Further Adventures In Digital Comics: The Gorilla, In The Panda Habitat…With A Candlestick? – Review Of Sanctuary #1-4

EDITOR’S NOTE – This review is on issues #1-4 of Sanctuary, by Stephen Coughlin and is based on preview copies forwarded to the Crisis Home Office by Mr. Coughlin. Also, there will be spoilers. Mystery solved!

When I examine my pull list, I have to admit that deep down I’m kind of a Capes and Cowls sort of girl. As someone who got back into reading comics by way of Transmetropolitan and Preacher, I didn’t think I was. But, lately, my weekly take skews heavy to The Big Two and The Big Two are mostly Flights and Tights. After that, I have a healthy chunk of Vertigo books, which tend to not be super powers books, but still generally have magic and weirdness. Following that are Image books, which could be about anything, but often deal with super powers though. Rounding out the pack are books from Boom Studios and small press (which, I guess you could say would include Boom, if only because it’s not Marvel or DC). Small press books tend towards the quirky and are less likely to be “traditional”, at least the ones I get. Maybe the protagonist is a talking teddy bear whose mortal enemy is the family cat. Or maybe the protagonist thinks he’s a superhero, but he’s really an oddly nigh invulnerable nut job who runs around in blue spandex doing more damage than good. Either way, for good or bad, my pull list tends toward the big established guys with their big established, practically heirloom, hero properties. Furthermore, my weekly take is also, entirely, physical paper copy.

Enter Slave Labor Graphics.

Slave Labor Graphics made the move to offer its monthlies solely through digital distribution last fall. From SLG’s September 19, 2011 press release:

San Jose based comic book publisher SLG Publishing is embracing digital distribution of its titles and switching the company’s model for comic book series to a digital first distribution policy. “The market has been pushing us away from serialized comics and more towards books and graphic novels for some time” said SLG president and publisher Dan Vado “However it is difficult to publish a 200 page graphic novel from an unknown artist without having some sort of lower-cost entry point like a comic book series to help build an audience, so going digital first seems like a good way to introduce readers to new creators and build an audience which we can build on for potential book releases.”

Fair enough, SLG. Admirable that you will still be offering books by new and upcoming indie talent. However, Rob and I still aren’t 100% down with digital downloads. Between DRM and proprietary file formats, in addition to concern that sites that distribute digital content can disappear with the content that we paid for with no way to transfer it to another platform, we’re a couple of skeptics. And, we just like holding a book in our hands. Not to worry says SLG:

Ok, then. PDFs that are DRM free. You have my attention. Still, I need an excuse to remember to visit the site for weekly releases. SLG lets you sign up for their newsletter. They also can be found on Twitter. Even then, some of us, well, ok, me, need a bigger push to remember to go check out SLG’s unique offerings by independent creators. I’m a girl who lives pretty happily in my rut.

Writer-artist Steven Coughlin advanced Crisis On Infinite Midlives copies of issues #1-4 of his new series Sanctuary. I have to admit that this is not a book that I would have sought out on my own (*cough* capes *cough* cowls *cough*). However, Coughlin has put together an intriguing murder mystery, set on an isolated island within an animal sanctuary. When a panda is murdered, the suspects could be any of the scientists who run the facility…or one of the animals inside the sanctuary. The storylines in the book follow the scientists, as well as the animals – who have deep, complex relationships…and the ability to talk.

Coughlin was interviewed by Comic Book Resources back in July and had said of the project, “I had always hoped that someday Disney would do some kind of a murder mystery movie, but obviously since it’s for kids, they would never do that. I started writing my own murder mystery.” The Disney influence is pretty clear in Coughlin’s art, particularly in the panels of young tiger Ezra and his father Zeke. Still, while this book would probably be appropriate for late elementary and middle school readers, you don’t feel as though you’re reading a kids’ book. The story of Sanctuary is nicely layered, with unexpected twists and story developments that do surprise. Some of the advance copy on the book promotes it as “Lost meets The Jungle Book“, but that doesn’t really do it justice. There’s some Island Of Dr. Moreau stuff going on here, and, I think, a hint of Lord Of The Flies. Zeke mentions a brother he hasn’t spoken to in years and all the animals keep mentioning some secret, dark event, which has polarized the sanctuary’s community. There’s more than enough to keep the reader interested and going back to re-read and look for clues.

So, if you’re looking for a place to get into digital comics, Slave Labor Graphics and Steven Coughlin’s Sanctuary are a good place to start. The PDF format reads clean on computer and tablet screens and, while not quite as satisfying as holding a physical book in your hands, is a closer experience than some other digital offerings. You can download purchases from SLG directly (and, issue #1 of Sanctuary is free), or you can get your downloads through iTunes, Comixology, and B&N.com (for Nook readers).