Those who are interested in the trials and tribulations of creating an independent comic book should read Gutwallow: The Gingerbread Man by Dan Berger. Not because the Gutwallow story is great or that the main character is so intriguing that makes this comic series worthy of your hard-earned money. Aspiring comic creators should read this series to find out what to do and what not to do when entering the highly competitive field of comic books (for another independent comic book series read this month's review of Rip Roar'n Comics).
This comics' artwork is nothing short of fabulous. The backgrounds the clothes, the use of medieval, African, and Celtic cultures were perfectly blended to create a very intriguing mythical world. It was just the story that was weak.
Gutwallow is set in an alternate universe of Earth, where two warriors J'Sika, an African looking warrior/shaman, and Leafale, a saucy Celtic inspired super warrior, are in search of a magical talisman that will save J'Sika's people from an evil tyrant. Their travels lead them to the castle of a Gargamel type sorcerer name Necromancer. In Necromancer's castle is a strange little fellow named Gutwallow, who joins the two on their adventures to take the talisman, found in Necromancer's castle, back to J'Sika's homeland to save her people.
The story had a lot of potential it just seemed that something was missing to bring all the events of the twelve issues of Gutwallow to greatness. (The 12 issues are now available as a graphic novel). Gutwallow was not a strong hero. He was cute, but really had no role in the story. I felt the story was more about Leafale and J'Sika-and Leafale stole the show. Her comedic antics, rough Scottish brogue, and kick ass moves make her the prefect-leading lady. Gutwallow just was not hero material.
Another problem I had with this series was that so many great characters were not given the time to be fleshed out. Characters like Necromancer, Wyrmkiller, and Jabber; the ninja who had a little thing for Leafale were good strong characters who were victims of the system. The comedic relief they provide was reminiscent of The Tick series.
This comic is a perfect example of why the 32 page comic book format, so famous in America, for all reasons SUCKS! Creators like Berger are constrained and are not given the sufficient time and space needed to flesh out a story to its full potential. The distributors put this comic out there to die in the market. This comic in my opinion was not a series, but more of a story, a sequential art story, and would have been better as a graphic novel or graphic novel series. If I had picked up this series I would have never went back for the subsequent issues. Knowing the length between comic releases, this is not a series that would make me die for the next issue, because the issue cliffhangers, were not all that suspenseful. (Thank God Mr. Berger sent me the entire 12 issues!). The twelfth issue, which was scheduled to be the last, was very rushed and choppy. The story was wrapped up way too quick. But I do not blame this all on the author because throughout the entire series Berger was constantly threatened with the comic no longer having a distributor. So the story again was a victim of the system.
One positive point to this series is the Author/Reader pages. This series has one of the best Author/Reader pages I have ever encountered. Gut Wrenching is worth the value of the comic alone. It is a personal journey, though not intentionally of how an independent comic creator has so much bullshit to put up with in order to get their work out in the marketplace.
While I was not impressed with the character of Gutwallow, I am glad the series was not cancelled. I look forward to reading future issues to see how the story progresses. Mr. Berger if you are reading this please give Leafale her own series, like a prequel or alternate universe to Gutwallow. She is so kick ass! I would also like something on J'Sika's adventures prior to her meeting Leafale. It is not often that a Black character is given such precedence in a comic and I hope she continues to be a strong part of the story line as well.
If there are any fans of the series reading this article, please send your opinions. I am interested in finding out your opinions on the series, and where you think it will go. Please send your comments and/or questions to JenniferJ@ybfree.com.