of Crisis on Infinite Earths, or the character resurrection of The Dark Knight Returns, all laid the foundation for the current frame of comic thinking that aims to infuse a seriousness into an art form so often shunned as "kid's stuff." Ushering in this modern (Iron??) age, with a firmly closed door on the jest and pomp of the Silver Age, these stories replaced the glamour of super-heroics with unparalleled truth of the sacrifice, strife and trauma that comes from choosing to save the world around you.
In short...things got REAL.
It's been my goal, both as a writer and a publisher to add my works to that hallowed list of books that changed the way we saw our heroes. Even though many books from this new era were released almost a decade before I started reading comics at all, I still felt there were stories to tell; character motivations to explore. And in my earnest efforts, that's what I set out to do, specifically with two of my favorite titles adorning my table top: The Samaritan and The Trouble w/Love.
Depending on who you sided with in the battle of BvS, either of those series should carry some interest for you! I'm going to take a second to REALLY look at the hows and whys -- and I'm sure if you give them a chance, you'll wholeheartedly agree!!
TEAM BATMAN: The Samaritan
Hard. Unrelenting. A force of nature. While certainly recognizable characteristics of Zack Snyder's Batman, the same could be said for the enigmatic man known only as Smith...though, perhaps even to a greater degree! In The Samaritan, Smith moves into an ugly, urban neighborhood -- one ravaged by crime and cruel self-interests. But his presence has a purpose. Imbued with a bevy of powers (not too dissimilar from Superman's himself), Smith is there to make a change. His method's are fast and at times, violent; becoming a hooded vigilante that as much safeguards the neighborhood, as he does stalk it's indigenous predators. In BvS, we find a Batman who seems completely fed up with the state of things around him. That which has been accepted is FAR from acceptable, and he's unleashing the full measure of his abilities to bring the needed justice to those that have strayed from any path of righteousness. Smith's motivations of soooo similar, though as yet, not fully explored. Still, what we do get (The Samaritan #1-7), is that he's arrived to help -- he's aware of the misery around him and though he can only do so much, he WILL do everything he can to save at least one more person. Tears may be shed, bones will break -- but the world WILL be saved. Even if it's just one block at a time...
TEAM SUPERMAN: The Trouble w/Love
Man of Steel featured one of the most polarizing renditions of Superman I believe to ever have witnessed (that includes the mulleted Return of Superman AND the Electro Red/Blue versions). Unique. Untrained. And ultimately, unsure, this Superman made MANY mistakes in the face of the hero he WOULD BECOME (and what so many comic fans and creators, expected him to be). The sheer total of the collateral damage he created (or specifically didn't help to stem), was even a plot motivation for the entire conflict of Bats v Supes! It's in that same vein of peripheral short-sight that has made The Trouble w/Love our most critically acclaimed title to date. Apex Prime, was a hero -- powerful and beloved -- an analog of Superman, without question. But unlike the physical confrontations of MoS, Prime's was a war of the heart...and his casualties to bear were that of a broken family. By the third page, Prime submits the theme and context of the entire one-shot: "The trouble with love is you can't punch it in the face!" A revelation which shows the extent of his humanity, despite the myriad and range of his super-human powers. In TTwL, Prime's humanity is on full display when, though he's seemingly happily married with a young son, he meets and falls in love with a police officer during a chance encounter. Where the truth and fullness of his feelings towards this other woman are new and ultimately inescapable for him, his exploration of them costs him in ways that he truly didn't see coming. Emotionally driven, Prime makes choices that draw the ire of the one person who not only feels capable of judging his recklessness, but physically able to address them -- his own son.
Both The Samaritan and The Trouble w/Love are complete in their initial conception, but the stories for either are FAR from over!
Having just celebrated 5 years since the release of The Samaritan #1, we're doing a fundraising campaign to fund The Samaritan #8: Serendipity (w/ Ren McKinzie returning on art), which promises to take things in a brilliant, new direction. You can find out how YOU can support the production and guarantee your copy HERE.
We're also working steadily on a follow up to The Trouble w/Love called NEVER TOO LATE (feat. Harold Edge and Ryan Carter on art), where Prime risks all there is to right the turmoil his actions created!
Hopefully, this post has piqued your interest! If you've yet to grab either of these titles, look for them at www.peepgamecomix.com (for digital) or www.indyplanet.com (for print) and let us know what you thought!!!
