Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
To those of you who celebrate, MERRY CHRISTMAS! If you don’t observe Christmas, HAPPY WEDNESDAY!
The art above was created by Rick Burchett. Rick and Chris Mills created one of my all-time favorite comic characters, Digger McCrae aka Gravedigger. If you like great crime comics, you’d love Gravedigger!
I absolutely love the use of negative space in this beautiful drawing by Rick Burchett.
Jonathon Brandon Sawyer created his take on Sly as Jack Carter teamed with Chris Mills’ and Rick Burchett’s Gravedigger McCrae. How cool is that? Very.
To check out more of JBS’ art, head here. You can follow JBS on Twitter.
Gravedigger: Hot Women , Cold Cash by Mills and Burchett gets an A+ rating and is available at the link. – Craig
The photo above is of page two of the third Gravedigger story that Chris Mills and Rick Burchett would like to complete.
I sure hope they’re able to since Gravedigger is one of my favorite comic characters and the first two stories that Mills and Burchett created are some of my favorite crime, no scratch that, some of my favorite comics of any genre.
If you haven’t read any of “Digger” McCrae’s crime yarns, you can easily and cheaply enough here. The trade paperback is also available through Amazon and InStockTrades. [I don’t make any kickbacks on any of the links, and honestly if I did, I send it to Mills and Burchett to get them closer to more Gravedigger tales.]
If you’re a fan of crime comics, great stories and art, or just want to help out a couple of really decent human beings — please consider giving Gravedigger a go.
Long time readers will know how much I love the Gravedigger crime comics created by Chris Mills [writer] and Rick Burchett [artist]. Hard to believe I’ve been talking Gravedigger up for over a decade.
The great news is that Gravedigger is back in print and the first issue is available now. If my hyping it hasn’t been enough to get you to spring for one of the best crime comics going, then maybe the preview of the first issue provided by TMStash will.
Before you click over, know that the comic contains explicit language and bad guy-on-bad guy violence. Oh, and there’s a thug in there named Zablo but I’m sure any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
I have been talking up Chris Mills and Rick Burchett’s classic crime comic Gravedigger for over a decade! Action Lab is reprinting the series and now is the time to get on board.
I love this series and if you give it a chance you will too. Pre-order a copy or twelve [Gravedigger comics make great gifts] and make me [and Chris and Rick] happy!
Chris Mills announced this week that Gravedigger, the brilliant crime comic that he does with Rick Burchett will begin appearing from Action Lab Entertainment‘s Danger Zone later this year.
Regular readers know that I am a huge fan of both Mills and Burchett [separately] and Gravedigger is one of my all-time favorite comic characters. Hopefully Action Lab will get enough sales of two existing Gravedigger sagas – The Scavengers and The Predators to call for a nice hardcover and more Gravedigger yarns.
You can believe that I will keep you posted.
Gravedigger: The Scavengers #1 of 1
Original comic published by Rorschach Entertainment
Free Web Comic published by Christopher Mills at GravediggerComic.com
Script, Tones, Letters: Christopher Mills
Pencils and Inks: Rick Burchett
Cover A (shown): Rick Burchett
In his world, there are only two kinds of men: the Dead and the Deadly.
Gravedigger: The Scavengers is available in two forms: a one shot comic published by Rorschach Entertainment and as an ongoing free web-comic. The paper comic is worth tracking down, but if you can’t get your mitts on a copy, the web-comic contains the original one shot and more. The comic is printed as you see it online in a widescreen format.
Gravedigger McCrae (Digger to his friends) just got out of prison after serving three years of a five-year bit. Digger’s feeling old and looking for that one final score that he can use to coast into retirement. He may have found his golden ticket when a crime associate that he’d worked with one time before brings him in on a $800 thousand caper. All they have to do is hijack a gunrunner’s deal. Digger and the crew can keep all the guns and the cash… of course they’ll have to kill everyone not in their crew to get away clean.
Digger is not sure who he can trust. Bunny was brought in by Digger, so he should be okay, but how good is okay with 800 large on the line? B.T. is good with a gun, but looks more like a punk than a shooter. Goodis is the pilot that’ll fly them out of there, but will he stick around if things go sideways? Red is the one who set things up. He seems a bit jumpy… perhaps because he’s brought Angel, his hot looking wife, in on the deal. That doesn’t sit well with Digger. He knows a sure way to queer a deal is to bring in a dame.
Digger’s worries about Red’s wife screwing things up take a turn when she comes on to Digger. Three years in prison, a hot young babe and opportunity make Digger’s decision easy. Angel offers Digger a plan that will leave the two of them with the cash and a smooth getaway together. Sure, Digger will have to kill Red and maybe a few members of the crew, but isn’t she and $800 k worth it? Digger is in deep. He needs the deal and the money it will bring. He’s enjoying Angel, but knows she can’t be trusted… no one can be trusted. The cards are dealt, so he might as well play out the hand and see who wins.
Chris Mills and Rick Burchett have created a crime comic that is a treat to read. Gravedigger: The Scavengers is like a love letter to fans of Lee Marvin, Richard Stark Parker novels, crime movies, crime novels and crime comics. This is one of the best one-shot comics of any genre that I’ve ever read.
Chris Mills has created a unique character in Gravedigger. Digger’s not a good guy. He knows and accepts this. Mills has a feel for all the characters, a love of the crime genre and a way with words. I hope someday to read a Gravedigger novel or book of short stories by Mills.
Rick Burchett is the perfect artist for this comic. His art compliments Mill’s prose. Burchett is truly amazing in that he knows where to focus the readers eyes for the most impact. Should anyone ever do a Gravedigger: The Scavengers movie, the storyboards are done thanks to Burchett.
