Dark Spider Series
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the art, though the best-drawn story was The Date, whereas the best story was The Bond. This story had the best character work out of all the others and gave more insight into their mindsets and what they get out of crime-fighting. I’m not sure of how much canon this anthology is but if you’re interested, more stories in the series are up at Gumroad.
Now I’m back on the independent grind and a few of my kickstarters have come through. The industry’s been a bit shaky because of the China backlogs, the floods in southern China, and the paper shortage. A few of my kickstarters are behind schedule also because of illness. Probably COVID.
So my attention turns to the ones that have come through. Though I can’t remember where I got this one from. It wasn’t in my kickstarter list so I’m thinking it came from a giveaway pack. That’s fine with me- though this anthology has given me a lot to process.
As you readers probably know, I like to show frames from the comics I read. NOT THIS TIME! Hoo boy all of this is NSFW or home! It’s hero-kink and I don’t have a problem with that, but you might. So I don’t recommend this one for the kids.
Set in a city with a high crime problem, a group of spider-themed heroes do their best to stem the tide of crime. And afterwards, they bang each other. Heck, sometimes they bang DURING the stakeout. Things get lonely on the job, what can I say? The main protagonist is Dark Spider, a college student turned hero who somehow got enhanced abilities; the story’s not exactly clear on this. Fighting alongside him on the streets (and without the sheets) are Lady Arachne, Scarlet Recluse, and Queen of Widows. Each of the stories is a one-off that ends with the clothes off. No that’s not a joke, that’s the story.
Dark Spider #1 by Ra'Chan Rogers & Hurwitz
A Kickstarter I'd almost forgotten about finally cleared. I've been busy with homework and ED Odyssey, but I didn't forget about this gem. We've covered Dark Spider before, but this is a fundamentally different take on the character. If you decide to read this one, keep in mind- Dark Spider comics are ALWAYS freaky.
Think of this as a kind of origin story. In the first pages we get a brief inciting incident (death of parents) and an intro to a side character, who makes a 'splashy' entrance. Dark Spider encounters a dangerous villain and a hot woman he met earlier saves his life. What does this mean for our hero?
The artwork was better than I expected. Not much in the way of blurryness, framing was focused and aligned well with the page, back art was intense and stylish, and the lettering was on-point. One of my favorite black comic artists Elysée was the lead editor and you can just tell he polished it well. There's one frame I didn't like; a mixed-race gang with 1 member carrying an AR-15 just didn't work for me. Ain't nobody call the cops while this kid walks around with a semi-auto rifle? Naah, son. Haven city's rough but it ain't that rough. That's Mogadishu level rough.
If you're interested, you can find Dark Spider: Lawful Evil at Gumroad here. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.