Plastic Farm #10

Back to the pile of comics from SPACE. I'm slowly making my way through it!

Title: Plastic Farm
Issue: #10
Date: June 2005
Publisher: Plastic Farm Press
Writer: Rafer Roberts
Artist: Dennis Culver
Copy Editor: Nan Roberts

Detective Jake Goner investigates the bombing that killed two of his fellow cops. At the funeral, he makes a promise to one of the widows to find the killer, but the investigation soon grinds to a halt amid a mass of red tape. It seems that powerful people in the police department want this case to remain unsolved.

Detective Goner is unable to shake the need to find the truth, even when his continued investigations cost him his career. But that price, it turns out, is only the beginning.

Rafer Roberts goes back to the straight-up hardboiled detective style for this issue, and crafts a disturbing tale that features the capable illustration talent of Dennis Culver.

Rating: 7/10

Plastic Farm #4

Title: Plastic Farm
Issue: #4
Date: December, 2003
Publisher: Plastic Farm Press
Writer: Rafer Roberts
Artist: Rafer Roberts
Backup Story By: Rafer Roberts, Nan Roberts, Dennis Culver

The main story here is a tragic romance about a young pilot and the first and only love of his life. It's a stand-alone story, so we've still got a lot of loose ends hanging from earlier in the series, but I'm enjoying the ride so far. The dialogue, especially early in the tale, flows smoothly and naturally and the characters are great.

Two backup stories here. First up is an illustrated poem by Nan Roberts, wife of creator Rafer Roberts. Rafer Roberts handles the illustrating on the piece, which has a nice quirky beat-poetry feel to it.

The second backup story is Astro Zombies, an space-opera zombie tale by Dennis Culver that doesn't take itself too seriously. Two of the three characters are pro wrestlers (one with extra arms!). The story is simple and straightforward, but the characters are amusing and likable.

Rating: 8/10