I love when creators write and draw their own comics, which is a difficult thing to do. Written and illustrated by Steve Benton, American Bison is one of those projects. I respect the work that makes this comic possible, as well as the historical research Steve Benton placed into the comic and his ability to tell an informative yet creatively interesting story.
The artwork isn’t bad. The faces are the best part. Figures are decently drawn and the lines are smooth most of the time, backgrounds are okay. Some panels are rougher than others and the lines look rushed, but some are impressive. There are some kinks in perspectives that need some work which I’m positive will get better in time- the artist isn’t too far off with proportions and seems like he’ll improve sooner than a lot of newer indie artists, especially the further the series progresses. Between issue 1 and issue 2, I definitely see improvements in perspectives, and Steve Benton takes more chances in perspective work as well. His lines also get more consistent and solid in issue 2 as well. His mistakes are minor and a part of growing, and I think it won’t take long for him to iron them out with practice and hard work.
Where Steve Benton is a decent artist, he’s a great author with a lot to say, and his storytelling is where he shines the best. With American Bison, we have a story set in a time period where the buffalo food supply was dwindling for Native American tribes in the mid-1800’s, during the time of Manifest Destiny. What we get is a fantastical story mixed with tragedy and action. The dialogue is good, and the pacing works well. The story is well established in the first issue, and from 1 to 2, Steve Benton keeps a good flow going with fun action scenes. Overall, American Bison is worth checking out, and its fun to see a creator grow in the beginning of a promising series. I would recommend this comic to fans of underground, independent works, and historical fiction mixed with fantasy.
American Bison is released by Insane Comics! It is available at www.insanecomics.com and also available on Comixlogy through https://www.comixology.com/American-Bison/comics-series/65290
It’s worth checking out!