The above pictured comic book mini-series was sent to me for a possible review here in this Blog... 

It currently is a three issue mini-series, although Nicholas is looking at possibly running another story arc.

First, a little about Nicholas... He is a Founder of A.N.A. Comics, from where I obtained some bio info on him.

Favorite comics: Past: Spider-Man, Maxx, Savage Dragon, Spawn, Cerebus.   Now: Bone, Atomic Robo Web: PvP Online, Penny-Arcade, XKCD, Perry Bible Fellowship, Freakangels

Creative Influences: Erik Larsen, Sam Keith, Neil Gaeman, Warren Ellis, Todd McFarlane, Dave Sim, Jeff Smith, Scott Kurtz and the list keeps growing as I meet more artists and writers in the industry

Favorite moment in comics: I truly can't nail it down to one event, but I had to describe it in one sentance, it would be when I discovered life outside of Marvel, DC and Image. The world of independants is so full of texture and life. And that feeling extends into webcomics as well.

Role at A.N.A.: My official title is Vice President of Independent Properties, but I write and illustrate The Precarious Adventures of Newton Von Brisby plus various other projects on the back burner. I'm also the official hand wringer and nail biter of the 3 of us.

Current Project/s: The Precarious Adventures of Newton Von Brisby, I'm also working on a continuation of the Harijan Mini-series and will be bringing my graphic novel, Oasis to the web in 2010.

Okay, so you've been 'introduced' to Nicholas.  What about the mini-series?

Here's what the press info says the series is about:

Issue #1 - Harijan follows the exploits of a group of cast-offs that are trying to survive in a world that has moved on without them.

Issue #2 - Virgil, David and Apollo are forced to deal the golem that followed the mysterious girl they brought back to their headquarters. Meanwhile, we also witness some of the aftermath of their confrontation with the monster dog, Prince.

Issue #3 - This issues closes up the mini-series following Virgil, David and the mysterious, bar-coded girl. Family matters creep back into Virgil's life and affect everyone else.

Harijan:  TM and © Nicholas P. Myers and Floating Island Press. All rights reserved.

So what did I think of this series?

Well... I purposely posted the covers to issues #1 & #3 above for a reason. The first issue is very strange and caught my eyes.  It would have caught my attention at a LCBS also.  The front cover to issue #2 is a close-up of one of the main characters, and wouldn't have caught my attention, (and isn't posted above either).  Then the third issue's cover evolved to a family scene and the words 'Family Matters'. If I hadn't seen the transistion from cover #1 to #2 then #3 all at once, I wouldn't realized that it was the same series at the LCBS, and would have probably missed picking up the subsequent issues...

Okay, so I've 'covered' the covers.  What about the interior pages?

Whenever a creator elects to do the writing and illustration of a sequential art publication, they are responsible for the entire contents.  After all, it is 'Their Vision' that they are writing and drawing.

First, the title of the series is 'Harijan'.  Issue #1 presented the following definition of Harijan: “belongs to the lowest social and ritual class in India, untouchable, castaway, outcast, pariah, Ishmael- a person who is rejected (from society or home).  'Harijan' is translated as “son of god”. However it was given as a 'label' to the lower class of the Indian caste system by Ghandi in an effort to create acceptance from the rest of that country. It is now considered as a patronizing term.

The above was written on the splash page of the first issue.  So I was prepared to turn the page and start reading... The storyline was just a little confusing at first, but I picked up on it.

Even though the title was explained in detail as to the word's background, the actual story was of a science-fiction genre. This three part series tells the story of a group of misfits who banded together in the nether regions of the city-state  of Oasis to survive. 

The artwork was a little 'different', but the black and white aspect of the printed format was right for the artwork.  The use of blacks in the black and white format fit well, and emphasized the creatures very well.  The illustrations of the characters were a little 'loose' in the facial features, but that is Nicholas' style throughout the three issues.  The backgrounds of the panels with the characters could have had more detail... but the landscapes and the 'camera angles' of the panels were done very well.  Again, I figure that this is Nicholas' style in illustrating character panels versus landscape panels.

The second issue picked up on the action and moved the storyline along.  The illustrations were right for this part of the 3 part series, but I'm still questioning the use of the illustration on the cover of this issue.

The third issue brought the series to a satisfying end for me as a reader. Plus the interior art meshed with the storyline.  However the use of the illustration on the the cover of this issue would not have made me inclined to pick it up at the LCBS, (Local Comic Book Shop), if I hadn't read the first two issues.  Something about the three covers not meshing for me is what I see as a possible reason for someone not picking up the entire series at the LCBS.  While issue #3's cover is a good one by itself and entices me to pick it up; if issue #1 was directly behind it on the shelf at the LCBS, I would wonder what the heck kind of storyline is this??

All in all, I found the storyline to be an interesting one, the interior artwork to mesh well as the story unfolded.  The dialogue helped define the main characters for me as a reader.  However... If this was to be compiled into a TPB or graphic novel, I would definitely suggest a different cover than the three printed floppy issues' covers.

You can buy this series, (as well as other A.N.A. publications), at:

http://anacomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/you-can-buy-our-comics.html,

or if you have an account at Indy Planet, then click the following for the link directly to these three issues:  Click here.