Cold Cut Distribution's Feature Spotlight #12 - January 1996
Gold Digger
Publisher: Antarctic Press
Story & Art: Fred Perry
Cvr Price: $2.75 (now $2.95 from #28 up)
Frequency: Monthly
Storyline:
Growing up as the daughter of a powerful mage, Gina Diggers tried her best
to master the arts of magic her father controlled so well - but try as she
might, she just couldn't get the hang of it. Her father suggested she turn
her attention to something else, and she became entranced with the arts of
science and the power of the electron. When her father came upon the last
survivor of a clan war between werecats, he adopted the young were-cheetah
cub, and Gina now had a sister, Brittany. Now that Gina and Brittany are
18, they're off on their own series of adventures - saving the world on a
regular basis in their own inimitable style. Oh, and they're both full of
raging hormones, and looking for a guy...
Writing Review:
Wacky, fun-filled, rip-roaring adventure that would make Ian Fleming proud -
if he hadn't been so caught up in the "serious" stuff. Fred writes on the
level of a Phil Foglio if Phil could put things out monthly - the plots are
tight, logical, and adventure-filled, the scripting is hilarious, the asides
are perfect, and the nods to other books and the series' own continuity is
solid and fun. Gina, Brittany, and the entire cast have well-defined
personalities that are great fun to watch interact.
Art Review:
Fred's art has improved markedly over the three straight years he's been
putting out this series. When he started with the original four-issue
miniseries in 1992, his art, though incredibly kinetic and well-paced, was
sketchy. Now he's solidified his sketchiness into a wonderful full-formed
super-energetic line - and his composition is even stronger than it was when
he started. Fred gets a kick out of adding all sorts of fun details in the
background (book titles, little "mumbles" or "complaints" by background
characters, etc), just like Foglio, and it's just as fun here.
Fred's people are usually... well-proportioned, and Gold Digger is no
exception. Nice, though, that in this series the characters know it -
they're actively searching out "handsome hunks" to date (or otherwise
exploit), and it's fun to watch adventures with such sexy characters.
Audience:
Gold Digger is a wildly fun mix of James Bond and Indiana Jones with
Buck Godot. And that's the most obvious parallel - fans of Buck
Godot will go gaga over Gold Digger - especially considering it
really does come out pretty much every month. Readers of Ninja High
School, Buster the Bear, Swan, even Thieves & Kings should also
take a look at Gold Digger. Though it doesn't have soul-searching
heart-break or grand epic scope, its light-hearted adventure is a joy to
read.
If you like Gold Digger, take a look at:
Arcana
Publisher: Wells & Clark
Story: T.S. Wells
Art: Rob Clark
Cover Price: $2.25 ($3.00 for the triple-size 72 page first issue)
Frequency: Bi-monthly.
Storyline:
Con artists Flagg and Foxglove are working a variation on their regular con
in a tiny village pub when it nearly goes bad on them. On the lam, they
find bedraggled teenager Clorinda attempting to take refuge in one of their
hideouts. The devious pair have tender hearts and talk Clorinda into
joining their trek as she works out her problems. But as they take shelter
from a storm in the house of a strange family, Clorinda struggles with her
personal demons and her hidden abilities.
Writing Review:
Arcana has strong, serious writing - both plotting and scripting are
excellent. Wells has a feel for both troubled teens with haunting memories
and tender-hearted caring folk who just happen to be con artists - who see
themselves more as fighting an unjust system (stealing from corrupt tax
collectors, for instance) than wrongdoers. The main complaint I have is
with the pacing, which is a slow, steady, measured gait (not unlike Cerebus
in stretches).
The first issue is thankfully long, since Wells attempts a difficult writing
trick in the very first pages - she alternates pages telling Clorinda's tale
and Flagg and Foxglove's story - odd-numbered pages following the duo's
narrative, even-numbered pages delving into Clorinda's troubled memories.
This succeeds to some degree, but it's a somewhat disorienting introduction
to a series. Luckily, as the giant-sized first issue hits its midpoint, we
start Chapter Two, where Clorinda meets the pair, and it tells a coherent
single tale from there on. Once you've finished the first issue, it's easy
to look back on the disjointed opening as an interesting insight into the
characters.
Art Review:
Clark's art starts out acceptable and improves notably over the run - though
he still seems to be uncomfortable drawing muzzles (a necessary thing to do
in an anthropomorphic title) in perspective. Early on, he also seems
hesitant about getting expression on the nonhuman faces, but by issue 4 he's
got it down. The panel borders owe a lot to Sim, though his layouts are
more varied (with mixed effect). Backgrounds are minimal, but evocative -
figures are more static than kinetic, but then this is not an
action-oriented book, being more introspective. Overall, decent art, with
room for improvement.
Sales Overview:
Arcana is something of a cross between Hepcats and A
Distant Soil with a touch of Cerebus thrown in. Readers of
Greymatter and Swan will also find something to enjoy in this
intriguing light fantasy with introspective themes. The tie to
Hepcats is particularly strong, from the obvious anthropomorphic
aspect to the introspective and relationship-oriented themes, even to the
young woman with the mysterious past. All Hepcats readers should check out
Arcana, and most will find something to like - especially noting the
relatively regular publishing schedule (it's been regularly bimonthly until
issue 6, which has an announced minor delay and will be out sometime this
month).
If you like Arcana, take a look at:
Cold Cut Distribution
220 N Main St. - Salinas, CA 93901 - (831) 751-7300
