Comic Book Reviews: ‘Giant Chickens On Thanksgiving Night’ and ‘Blackwater OGN’
‘Blackwater OGN’
Written and illustrated by Jeanette Arroyo and Ren Graham
Review by Felix Whetsel
Ghosts! Werewolves! Funny romance! Enemies to lovers! There’s literally nothing more I could ask of a comic book, and “Blackwater” delivers on its promise.
Tony and Eli are very different people with very different high school experiences. One is a popular big track star with lots of friends; the other is a quiet, often intimidated little nerd. Tony takes it upon himself to make Eli’s high school experience a little less miserable, but the decision quickly throws him into a flurry of scary encounters and complicated feelings. It’s hard to balance teenage hormones, an unstable family life, high school drama, your first crush on a boy, and a severe case of lycanthropy.
As a fan of all things paranormal, I was immediately interested in “Blackwater”. Just as interesting as watching the mystery unfold is watching the development of Tony and Eli’s relationship. They each have their own issues, like having an alcoholic father or an autoimmune disease, and these two different people find they have more of a connection than they first thought.
If you’re a ‘Heartstopper’ fan, you’ll enjoy ‘Blackwater’ – an awkward teenage romance, but with the added paranormal. There is the portrayal of being young and coming to terms with one’s sexuality, as well as the experience of being a young trans man. Highly recommend this comic if you’re looking for a fall read to navigate your way through the spooky season!
“Giant Chickens on Thanksgiving Night”
Art and History Izzy Serrano
Write a review about Krystal Moore
If you liked those “Sharknado” movies, then the locally written and produced “Giant Chickens on Thanksgiving Night” is a perfect fit for you. That said, if the idea of using and/or legalizing marijuana bothers you, or if you need your comics to be big, colorful, shiny productions by big comic companies, then it can’t be. – be not the case.
The premise is quite simple: a drug lord doesn’t want weed legalized because it would reduce his market. So, to prevent that from happening, he sends radioactive products to Cliff, Kentucky, where we meet a host of characters at home and probably quite familiar. Some of this stuff ends up in cornbread, which naturally ends up feeding some backyard chickens. The title tells you what happens next!
It’s just a fun one-book game with a silly story and illustrations that really pick up speed when the giant chickens appear and start wreaking havoc. The $20 prize gets you a unique, almost paperback-sized story and the knowledge that you’re supporting an up-and-coming local artist and writer. The cover alone is worth it. We’ll continue to watch for the follow-up number, “Giant Chickens 2: Revenge of the BBC”, hopefully soon.
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