Garth Kirby and the Cookbook of the Gods

Written by: Gary M. Kenny, CC2K Comics Editor

CC2K’s Sal Crivelli breaks into the indy comic business with a bizarre adventure staring a wacky mechanic named Garth Kirby. Kirby has nonstop action, slapstick humor (think Hanna Barbara), a solid pace, and an art direction taken directly from Saturday morning cartoons. This book is a schmorgesborg of fun; you aren’t picking up this title expecting a mystery or a psychological thriller. Grab this title for the simple fact that you’ll be giggling as Yakuza/Ninja’s are fighting Mummies. 

Garth Kirby and the Cookbook of the Gods

Writer/Creator – Sal Crivelli
Pencils – Viktor Bogdanovic
Inks – Jenn Corella
Letters – Wil.D
Cover colorist – Grace Freeman

He’s womaniser,he’s also an arrogant and mustached mechanic. His name: Garth Kirby. Kirby with his partner: Andy an Indian (from India), are mistakenly handed the “Egyptian book of the dead.” This book has the power to resurrect the dead and it’s up to this ragtag duo to stop it from getting into the wrong hands (that of a smoking hot archaeologist). The book is nonstop. You are thrown in the fire as soon as you turn the first page. Just like a good movie, you get to the know the characters by the situation that they’re in and the actions and decisions that they take. This book is completely character driven, which is great for a comic book. The story is a simple, yet fun. The villain will probably change from book to book (ala scooby doo), but in this issue: Raven the gun slinging archaeologist is a real treat. She’s hot headed and shoots first asks questions later kind of villain. Completely different from our protagonist. And different is KEY with a book like Garth Kirby.

Viktor Bogdanovic’s style mimics that of a young Humberto Ramos. Think various facial expressions, over the top action, and artwork inspired by years of watching cartoons. He also paces the book extremely well with an array of different perspectives. One scene has a missile fired right at the antagonist. We see it being fired, we have a shot of her eyes widening, a stunning flip over the missile, and a big bang. Most artists don’t slow down the action, Viktor plays with the pace, gives the audience the proper tempo and this practice takes the book into a higher level. Honestly, though the story is a lot of fun, Viktor’s artwork is what pops and makes the reader turn the page. 

Little House Comics publishes this title and can be bought online through Graphicly. For a free preview CLICK HERE. With the Comic books becoming more “events” and characters changing almost every year, support Indy comics and comics like Garth Kirby. We need more fun books and fun characters like Garth to help keep this industry from falling. PICK IT UP. It’s definitely worth clicking the free preview.