Welcome to Independent Comic Spotlight! A place where you can read all about the printed indy scene! For today’s installment, it is my pleasure to introduce Gift Revolver, an ongoing comic book series nothing like you’ve ever seen before.
Gift Revolver is something completely different, that’s for sure. Brothers, partners, and rappers-turned-creators Adrian and Steve Gutierrez have mixed their very obvious love of comic books and hip hop with magic, mythology, sports, and even a little bit of conspiracy theory. If that’s not enough to grab your attention, the larger-than-life characters of this offbeat genre-bending epic surely will capture your imagination. And these self-proclaimed lapsed artists have taken the comic world by storm with their new (and first) attempt at super heroics.
The plot is just beginning, and as of issue number two, the events and characters are starting to pile up. This is a great way to build an audience that wants more from each part, but it is also a lofty goal for an independent comic without a pre-existing large fan base. I applaud the creators in their mission to write comics that they themselves would like to buy and read. And the cover paper quality, lack of advertising, and amount of story in each individual issue is surely worth the low cover price of only 3.50 per issue. The comic so far is very reminiscent of early 1990s Image title Spawn, what with the demons and the hard “R” rated feel. The violence is present throughout, but the rationale behind such an adult rating would be the language, which is the only downfall of an otherwise great book. The character work is excellent (albeit a bit scarce so far). The designs of said characters is unique and a style all of its own. I personally loved the “origin” scene where Gift Revolver gets his powers from the mysterious Ark, and the villainous Born 5th has serious promise. I am intrigued to see how all of the characters and stories become interconnected and if this takes on a global approach to such brave storytelling. I assume it will. And I expect it to be a fun ride.
Overall, it was a fun read. It is well worth your buck for an interesting and completely different take on superhero comics. It’s hard to compare it to any book on the stands nowadays, which is a rare and impressive thing. The language does distract from the better aspects of the book, mainly the visuals, but not enough to make it a bad book by any means. I would love the opportunity to continue coverage of such a comic and I wish nothing but the best for what will most assuredly be the beginnings of a long career for both Gutierrez brothers. One of these days, I’ll need to check out their music as well. I’m sure it’ll be an equally unique experience.
My Rating: 3.5/5
Like what you’ve heard? Comment below. And for further information (or if you’d like to purchase the first few issues, which you would), contact the Gutierrez Bros. (G. B. Vizion) at GiftRevolver@Yahoo.com, check out their website, or like them on Facebook.
I like the monster and the green fumes, kinda reminds me of Toxic Storm.