I am glad that Mills and Burchett are deep into their second Gravedigger story – Gravedigger: The Predators. My hope is that the two Gravedigger stories will lead to a Kickstarter so that we’ll get a hardcover worthy of showcasing these stories.
Gravedigger: The Scavengers is a comic for mature audiences due to adult language and situations.
Rating: 5 out of 5
If you’re a fan of great crime comics, you should be reading Gravedigger by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett. I’ve been singing the praises of Gravedigger since before it was released. I knew from the premise and with Chris and Rick at the helm that Gravedigger would be a winner.
And it is.
Gravedigger is currently running as a free webcomic. Their first story, The Scavengers is up and completed.
The second Gravedigger adventure, The Predators, has just started.
Both contain adult language and situations (it is a crime comic after all) and so they are not for kids!
Oh, and you may “recognize” one of the thugs… and I don’t mean the guy that looks like Lee Marvin.
Don’t you dig this Gold Key cover mock-up for Gravedigger?
Chris Mills explains how the faux cover came about:
I had so much fun mocking up that Gold Key Comics-styled Femme Noir cover yesterday, that last night I dusted off the terrific, painted Gravedigger: The Scavengers variant cover by my friend Fred Harper, and knocked out this retro/faux Gravedigger piece. There’s something kinda subversive about seeing the squeaky-clean Gold Key trade dress & logo on this hardboiled title…
Don’t forget that Gravedigger: The Scanvengers by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett is running as a free weekly webcomic. Don’t trust me when I say that it is better than most comics on the web or newstands.
It is, but I’d prefer that you check it out yourself. Then help spread the word.
Gravedigger by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett is the best web comic going. Heck, drop the web comic distinction because Gravedigger is one of the best comics of any kind regularly published these days.
If you’re a fan of crime stories, Lee Marvin, or great comics [as in amazing writing and art] then you should be reading this free web comic. [Keep in mind that Gravedigger is not for children since adult language and situations sometimes appear — it is a crime comic after all.]
I’d like to see Gravedigger and the talents of Chris Mills and Rick Burchett reach a wider audience. So, I’ve come up with the Gravedigger Challenge.
Give Gravedigger a try and if you don’t like it, I owe ya a Coke [or Diet Coke, if you prefer]. If you do like Gravedigger, you owe me nothing.
I would appreciate it though, especially if you like Gravedigger, if you would help spread the word. Send out a Tweet, a Facebook / blog post or, simply tell a friend!
If you like great crime fiction… if you love fantastic art… if you’re of age and not offended by adult language / situations, then click over and check out Gravedigger by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett.
You can thank me later.
One of my all-time favorite crime comics, Gravedigger, makes a return on February 4th, 2013.
That’s right, Gravedigger by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett is making a comeback, and in a big way. Gravedigger will begin re-appearing as a web comic with weekly updates.
Mills & Burchett will start by serializing the original Gravedigger story, The Scavengers, and then will move on to a new Gravedigger tale, The Predators. The plan is to then collect both storylines into one graphic novel.
Kickstarter, anyone?
This news has absolutely made my day, and if you love great comics, my guess is it has made yours as well.
One of my favorite crime comics is Gravdigger: The Scavengers by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett. Long time ZONErs have heard me sing its praises many times. I’m happy to report that the long awaited sequel, a graphic novel titled Gravedigger: Hot Women, Cold Cash is coming out in early 2010.
Chris has posted six pages of preview art on his blog. Check it out, and you might notice that one of the characters looks a bit like someone you may recognize… and I ain’t talkin’ about Lee Marvin. If you like what you see [with a story by Chris Mills, and art by Rick Burchett and Fred Harper is there any way you couldn’t?], then let your local comic shop manager know you’ll be ordering one. I know I will.
One last entry before the Hurricane…When I was a kid one of my favorite things about going to the movies was the Coming Attractions. For some reason I just loved [and still love] getting a preview of something really neat… and then the feeling of anticipation of just how cool it’s going to be.
Tonight as I was putting together my comic order, I came across this really cool-looking comic, Gravedigger.
The first thing that caught my eye was the cover by Rick Burchett. Rick‘s a very talented and under-rated artist whose work has appeared in Batman Adventures, Blackhawk, and many, many other comics.
Surprisingly, when you mention Rick‘s name the first thing that comes to my mind is the character Inigma that he created over twenty years ago for a fanzine. I’ve always liked Rick‘s art and I absolutely love what he’s doing with Gravedigger. The Lee Marvin-looking lead character and 60’s style design to the promo piece had me hooked.
Then I saw that the comic was created and written by Christopher Mills. I knew the name but couldn’t immediately place what Chris had written. A little web search and I quickly remembered that Chris had served as editor of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Danger for Techno Comics. Chris was also the creator and editor of the excellent crime fiction magazine, Noir. I was a fan of both of these series so I decided to dig a little deeper.
Then I found Chris’ webpage.
Surprisingly we have a lot in common. Chris also lives in Florida. He, too, is getting ready for a visit from another hurricane [I have to go in to open the shelter in seven hours — oh, what fun!], and he has a passion for old movies, crime fiction and comics.
I ended up spending a lot of time checking out his site. Not only are there cool previews of Gravedigger, and other comics that Chris has created, but he also has an interesting blog. [Any one who not only knows about Larry Cohen and Armand Assante‘s version of Mickey Spillane’s “I, the Jury” but wants it on dvd earns a spot on my Blogs to Read list!
As you can probably tell, I’m jazzed about Gravedigger. Check it out and if you feel the same way, then be sure and let your local comic shop know that you’ll want a copy. You might even want to drop Chris a line and let him know that you’re on board. If enough of us write, I’ll bet that Hurricane Jeanne won’t seem so bad!
