Small Press Heroes

by David Makler

Timeforce scours the timeline to retrieve forbidden tech that inevitably falls into the hands of those who would use it for evil!

_{Bundle of 5 eight-page minicomics. $7.99 + shipping. Ordering info at David’s Etsy shop}

Sample pages:

Jason‘s thoughts:

This is what got me into small press in the first place! There’s nothing quite like holding a mini-comic in your hands that was printed, trimmed, folded and stapled by the creator themselves who then mailed it directly to you. Plus you can correspond with them directly to tell them how awesome the comics were (which I’ve already done!).

The premise is simple: rogue Timeforce agents are selling advanced technology to the highest bidder in the past and its up to the rest of Timeforce to get that tech back. Great concept and lovely execution. These stories are short and sweet with a cover and 7 pages of story. And most of those pages are one panel each. Plus they’re all self-contained. And David is able to pack a whole lot of action and exposition in those few pages. These comics are a master class in brevity, and I’m frankly a bit jealous how he’s able to tell such awesome stories in such a compact package.

The artwork is definitely Kirby-inspired and these stories would absolutely be right at home in some old issues of Marvel comics. And my favorite thing about this series is that like all the best small press books, it fires up the imagination. David has created a robust mythology with these tiny epics and I would absolutely love to see more of these characters and learn more about them. In particular, I’m intrigued by The Wraith and would be thrilled to see more exploits of the Steel Sheriff. Plus maybe learn what that Roman gladiator is up to.