One of the great things about attending comic book conventions (as I did recently at the excellent Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC) is that you sometimes discover hidden gems.
Thanks to my friend James (who actually did the discovering part) I met "J," the prefers-to-be-anonymous writer and artist of the series Farlaine the Goblin (the character's name is pronounced "Far-lin").
It's a seven-issue series (the first four of which are now available) that follows the adventures of a small shaman who has spent years wandering the Oddlands of Wug in search of a forest to call his own. (And wouldn't we all like to find a forest to call our own?)
There are 100 forests available, and he's visited 90 of them - so Farlaine has 10 more chances to find a home.
Accompanied by his "friend," the plant / shrub Ehrenwort, he encounters many adventures and dangers along the way, and survives only by his wits and his plant-growning abilities, which comes in handy when you're attacked by giant centipedes - or an army of killer robots!
The art is wonderful - whimsical, but with a great sense of a "real / fantasy" world, with lush environments and odd creatures.
The series channels some classic comics without ever stealing from them - including Carl Barks' Scrooge McDuck stories, Jeff Smith's Bone, and Walt Kelly's Pogo.
The story is great fun - inventive and humorous without being silly (well, it has just the right portion of silly), and it's well worth tracking down - it's for all ages!
You can track down issues at the website www.farlaine.com - highly recommended!
Grade: A
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