Okay, this blog post is a bit later this morning in being posted...

That's because after a Great Weekend @ the Long Beach Comic Con, (LBCC), I had so much to catch up on first!

However, as I stated last night on my Facebook Wall, I am starting my 'reviews' of comics and graphic novels here this week on those copies that were given to me to read and possibly review here in my Blog. Those were given to me by creators that had enough faith in their projects to hand me a sample copy or two of their publications for possible inclusion here in my Blog.

Above left are pictured Steve Kozak - President of Cossack Comics, and David McAdoo - Story, Art & Design of 'Red Moon - The Rising', the prequel comic book to the upcoming Red Moon Graphic Novel.   You can see the comic book that they are both are holding in the photo, but I also ran a larger photo of just the comic book to the right of their photo, so that you my blog readers can see it better.

The comic book prequel jumped out at Tina on Saturday, as we both were together going through the rest of Artists Alley tables that I didn't get to on Friday when I was alone doing so.

So right off the bat I could see that there would be 'female' interest this project could play to.  Not all projects seen at the LBCC even try to bring in the female audience.  That being said, I thought we should stop and talk with Steve and David further.  I found that the project was also of interest to me, so I told them what I did industry-wise and went home with a sample copy.   Since Tina was going to read this right away, I thought I would do so also, and decided to blog about this project first.

I'm going to let their web site tell you what they believe the story will be about, as it is a work in progress at this time, and only a little is printed in the prequel comic book:

"Red Moon is an epic story of the power of nature, the essence of destiny and the unseen bond between all living things. It’s a mystical journey through the animal kingdom, known and unknown. It’s filled with friendship and sadness, action and drama, love and betrayal.

Raised in the quiet suburbs of middle America, the unknowing hero of this story is a small dog named Mox. The family that owns him seems different now that he’s not a puppy anymore and Mox is slowly coming to the realization that the world around him is changing quickly. Mox is unhappy in his suburban pen but Daeden, a street-wise stray dog, is there to help. Daeden breaks Mox out of his fenced-in yard and shows him that the world outside the fence can be unimaginably wonderful...and tragically terrifying!

Once freed of his confines Mox begins having horrific visions of a world in destruction; forests of fire, crumbling mountains and sunken cities, all under the ominous stare of a RED MOON. What do the visions mean? Why do they send Mox into an uncontrollable frenzy? Even Daeden’s vast knowlege doesn’t have an answer. But there is someone who does have an answer... Krigg. He’s a scarred brute of a raven, black as coal and as big as Mox if not bigger. The hideous bird recites a prophecy that tells the end of Man’s World comes with the visions of a Red Moon...

With that Mox and Daeden’s journey begins. And along that journey they will cross dangerous enemies, make powerful allies and come face to face with some of the most fantastic ancient sages of the animal world!" 

Okay, the above storyline was definitely touched upon in the prequel comic book. Here's my thoughts and at least one from Tina on the prequel comic book alone:

I found that having what would be the 'splash page' to the comic book be the 'Note page' instead would very beneficial to a new reader. Which was good, because the first of the three stories inside the comic book was just a little 'confusing' to Tina.  She wasn't able to keep track of which bird was which during the fight for supremacy of the flock in the first story.  (Hey, it's black and white interior pages and most wild birds do look the same!)

That didn't keep her from reading the rest of the stories, and actually suggesting it to a film producer friend to follow up on, when we met her on Sunday. 

I found that the theme of Daeden, who as a street-wise stray dog, suggesting to Mox, who as a house pet is no longer the center of attention in the household, to escape and be free with Daeden, to be somewhat familar as a theme in an old animated film, but that didn't keep me from enjoying the prequel stories.

The color cover to this prequel is striking, with a good layout, a great intro to the main characters, and the lettering on the cover is perfect in presentation.

The back cover is also striking, and gives the reader a good image to remember.  Very good 'branding' for this graphic novel!

The black and white interior pages are illustrated well, but I can see where others could have trouble like Tina had with the first story when identifying which bird was which during the 'One Must Fall' story. 

The last pages in this prequel were 'Early Character Sketches' of the three main characters.  Which was helpful.  The last article title 'My Process and Technique' was very insightful also.  This is the kind of article that makes new readers want to come back to see how the story continues in the graphic novel.  Very good marketing!

Anyways, I would have to say that I would add this to my list of graphic novels to check out when it is published.  It is supposed to be 196 action packed pages when published.

You can find more about the Red Moon Graphic Novel at their web site:

http://www.redmoongraphicnovel.com/

My thanks to Tina who brought this production that Steve Kozak was showing at the LBCC to my attention.  And thanks to David McAdoo whose creation this project was from the very start!

~ Michael @  ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com