A Milestone Worth Celebrating...

There are not too many Aussie Comics that make the Issue Twelve mark these days, so I think it is worth highlighting and acknowledging such a creative milestone when a locally produced comic not only reaches such a pinnacle, but when praise for said book is also highly deserving.   Burger Force is just that comic,

Written, Directed and Produced by Jackie Ryan, Burger Force has been irregularly and independently published since September 2009 (with a Thirteenth Issue due to be released sometime after Easter 2013).   Jackie sums up the story (that she first began writing in 1999) better than I can: "Located beneath the Burger Berserker Takeaway, undercover operatives set aside thick shakes and fries to thwart live-dancers, nefarious dating agency schemes and cock-rockers gone (even more) wrong.   Into this strange world wanders an even stranger Mercury, a hapless young man with an unusual and unwanted talent.   The Burger Team is tasked with discovering whether Mercury can help save the world as they know it or if that world needs saving from Mercury."

Burger Force is regulation comic-book size and most of the issues produced so far are a full 28 pages in length on high-quality, glossy white paper stock.   While the internal pages are printed in black and white, the covers sport a wonderful array of minimalistic use of colour displayed in a highly stylised manner (see left for an example).   Twenty-two pages of each issue are filled with the storyline and artwork.   The art has clearly been taken from photographs of people and places in Jackie's neighbourhood and illustrated from these photographs.   The Burger Force website (which you can access here) http://www.burgerforce.com/ openly admits the comic uses "people and and locations that have been 'comified' [sic] through a combination of software and retouching".   In no way does this make the production look amateurish - in fact, just the opposite: I find the artwork, combined with the storyline, gives it a modern edgy feel.   The remaining four pages of each of the magazines not filled with the story is editorial content, and the retail price of $4.99 is really Great Value.   If your local comic shop does not carry this book, then orders can be placed on line at the website (click here).   Comicoz has no commercial interest or relationship with Jackie Ryan, and she has not in any way bribed me to say all of these really nice words about her work, Burger Force.   I Highly Recommend this comic series.    

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