When Steam Punk Meets BSG

Independent comic book companies always get a bad rap. Working with unknown talent and covering topics and developing characters and stories that often lack mainstream appeal, it’s often difficult for casual comic book fans to get into their material.

However, every once in a while, an indie comic comes along that is simply enthralling and different.

Septagon Studios’ “Archeologists of Shadows,” with its unique look and one of a kind story, is one independent comic that sheds the labels many indie comics today face. The duo of writer Lara Fuentes and artist Patricio Clarey tell a multi-faceted tale that takes some time to develop, but eventually draws you in and intrigues in a way where you’ll want more by the time it’s all over.

Because of this, the first trade of the series is an unmistakable success.

A combination of Battlestar Galactica and various Steam Punk storytelling devices, Fuentes puts the reader in the middle of a world embroiled in revolution. With humanity becoming more mechanized every day, human beings look more like Cylon-esque machines every day. Following two humans, Alix and Baltimo, who don’t desire to continue their transformation, the duo gets entangled in a war and a prophecy that changes their lives forever. While the main characters aren’t as charismatic as you’d like them to be, this allows the reader to picture themselves in their situation and enjoy the action-packed ride. Later in the tale however, when these characters have proven themselves as capable and the plot unravels a bit more, the tale truly takes off. Behind the intriguing story, with its religious and political overtones, the future of this series appears to be a bright one.

The art by Clarey suits the futuristic tale perfectly as well. Using drawing, sculpture, photography, photo manipulation and digital painting, the time and effort Clarey has devoted to this work shows. Much like the writing, they’re different enough to draw your attention and after a few pages, they keep it.

Behind powerful and imaginative writing and artistic prowess that lends itself to film, “Archeologists of Shadows” may in fact be the most intriguing independent comic book released this year.

If you would like to learn more about AOS, please visit www.aoscomic.com.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13820 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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