24 Hour Comic Presents: Sentinels Of Blood Island

Title: 24 Hour Comic Presents: Sentinels Of Blood Island
Date: 2011
Publisher: Free Lunch Comics
Writer: Matt Ryan
Artist: Matt Ryan

This is Matt Ryan's 2010 24-Hour Comic Day effort, published in standard comic format.

The story is a pretty basic horror tale. A recently married couple is enjoying a "working honeymoon". The husband, a professional travel writer and explorer who appears on cable TV shows about exotic locations, is planning to visit the mysterious Blood Island. Interspersed with the story pages are pages of his notes and observations. A guide brings him to within sight of the strange island, but various forces conspire to keep him from making landfall.

In addition to the story itself, this book also includes creator Matt Ryan's notes on the 24-hour comic process, with page-by-page updates on his progress as he worked plotted out and drew the comic.

This is a nice package for anyone interested in the 24-Hour Comic Day event, and it's packaged with a decent little creepy tale.

Rating: 7/10

The Blood Rider Preview

Title: The Blood Rider Preview
Date: 2008
Publisher: Free Lunch Comics & Thunder Hammer Publishing
Writer: Mark Tarrant
Artist: Matt Ryan

Ashcan format preview book that introduces Ezekiel Carson, a vampire gunslinger in the Old West.

I liked the "Weird West" feel of this introductory story. Carson arrives in a small town to found most of the populace hanging and the rest among the ranks of the walking dead. He proceeds to dispense some frontier justice.

Nice artwork, particularly on the faces. This ashcan also includes a two-page preview of Ezekiel Carson's adventures in prose form.

I like the mix of vampire lore with Old West action. This was a good preview that got me interested in reading more about the Blood Rider's adventures.

Rating: 7/10