Sad that it came to this, but my admiration and respect for your integrity.
I look forward to whatever your next project is.

The book is a series of contrasts; heat and cold, power and disadvantage, bravery and cowardice. It’s all so well-realised and this first issue draws the reader in with excellent world- and character-building.
I want to read more.

There’s a fairytale, mythological quality to Our Soot Stained Heart, in both the writing and art.
Written by Joni Hägg @jhagg.bsky.social and Stipan Morian @stipanmorian.bsky.social with art by Morian and colour art by Ropemann @ropemann.bsky.social
Letters are by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou .

Our Soot Stained Heart is a steampunk fantasy world where, in The Coalition, a city ruled by Governor Glass and the Factory Lords, coal is earned by the downtrodden poor by being bad. But factory worker and good girl, Peggy Stones may be pushed into a position to bring about changes.

Our Soot Stained Heart is a steampunk fantasy world where, in The Coalition, a city ruled by Governor Glass and the Factory Lords, coal is earned by the downtrodden poor by being bad. But factory worker and good girl, Peggy Stones may be pushed into a position to bring about changes.

This is now a regular occurrence and they’re right every time.
I don’t (again, yet) know who this character is, but what a way to find her and the book in which she features. Looking forward to learning all about her… tomorrow. I’m still full of Turkish food.

Miracleman is another one that I reread periodically. It’s one of my comic book touchstones. Still not my favourite Moore comic, but I love it alongside Watchmen, each there with their dark side superheroics and dubious endings of questionable happiness.

But Miracleman was no over-praised disappointment. I found it with the remarkable art of creators such as Garry Leach, Alan Davis, and John Totleben. It had the oh-so satisfying writing of Alan Moore. It had his tropes, but what a tale they all told.

For me, it was a bit like another Alan Moore story, the Jaspers’ Warp tale of Captain Britain. I heard about it before I got to it. Both could easily have been spoiled for me, not in plot points, but in overhype.

But I loved reading it. Unfortunately, I didn’t read Miracleman on first publication, then still known as Marvelman. I knew some of the mythologising about the book before I got to read it in full. I’d even read a snippet here and there.

As with Watchmen, what am I going to say about Miracleman that hasn’t been said ad infinitum? Miracleman has been analysed and deconstructed about as much as Moore deconstructed the original Marvelman and the superhero genre.

But sales declined and the Marvelman family titles were cancelled. And this time, that was the end…

…or not.

But I’m certainly not going to have a go at any of the creators just because this comic wasn’t for me. Marvelman ran from 1954 to 1963, so there must have been something in it. They’re more published than I’ll ever be.

I can see a sort of charm in them, if I squint just right, but they were fairly simple in both narrative and characterisation. They’re not my favourite, although I’d love to know what I would have thought if I’d read them as a child. No idea.

I’m sure I’ve read the story from Marvelman #25, ‘Marvelman and the Atomic Bomber’ in one of the more recent reprint books. I’ll be honest, this is as close as I’m going to come to breaking my A-Comic-A-Day rule about not being negative. The Marvelman stories were fairly forgettable.

The existing Captain Marvel title changed to Marvelman and retained its numbering. Marvelman was young Micky Moran who, when he said a secret word given him by a mysterious man, became the superhero Marvelman. Look, it’s just a reskinned Captain Marvel, even the supporting characters. We know that.

Fawcett Publications’ Captain Marvel was reprinted in the UK in the 50s by L. Miller & Son until Fawcett stopped producing comics.
That wasn’t the end, though…

Bill Parker was the writer, colourist, and editor, and C.C. Beck was the artist. It’s commonly known that Captain Marvel outsold Superman for a time back in the day.
I’ve not actually read Whiz Comics issue 2, although I know the basic story. Wouldn’t mind having a look.

Until he can’t. The end of the world happens and he can’t undo it, no matter what he tries. And so he decides to go back ten years and just live happily. That’s the plan, anyway.
Great first issue. Fantastic writing and stunning art. No idea where it’s going , but I’m there for it.