A few weeks ago, I met Brian Hawkins over on Google+. Brian is an indie-comic creator, teacher, and most importantly, a generally nice guy. He was pushing his new comic I am Michael Watcher, an indie comic about a series of homicides on a college campus, illustrated by Charlie Sansalone Alway and published through his own Skinny Boy Studios. Issue two just dropped and you can get it in print or digital for less than $3 right here. That’s a bargain in this comic book market.
On top of being an exciting project run by nice people, I am Michael Watcher is a genuinely good comic book. Although we’ve only barely been introduced to these characters, they seem like people I would like to follow and learn more about. The mystery is interesting and definitely deserves more exploration and the digital artwork is very unique and in places pretty terrific. However, it isn’t solely the quality of the actual book that I admire, but rather, the spirit of the creators.
These guys have a story they want to tell, and they’re going to tell it no matter what. For absolutely nothing you can get a digital copy, how often can you say that? They just want you to try it, to say you like it, to come back next month. They aren’t nickel-and-diming you into buying eight thousand dollars worth of comics a month to follow one story, they’re just pushing their goods. They’ve started a Kickstarter, are going to print with it, and rumor has it they might appear on the AiPT podcast sometime soon. I just respect them so much for the time and effort they are putting into this project, even with limited resources.
How can you become a fan of IAMW? First of all, visit Brian’s blog and check out all of the updates and news about the project. There you can also purchase either of the issues in both print and digital. Second, support their Kickstarter page. Even a $5 donation helps, and if you feel compelled to give more, I recommend doing so. Or, just scroll down for a few preview pages from the first issue:
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