I Smell Sheep: Dark Swan

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Dark Swan: Storm Born Issue #3 + Give Away

Regular cov

Storm Born Issue #3

Writer(s): Richelle Mead, Grant Alter

Artist Name(s): Dave Hamann

Cover Artist(s): Dave Hamann, Jennyson Rosero

Page Count: 32, Full Color

“Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she’s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures.
When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld’s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past…”- Dark Swan: Storm Born

I love this graphic novel because it is funny, sexy and action-packed. In my reviews of Issue #1 & #2 I mentioned all the smexy men, and guess what? We meet yet another one! He is one of the Gentry, did I mention my weakness for Fae? <G>. And as always the artwork colors pop and the facial expressions and body language speak volumes.

Incentive cover

This issue picks up where the last one left off, instead of going into a flashback or skipping forward. Eugenie has summoned up the three quirky spirits she has bound to her. She needs to go into the ‘Otherworld’ in her flesh body and wants their help to find King Aeson, a Gentry King, who has kidnapped a young girl from the mortal world.

The three spirits are a funny bunch; Volusian is a powerful, but evil spirit that often tells Eugenie he is going to kill her as soon as he can break free from her. Nandi is a Zulu woman who was killed for being a witch and Eugenie has promised to give her peace after three years of service. Understandably, Nandi is full of gloom and doom. A real Debbie Downer <G>. And then there is Finn, a pixie-looking man who isn’t bound to Eugenie like the others, he just likes to hang around.

Eugenie and her team head into the ‘Otherworld’ to find King Dorian (here is the smexy man I mentioned earlier). He is King Aeson’s enemy and Eugenie hopes he will help them rescue the mortal girl out of spite, if nothing else. King Dorian is both arrogant and flirty with long red hair and looks smokin' in his Puss in Boots get up. He can’t help Eugenie directly, but gives her a guide to lead her to Aeson’s castle. When Eugenie and her team arrive at Aeson's there is an action packed bloody fight because Eugenie and company have been lured into a trap.

Action-packed, snark, smexy men and evil doers with pictures (did I mention smexy men?). This comic is all that and a bag of chips! Sea Lion Books was kind enough to provide the first 6 pages of Issue #3 for your pleasure! You can see 6 pages of Issue #2 here.

5 “Rock’n the Green Cape” Sheep!

SS (edited by BAK)

Give Away:

Sea Lion Books has offered a copy of Issue #1 and #2

1. Tell me if you read graphic novels. If you do, what is your favorite?

2. leave a way to contact you and if you are a follower (followers get double entry)
Contest ends Sept 10 at Midnight

Sea Lion Books LLC is a newly established publishing house which specializes in all formats-hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market in urban fantasy, paranormal, and young adult genres. Sea Lion Books LLC's recent roster of authors include: International Bestselling author, Paulo Coelho, New York Times Bestselling authors Richelle Mead, Richard A. Knaak and more to be announced.

Find Sea Lion Books:
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Urban Fantasy Comic Fun

Dark Swan: Storm Born
written by: Richelle Mead & Grant Alter
Art by: Dave Hamann

I am a big Urban Fantasy fan, but I haven’t had the chance to try Michele Mead’s Dark Swan series yet so I was excited to hear her first book, Storm Born, was going to be made into a comic book. I have become a recent convert to comics and graphic novels and I really love the mixing of art and fiction.

Dark Swan: Storm Born will run 8 issues long, coming out once a month. The first 4 will be made into a graphic novel at the half way point, and then the last 4 will be released as a graphic novel at the end of the run. The comics are being published by Sea Lion Books LLC, and they were kind enough to send me digital copies of Dark Swan: Storm Born #1 & #2.

I absolutely love this comic. It is fun and fast-paced with a snarky heroine and most importantly, a smexy otherworldly man with visuals ladies! ;) Speaking of visuals, the art work is eye-catching and the colors pop. There is also a hint of sensuality to it, it is definitely an adult’s comic. There is some nudity, but the naughty bits are strategically covered .

Volume #1 introduces us to Eugenie Markham, a shaman for hire. She banishes spirits and all sorts of Fey creatures if they break into the human world. This is an open Urban Fantasy world where magic and supernatural creatures are well known to ordinary humans and are seen as ordinary. The first two panels had me laughing at Eugenie trying to banish a spirit from a shoe. The first volume does a good job of introducing us to Eugenie and her world. She has a cheesy and good-looking roommate who seems only interested in getting laid, and she has a good relationship with her mother and step-father. Something you don’t see a lot of in UF.

The first issue sets up a major story arc; for unknown reasons the otherworldly creatures Eugenie hunts and kills are now wanting to get to know her; in the biblical sense as she puts it. She has also been offered a dangerous case to help find a young girl who has been abducted by the Fey. And you can’t have a kick-ass UF heroine without a mysterious sexy man (did I mention there are pictures? ). This volume ends with them in bed and then….can’t give it away .

In Volume #2 Eugenie discovers, after a night of passion, Kiyo might not be who he said he was, but he disappears before she can banish him. She has another paying banishing job and gets more veiled references about the Otherworld’s interest in her. We get more information about Eugenie’s parents and their role in her life and she decides to take the case about the abducted girl, which means she must physically cross over into the Otherworld, this is unusually upsetting to her mother. It ends with her summoning what appears to be a demon.

Dark Swan: Storm Born is a comic worth checking out.

I give it 5 Banishing Sheep!

SS (edited by BAK)