Bradley Golden is a writer that has several titles under INSANE Comics and because there were so many projects to choose from I decided to take a quick look at all of them. Like many under the INSANE umbrella Bradley is a collaborative artist that isn’t afraid to mix it up with not only great artists but other writers as well. Golden has about five titles he is involved with and an untold amount of projects coming in the works. Here is an overview of the five books of Golden’s that I’ve seen.
Chess-Masters #1
A group of 25th century heros are time warped to the 21st century where they have to fight a villain and figure out how to get back to their time. Golden is co-writer of this series and does a wonderful job collaborating with the other writer and artists. The book looks great and all five of the heroes have their place on this particular chess board. Overall a solid effort and establishment of a superhero team with a unique style borrowed from the game of chess. If this sounds interesting to you then check it out on INSANE website or at DriveThruComics.
Leave On The Lights
The name, Leave On The Lights, is very appropriate for this book because it’s scary enough to leave a night light on after reading. The main character is a cop on the trail of a murderer. The plot is actually thicker than that and the character development is done well but the villain is so scary and the murders he commits are so brutal that he really does scare me into leaving the lights on. Not for the young or the faint of heart. This can be found on INSANE website or DriveThruComics as well.
Miss Zombie #1
This book has a light hearted feel to it, with an old southern bell named Miss Blue as a host, but it in no way lacks fright or gore. This book is done in plain black and white with funny and revealing captions and well done lettering that brings the light hearted feel to the book. It’s still on the scary/horror end of books, I think because for the most part things don’t end well, but then again, what did I expect from the zombie apocalypse? Once again this comic can be found on INSANE website or DriveThruComics as well.
Orision #1
Orision is another excursion into the world of horror and features an extremely creepy monster that hunts mountaineering groups. This book is done in two parts and each part is equally as scary but with slightly different artistic takes. The first take being light and mostly grey and the second being mostly black and white with what I imagine must be computer generated fillers for some of what would have been grey areas. Both parts bring a unique flavor to the art as well as a common thread in the storyline and they flow very well together. Of course this comic can be found on INSANE website or DriveThruComics.
We Scream #1
In the same vein as Orision, We Scream is a black and white horror story set in a house that has an unwanted ghoulish guest. Unlike Orision the art is all the same throughout and it basically follows within the same storyline but set in two parts. The visual aspect of the story is just as important, or maybe even more important, than the dialog and the captions. I feel like the visual aspect is where the horror is really captured. We Scream is on INSANE website and DriveThruComics.
I feel like Bradley Golden’s clearly strongest in the horror genre and I can see his mind thinking of some pretty gruesome ideas to continue his trend. Part of what has helped Golden thrive, is of course the artist teams that he gets together, but also the fact that he has partnered with INSANE. INSANE has proven to be a place indie comic creators have not only been successful but have been provided the platform they need from a publisher. INANE has a website where the books are easily found and accessible, they’re available in digital and print, and they don’t ignore other mediums like comic shops and digital comic shops like DriveThruComics. Not sure comic book artists could ask for much more.
