The over-arching theme of the recommendations I’ve been making lately is that of fun, quirky adventure. There’s something unusual and odd and altogether charming about these books. And Todd Dezago and Craig Rousseau’s THE PERHAPANAUTS published by DARK HORSE COMICS fits that bill exactly. The comic is about a team of monster hunters who work for a secret shadow organization called BEDLAM… and the fun thing about this team is that they themselves are monsters– or at the least oddities. The team is made up of a woman with psychic powers, a young girl who’s a ghost, a big guy known only as ‘MG’ who’s really a mystery at this point, a super-intelligent sasquatch– and rounded out by a little Chupacabra nicknamed (naturally) CHOOPIE. I mean, c’mon– that group ALONE is worth the price of admission! But the real highlight of this book is the creative team. I’ve worked with Todd for years on both SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN and our co-owned TELLOS book… and Todd has always been overflowing with great ideas. I’ve always enjoyed our creative brainstorming back-and-forths. And Todd’s writing and dialogue has always had a wonderful feel that is uniquely his own (and if you’ve ever met Todd, you’ll know what I mean). Todd’s writing always has the feeling of a sense of underlying innocence and enthusiastic optimism to it. There’s a feeling of wonder and discovery to his stories… but they’re also tinged with an undercurrent of danger and dark foreboding. You never know what’s around the next corner. It’s this ability to keep the reader off balance, entertained and surprised that I admire so much. And Craig Rousseau is an insanely talented artist….! He’s one of the most versatile artists I know… he can do it all. He can fill his work with light-hearted fun… or he can draw the most heavy drama-filled moments. Over the years I’ve known him, he’s pared his work down to only the most essential linework…. and this gives his work a singular look that is full of confidence and authority. And his sense of design is just amazing. And the colors on THE PERHAPANAUTS by Rico Renzi are wonderfully crafted in their simplicity and choice of hue– much like the work of Matt Hollingsworth, Bill Crabtree and Lee Loughridge. It’s really my favorite style of coloring these days.. and Rico is tops at it.

These guys really love these characters. I don’t know any other creators who work mostly in the mainstream who have taken the initiative to self-publish and self-distribute their own book in recent times like these two guys have. They published a ‘prologue’ version of the book printed on newsprint that was just a thrill to behold. Todd and Craig are both big fans of the old newsprint comics and wanted to do their own version for nostalgia’s sake. It was a wonderful package. And they sold them directly to fans and comic shops, which I thought was a brave and brilliant touch. Head on over to PERHAPANAUTS.COM to find out a lot more about the book, the creators as well as how you can order all the books online. And you can find more of Craig’s amazing art by going here. As for Todd… well, Todd needs to get his own web site going.

These guys aren’t just immensely talented creators– they’re also two of my very best friends. Their book deserves your attention– because frankly, we need more of the kinds of stories they craft.

This is Entry 188.

Mike