Moby’s Digital Pick for Free Comic Book Day 2015 is…
Pathways Issue #0 is now available for
download at dragonphoenixmedia.com
Pathways is a brand new miniseries from Dragon Phoenix Media that will lead into the upcoming ‘The Return of the Frontiersmen‘.
I’ve already reviewed a preview copy here on the site (you can see that review HERE), but it is always nice to see the finished product from a new company.
Again, I was surprised by the density of the story. I was expecting the usual origin stuff (after all it is a comic book) but Pathways really surprised me with the depth and range this opening issue covered. I said it pretty well the first time, so here’s the core of my previous review:
Moby was thinking this would be a simple superhero origin story, diluted by having to deal with an ensemble cast. But this zero issue was not that at all. By use of time distortions we get a glimpse of the past, and a taste of the future. Foes protecting heroes without their knowledge, and mixed allegiances.”
It can certainly be hard to introduce a whole new universe of characters, but I think writer/artist Bill Lutz did a great job. We get to see the core of the heroes and villains while reading a comic book full of concepts ranging from sci-fi and aliens to temporal distortions and multiple universes. Definitely something an adult fan of something like…say…Star Trek can get into.”
When it comes to the art, Bill Lutz does a good job conveying the story. I was impressed by his use of space in placing the action in ways that allows for the words to be added in and not have the whole thing become a clusterbleep…Lutz clearly understands the layouts necessary to allow his art to tell the dense story he has handed to himself.”
Being a new company with a new title, I can only imagine how hard it must be just to get people to pick up one of your books and give it five minutes. Assuming you were able to do that, Pathways Issue 0 is the kind of issue you would want them to be reading.
We get to see both the good guys and the bad while the story only deals with what is in front of us at the time. We get a glimpse of the array of characters and interests involved without having to meet everyone and remember their names. That allows the story to flow in the moment while leaving us wondering about all the rest…what else is there to come?
As you can see from the panels above, the lettering style makes the story easy to follow and it is clear a lot of effort went into the coloring by Rob Barnes. The creative team of Bill Lutz, Glenn E. Smith, and Robert Barnes is the same team that brought us “Star Trek Phase 2 Illustrated” back in 2010, and it’s clearly not their first rodeo.
All said, very well done and a great starting point for readers. I could go on but why not go download it FOR FREE and see the whole thing for yourself? Easily Recommended. More please.
Pathways Issue #0 is now available for free at
Issue #1 of ‘Pathways’ is available now on Amazon.
Also available now is the free Mars Vs Earth Issue Zero.
Free Comic Book Day is a single day – the first Saturday in May each year – when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores.
Moby was a bit late this year making his pick official…but it was worth the wait.
Find a participating shop for Free Comic Book Day
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/storelocator
*Check with your local comic book shop for their participation and rules.
