Magpie #1 & Crash Soirée

I guess it’s kind of appropriate that she’ll be here in time for Valentine’s Day.

I’m talking up Magpie, the character created by artist Frantz Kantor and myself to grace the pages of quarterly Australian anthology ‘zine Oi Oi Oi!

Not that I can picture Maggie coveting flowers and romance — despite a skimpy wardrobe, the girl has more in common with Wolverine than Black Canary.

Anyway, while Frantz and I are on a wild roll with the character and currently tweaking episode four, #1 will be out in print in Australia on around February 15.

To celebrate (and knock me for six), Frantz brought our girl to life in this promo teaser:

I also (digitally) got together with Frantz in Melbourne and Nat Karmichael (the publisher of Oi Oi Oi!) in Queensland, to talk about the project with Natalie Robinson at Drawing Book Studios — in Sydney.

We’ve been getting fantastic feedback — luckily!

Greg Hatcher @ COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has said that Magpie is “Cute and funny and really quite gorgeous to look at – Frantz Kantor evoking the Mad-era Wally Wood,” Jason Bennett @ POPCULTHQ wrote that it’s “Stunning work… from these talented creators.” COMICS ALLIANCE appraised “Magpie offers a humorous take on a superhero world, and Kantor’s art is nothing like what we’re used to in traditional superhero comics,” and COMIC CRUSADERS found that “The art looks fantastic! Genius story-telling, truly worth a look.”

Paul Bowler @ SCI-FI JUBILEE’s critique? “This new comic strip is great!”

Steven Alloway at FANBOY COMICS wrote it’s “Definitely worth checking out, and I look forward to seeing what Bergen and Kantor come up with in future adventures,” while Marcus Gilman at METAPUNK put it that “Andrez Bergen, this time together with Frantz Kantor, is at it again, another glorious project – a comic with a definite Golden Age feel to it.” GEEKED OUT NATION put it simply — “Here’s something a bit different.” — and GEEKCRITIQUE found that “Magpie is dynamic and entertaining, instantly involving you in its characters.”

Tim Mason at REGEEKEN nicely put it that “Andrez always spins an incredible yarn and draws you into all his stories… The art of Frantz Kantor is outstanding.

Matt Wyrwas at TALKING COMICS went so far as to say “Buy it! If you like stories that showcase humor along with action, Magpie is something you should check out. The setup up is great… I’m along for wherever Bergen and Kantor want to take us!”

Finally, here’s something one or two people *might* recall:

It’s a line Jack (Southern Cross) says in the above novel, and directly relates to a brand new comic-book project I just started with Australian artist Graeme Jackson.

The name is Crash Soirée, and here’s Graeme’s W.I.P. character design from yesterday.