Footprints: A Monster Murder Mystery

Footprints: A Monster Murder Mystery is the definition of an independent comic—written by Joey Esposito, with art by Jonathan Moore and letters by Adam O. Pruett. Footprints is the noir tale of Bigfoot and company looking to find the reason for his brother's death—the one and only Yeti. I didn't know what to expect upon reading the first issue, but needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The story and writing was more interesting and engrossing than some of the more recent published works I've read and the art fits the style perfectly.

I don't want to spoil the story—issue #1 can be read in its entirety for free here or below—so I will do my best to avoid such troubled waters. Footprints avoids my biggest pet peeve in comics: excess dialogue. Footprints delivers its story with what you need and nothing more, which is something I always appreciate. The use of cryptic creatures changes what would be an average noir tale to something more unique, but Esposito's major accomplishment is his ability to give a distinct personality to each character right off the bat. I immediately knew who these characters were and almost felt like I've been reading their stories for more than just one issue. The best compliment I can give is that I wanted to read issue #2 the second I finished issue #1.

Writing is important, but comics are also a visual medium and a great story is nothing without great art. Thankfully, the art of Footprints fits the noir tale to a T, with a few exceptions. I love that the art is black and white—a style I find highly underrated—and it has a roughness that works so well. My only complaint is that I find character placement odd at times and find myself confused as to what is actually going on in the panel. This issue occurs rarely and it doesn't take away from the artwork as a whole.

With all that said, Footprints is worth your time and you can read issue #1 for free right now at numerous sites, including this here post. But I am not just here to review a comic, I am here to support the creators and do what I can to find them more support. I will immediately admit that I was asked by the writer—Joey Esposito—if I would be interested in checking out the comic and possibly doing a review, some linkage, etc. While I was asked to do this, the comic's quality is why I posted this.

The first thing I said was that Footprints is the definition of an independent comic. This comic comes from a few men who wish to own their creation and that is something I know firsthand. I am an independent writer/artist and I know how difficult it is to not only create something independently, but getting that creation exposure and funding is just as hard. The creators of Footprints have a Kickstarter page with hopes to raise $7,500 by June 6th—they currently sit at $4,711. All I ask is that you take the time to read the comic and if you find it to your liking, please pledge whatever you can spare. Today is the annual Free Comic Book Day, so why not support some independent creators with all the money you just saved? -- Linkage to the Kickstarter page, issue #1 of Footprints, and all that jazz can be found below.

P.S. I don't preach falsely... I, myself, am one of many backers behind this project.

• Kickstarter Page
• Footprints #1
• Joey Esposito: Twitter -- http://joeyesposito.com
• Jonathan Moore: Twitter -- http://furmanjon.deviantart.com

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