Feeding Ground #6

Written by Swifty Lang
Art by Michael Lapinski

Feeding Ground has been a pretty unique comic.  With this issue, we come to the conclusion of a six-book story that has been offered as a dual-language flip book.  It's a werewolf story, involving illegal Mexican immigrants, and an American security company that acts as a front for the werewolves.

When the series started, it showed a lot of promise, but I'm afraid to say that it didn't quite hold up under the weight of what Lang was trying to do here.  I found, at different points in the story, and especially in this last issue, that the story became a little disjointed and hard to follow.

Some of the blame for that is on Lapinski, who, while a very good artist, doesn't always use the clearest storytelling techniques.

At the end, I did enjoy this comic a fair amount.  I like that the story addressed some topics that are rarely explored in comics, and I am always a fan of a good horror story that contains elements of the real world beyond vacationing high school seniors.  I would imagine that the creators have learned a lot from producing this comic, and would be interested in seeing what they come up with next.

Feeding Ground #5

Written by Swifty Lang
Art by Michael Lapinski

I was very happy to see another issue of this cool werewolf/illegal migration story, especially since the creator seemed to use the gap between issues to really perfect their craft; this is the clearest issue of the book so far in terms of storytelling.

Feeding Ground is about a family that works to help migrants cross into America from Mexico, and the paramilitary organization that operates in the area and is a front for a werewolf pack (would that be the right term?).  This issue has the family separated, as Flaca, the young daughter who has been infected and turned, is taken to the Blackwell compound, while her mother and brother continue their crossing after being helped by the Border Patrol agents who survived the werewolf attack with them.

Miguel, the main character of the book, is having a much rougher go than the rest, as he continues to cross through the desert on foot.  He's pretty delirious, and Lang and Lapinski make good use of the comics medium to show us things from his perspective.  It's a pretty trippy scene, and I thought it worked quite well.

This has been an interesting series, as it attempts to recast a typical horror set-up in a setting with political and social relevance.  It's pretty cool, and I like that they include a Spanish version of the comic on the flip-side for no extra cost.

Feeding Ground #4

Written by Swifty Lang
Art by Michael Lapinski

This continues to be a pretty cool comic, as the main characters continue their trek across the border to America, and deal with the strange transformation that their daughter has undergone.  They are detected by the Border Patrol just as a group of werewolves attack, and things get chaotic fast.

And therein lies the book's main problem.  Lapinski's art, which is very good for establishing shots and dialogue scenes, quickly becomes hard to follow in some of the action sequences, and at times, it's not clear at all who is doing what.  Add to that the anonymity of the Border Patrol guys (one of whom seems to waffle in personality), and the whole fight scene, which is a major part of the book, comes off as a bit of a mess.

There's still a lot of reasons to support this book though.  There aren't many horror comics that also interact with social issues.  That, and the fact that this entire issue is printed in Spanish on the flip side, could bring some new readers to the medium.

Feeding Ground #3

Written by Swifty Lang
Art by Michael Lapinski

Things are becoming a lot clearer as Feeding Ground continues.  It's a very cool comic about a Mexican coyote (someone who helps people cross the border into the United States), his family, and Blackwell, a company that appears to be run by werewolves, who have set aside a good deal of farmland along the border, and which preys on the people that try to cross.

In this issue, the coyote is reunited with his family, who have to cross the border after the events of last issue.  The problem is that their daughter is very sick after what happened to her in the first issue, and is making their flight difficult.  We also see a lot more of what is going on at Blackwell.

This is an interesting book.  I think the decision to make the covers so "Mexican" is an interesting one - it doesn't give any idea of what is happening in the comic, but at the same time, it is what originally attracted me to the title.  The art inside is decent if still a little stiff, and I do find myself struggling to follow the story at times.  Still, I find this to be an enjoyable comic.  The fact that the same story is printed on the flip side, but in Spanish, is pretty cool too.

Feeding Ground #2

Written by Swifty Lang and Chris Mangun
Art by Michael Lapinski

I love that this book has had two issues come out over the last two weeks.  This is something I've seen Archaia do before - it's like they go through these cycles of plenty and want - but I think it must really help to cement interest in a new comic by new creators, assuming, of course, that they can stick to some kind of a reliable schedule going forward.

This issue of Feeding Ground is better than the last, as we get a much better sense of what's going on in the comic, and the monster that makes this a horror comic does actually appear.

This book originally seemed to be about illegal Mexican immigrants, and some family drama involving a local Mexican crimelord.  Now, with this issue, we learn a little about the militia-like farming company that has bought up land in the United States, and which apparently has some kind of connection with werewolves.  There are a lot more questions left unanswered, but the big picture is starting to emerge, and I find it to be pretty interesting.

There are elements of conspiracy (or, at the least, cover-up), and the Coyote's family lands itself in some trouble.  Lapinski's art is definitely growing on me, and I love the simplicity of the cover designs in this series.  The book should really stand out on the racks.  Like the first issue, this comic is printed in a flip format, with a Spanish translation provided on the back.

Feeding Ground #1

Written by Swifty Lang, Michael Lapinski, and Chris Mangun
Art by Michael Lapinski

Although the story in the first issue of Feeding Ground can be a little hard to follow in a few places, it's an interesting debut from a trio of creators I'm unfamiliar with.

Feeding Ground is set in a Mexican border town, and appears to be centred on a coyote (a man who helps people cross the border illegally) who seems to have some sort of connection with Blackwell, a military contractor-type company with ties to a farm that has taken over large parts of the region.  There are some things going on with the coyote's family back in Mexico - his wife has had a run in with someone who appears to be from a drug cartel, and his daughter has had a strange thing happen to her along the fence that involves blood and dogs, but it's unclear.

There are also many hints that something strange is going on in the desert.  One of the pollos - the men that the coyote helps cross - is running around naked and cutting into his flesh at one point.  I think this is supposed to be a werewolf comic at some point, but the creators are keeping that close to the vest here.

Okay, so it's obvious that things weren't very easy to understand from re-reading what I just wrote, but I'm still intrigued enough to read the rest of this series.  The art is a little stiff, but the character work is lovely, and reminds me a little of Francesco Francavilla.  The monochromatic colour scheme works well at suggesting the washed out feel of the desert.

This issue is thick and heavy, with 28 pages of story, which are then repeated on the flip side, but in Spanish.  I don't know if they are going to be continuing with this gimmick, but it's kind of interesting, especially since it didn't become an excuse to jack up the cost of the book (which is a good buy at $3.95).  Check this out - it's flawed, but it's almost much more earnest and clearly a labour of love than a lot of the books on the stand.