Recommended Reading: Zoe Chevat's "First Watch"

For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter [really? I'm great there], or who are blind in their right eye and unable to turn their head, you might be unaware that my friend and fellow Bennington grad Zoe Chevat, a very talented artist/animator/illustrator/writer/steampunk-dandy has put her first comic, appropriately titled "First Watch," up on her blog, AnachroLush. As I've likely mentioned in the past, Zoe is currently a student at CalArts University, and this was actually one of many projects she's undertaken while studying there.

Notably, her instructor for this particular project was the former DC editor Jim Higgins, a name those of you who consider yourself discerning comic book fans will likely recognize. And while not as impressive as Higgins, I also had the privilege [along with a handful of others] to be involved in some small way, and am credited as editor/cheerleader. Knowing what a colossal amount of work a comic is [especially since she carried both the writing and art duties], no matter how long or what the content, my contribution was really just a drop in the bucket, and to be acknowledge in such a flattering way, in such an impressive, polished project is really touching. And I want to say thank you for that.

So thank you, Z. It means so much.

But, I do not do *this* post as out of thanks. I do this because there is an awesome, free comic up on the internet by one of my insanely talented [now if I can flatter myself] peers, and I encourage all of you to go and read it, in it's entirety, now that it is all up for free on the web. So go forth and read "First Watch - The Ashcan Edition," and don't forget to read Zoe's much better intro to the project before you get started.

Also, if you want to read the book spoiler-free, is to open each link individually, and in order. The rarely encountered shortcoming of a blog is that the most recent entry is always at the top of the page, so unless you want to see page ten and the acknowledgments right off, I suggest you start here:

"First Watch" - Title Page, and Page 1 [1/26/2011]
"First Watch" - Page 2-3 [1/27/2011]
"First Watch" - Page 4-5 [1/28/2011]
"First Watch" - Page 6-7 [1/29/2011]
"First Watch" - Page 8-9 [1/30/2011]
"First Watch" - Page 10 and Thank Yous [1/31/2011]

Enjoy. And keep checking back with Zoe's blog. Not only does she cover some really eclectic material over there, she also previews other projects she working on, some CalArts related, some not. Plus, if you like "First Watch"... there are rumblings that a print version is on the way.