Cosmic Comix Discusses The Act-i-vate Primer!

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David Lee over at Cosmic Comix wrote a nice piece about our little collective's anthology. Here's an excerpt:

There were 16 stories within this collection and, like all anthologies, there are some stories that really worked, some that showed promise, but there weren’t any that failed. What makes Act-i-vate so strong is the fact that these are all established creators. Act-i-vate is a place for previously published writers and artists to try new things. Some of the highlights were:

(A) “When Lilly Met Cosmo” by Simon Fraser. This is a straight forward science fiction serial and probably the most conventional of all the stories. Our heroine Lilly is traveling to deep space where she will be one of the few women among a large group of men. Along the way she encounters some strange goings on and a man who seems to know her, but she doesn’t recognize him! This is a very polished story that quickly introduces the characters and a couple of subplots. But that’s to be expected from Fraser. He’s been working with 2000AD for a very long time and is a great writer/artist.

(B) “The Boy who came to Stay” by Roger Langridge. Langridge is by far the biggest name on the book because he most recently re-launched the Muppets for BOOM! He’s not new to the business and is one of the best cartoonists out there. This story involves Mugwhup the Great who Langridge has been writing for yours. It’s the same high quality humor that one expects from Langridge

(C) “Memoirs of Kid Immortal” by Joe Infurnari, which is a story about the quest for power and fame. It also made sure that there is a price to pay for such things. I’m not familiar with Infurnari but he turned in a great short story. He also set the pages up to look like an old comic book which was a nice touch.

There are too many good stories in this book to talk about all of them individually, but “Veils” by Mike Cavallaro, “Bring me the Heart of Billy Dogma” by Dean Haspiel (the one risqué story), “Motro” by Ulises Farinas, and “Persimmon Cup” by Nick Bertozzi were all very, very strong. Finally, all the stories are different. Some are science fiction, some are superheroes, some are just people dealing with weird situations but the diversity of the art and subject matter makes the book enjoyable.

Read the entire review here. Thanks so much David!

ComicCritique.com Gives a Nod to The Act-i-vate Primer!

Louis from ComicCritique.com, who I met at Baltimore Comic Con, had this delightful little blog post to report on The Act-i-vate Primer! Thanks, Louis!

Here it is in its entirety:

The ACT-I-VATE Primer is now available from IDW Publishing in a beautiful, densely-packed hardbound volume. The Primer is an anthology of never-before-read comics by the creators who can be found at act-i-vate.com, the “webcomix collective.” IDW’s online preview of the book is easy to read and shows the vast diversity contained in the pages. I was explicitly told that while these same strips and characters have a presence online, the stories in the book cannot be found in 1s and 0s, only on paper. I’ll be getting this one added to my pull list, but if you’re interested you can find it online or ask your preferred bookseller.

CBR and The Act-i-vate Experience

Comic Book Resources' Jim Gibbons has written a comprehensive report on the debut of Seth Kushner's and Carlos Molina's The Act-i-vate Experience at the Act-i-vate Panel at Baltimore Comic Con. Here's an excerpt:

Beginning with a montage of art from ACT-I-VATE, the film is segmented into three parts, each of which is filled with testimonials from more than 20 of the ACT-I-VATE creators. The first chapter acts as an introduction, where the many faces you'll be hearing from introduce themselves and their diverse, signature ACT-I-VATE work. The second part explains the origins of ACT-I-VATE and why the different creators enjoy the format of their collective, while also discussing the benefits that go along with the online medium and its readership. The final part of the video highlights "The ACT-I-VATE Primer," during which Haspiel explains that the primer is a great introduction for comic fans who haven't checked out the site, while containing entirely original content that can't be found online, so folks who have been keeping up with all ACT-I-VATE has to offer can get a new fix in print form.

Click here to read the rest!

The Act-i-vate Primer's First Review…

…and it comes courtesy of the Graphic NYC blog. Jared Gniewek has penned a wonderful review. Here's an excerpt:

The ACT-I-VATE Primer is a collection of 16 all new stories by the stars of the ACT-I-VATE.com universe. Reading the whole volume in one sitting leaves one wondering what makes it a collective. It takes a minute to see because the styles are so varied but I felt that the connective tissue between each of the creators was larger than simply putting their comics online under the same umbrella.

When taken together it feels like a manifesto for the future of comics. Not as abstract as some of the creators out there, but not simple story driven either. It achieves equilibrium between fantasy and love of fantasy. This is where the form has come to at this point in history and this primer represents where it is going.

Not middle of the road either. These artists are taking the best from high and low brow comics to create intelligent, fun, and readable comics stories that know exactly what they are.

These kids know how to make comics. From the classical lines of Tim Hamilton to the sweetly simple natural curve of Mike Dawson, the styles are as varied as they come. On an individual basis the stories tend towards excellence. Tastes vary but I can honestly say that depending on the reader I could recommend each of the stories in it.

And that's but a little taste. Click here to read the rest of the review and don't forget to make time to visit your local comic book shop because The Act-i-vate Primer ships today!