Foster #1 & 2

Written by Brian Buccellato
Art by Noel Tuazon

When I looked through this month's Previews, the one new project that most caught my eye was Foster, a self-published series by Brian Buccellato (co-writer of The Flash, and colourist of many titles), and Noel Tuazon (who drew the wonderful graphic novel Tumor). The title sounded very cool, so I figured I would give it a chance, and added it to my pull-list.

Luckily, I hadn't sent in my July order yet, because Noel Tuazon was at TCAF this last week-end, and had the 'Special Limited Edition' of the first two issues for sale.  Despite their costing significantly more than the direct market editions will be selling for, flipping through these comics, I knew I had to have them.  That Tuazon drew a sketch on the back covers of each was really just a bonus.

Foster is a very good comic.  It's set in a gritty, 1970s style city (apparently it's an amalgam of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles).  Foster, the title character, is an unhappy alcoholic Vietnam veteran who lives in a rat-trap apartment.  When his junkie neighbour Trina disappears, he ends up looking after her young son Ben.  Foster feels some responsibility for the kid, as he and Trina were together for a while, before her behaviour brought back too many memories of his childhood.

The next day, after dropping Ben off at school, and deciding to wash his hands of the kid, Foster is visited by a large and menacing character - one of the Dwellers, a race that lives secretly alongside mankind, who is looking for the kid.  They aren't vampires - they are more likely an offshoot of Neanderthal man.  There is a reason why they are after Ben, but I feel it's pretty significant, so I don't want to say what it is.

Needless to say, Foster feels the need to look out for the kid, although it's not long before the police are interested in him as well, as is a researcher at the university.  There's a lot going on here, as Buccellato plays with a number of genre tropes, but mixes them up in an interesting way.  By the time I got to the end of the second issue, I found myself completely invested in the story.

A lot of the credit for this goes to Tuazon.  He captures the urban environment perfectly, and his Dwellers are very menacing.  His art is not all that detailed, which leaves the finer features of the Dweller to the reader's imagination, and that makes them all the more creepy.

This is a very good comic.  It's in this month's Previews, and I can not urge you enough to check it out and pre-order it.  I imagine that this is the type of project that a number of comic stores may not be aware of, so if you are interested, please speak to your retailer soon.  You won't be sorry with it.  Also, check out Buccellato's website to read previews or order your own copy (or a download).