Continuing the Kickstarter trend started the last week, I want to review the next book I got in the mail. Steph Cannon and Matt Knowles have created a fantastic world for any child of any age to go into. Without further ado, let me introduce to you one of the most fun books on the market.
The Book
Misfitz Clubhouse: Sharks, Dragons and Little Red Wagons
Created and Written by: Steph Cannon and Matt Knowles
Illustrated and Lettered by: Rahil Mohsin
Colored by: Marcos Rocha
Editorial Assistant: Richard Rivera
Publisher: Insymmetry Creations
Misfitz Clubhouse is the Captain Crunch of comics. It’s the perfect material for your Saturday morning entertainment. The Clubhouse issues are a collection of short stories featuring the adventures of Meeky, Ferry, Slothie, and Stig, kids that mean and go on wild adventures. The closest thing this reminds me of in tone and storytelling is the cartoon series Recess from the old-school saturday morning cartoons. If you like fun adventures for the kid and the kid at heart, this is an amazing book for you.
Sharks, Dragons, and Little Red Wagons have four stories. The first one is Beach Bash Bonanza, in which the conniving captain Bluebeard tries to invade the castles the kids built on the beach to hilarious results. The captain is vindictive in a very charming way and the kids beat them the way kids always do…a cannon blob attack. A fun, energetic opening to the issue.
My favorite story in the book, Old Man Willow was next. With the kid’s drone lost in old man Willow’s yard, the kids have to retrieve it…if they can pass the dragon first. Going there, the kids realize not everything they hear about someone is true.
The comic gets a fun interruption as the debuting Bruce McTootherson takes center stage. Bruce McTootherson is a shark with a heart of gold and a detective’s mindset. He takes on the case of the robbery at Fishbacks. It’s a fun little story with a fun little twist at the end. Oh, and McTootherson is a touch…clumsy. We’ll leave it at that.
Finally, the book concludes with kids riding in barrels. I really don’t have to say anything else. Barrel Peril is everything you can imagine, and really, I wanted to be one of the kids riding the barrels across town. Maybe that makes me crazy, but I’ll take it.
Imagination is a big theme in all the stories. Beach Bash Bonanza and Old Man Willow both play on the exaggerations of a child’s imagination. In maybe the nicest compliment I can give, the way the creative team does this reminds me very much of Calvin and Hobbes. I really don’t know a higher compliment I can give the team. The strength of this book is the imagination running through it, and the heart.
Steph Cannon, Matt Knowles, and Rahil Mohsin are having the time of their lives with this. The kids, the book, feel so light and fun. One of the strengths of this series is that you can jump in at any point. The stories are not necessarily in any order, and you can just enjoy them for what they are. That’s a credit to the creative genius of Cannon and Knowles.
Mohsin is just knocking it out of the park with illustrations from barrels to sharks to old men with dragons, Mohsin shows off his versatility and skill with each issue. The unsung hero of the book may be Marcos Rocha, who uses colors to create an amazing tone in the book. These two may be the soul of this book, and I have to tip my hat off to them.
This series is perfect for the kid at heart. If you want something genuinely fun in your hands, this is the book to go with.
The Business
Roadkill Rampage issue 4 is on Kickstarter right now. If you click the link, you’ll find a familiar name on the page. This is my first editing credit in comics and I was happy to do it. The book is a special treat for fans of horror. Tess goes on a road trip she’ll never forget, and now we head to the final destination. Will Tess come through this alive? Or will a terrible fate befall her? Rodney Fyke has done an amazing job writing this, and I encourage you to read it.
The podcast heads towards 1000. I’m at episode 977 writing this. Not too long before we hit the end. I’m excited about this and where the show is going. Today for the Patreon, I interviewed author Jake Elwood. Probably one of the wildest interviews as we found one of the most beautiful places in the city of Calgary I’ve ever seen, and then the rain fell. In short, I love talking to Jake. He’s a great guy and I loved this chat. It’s coming soon to the Patreon. On top of that, I’ve launched my Patreon. I know if you’ve read the column early on, I’ve done it before. This time is different. I’ve been working on producing a show post-1000 now. Four episodes are up there now. I just launched my interview with Eminate Rays, a musician and businesswoman. It was damn cool.
In addition to that, I have drawings and an ongoing novel there that you can join in. Five dollars a month gets you all of that. Click here if you want to join and support my podcast as I am going on the road, and get some cool stories and art in the process.
Speaking of prepping for that, I’m selling my comic book collection. Not all of it, but I’m purging. On my eBay account right now, I have sets of books for sale. If you are interested in helping me out on the next leg of the journey, check out my account, and bid on something you like.
And don’t forget, I do advertise comic projects, and creators with my advertising services. I’ve worked with creators in both prose and comics and am looking forward to helping you. Take a look if you’re looking to get your project out there.
That will do it for another column. Stay inspired out there.
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