Pennsylvania retailer Jason Richards makes with the endosements: "That said, I will jump in and tell people to get their hands on the latest offering from AiT/Planet Lar. Since I seem to be the only store in the area willing to keep a major chunk of their catalog in stock, I know their titles pretty well. Full Moon Fever was high concept at its best. Demo is a classic (and you can get it autographed when Brian Wood visits on November 12!! *end of plug*). But Rob Osborne has outdone himself with the bizarre and unexpected gem called Sunset City. Makes you realize anything can happen anywhere, regardless of age or disposition. Sure, the setting is a retirement community, but these folks are far from over the hill. And RIOT has it in stock just for you!"

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Sean Maher promises a review of Sunset City, and points us to his previous interview with Rob Osborne. But, you know, what with us being a backlist publisher, and all, folks'll be talking about this for months. Coupla days ago, Steven Grant just looked at Full Moon Fever, and that was our August book. People still review Astronauts in Trouble and Channel Zero when they first discover them, and they're six and seven years old... What is it I always say? Slow and steady wins the race.

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Hey, don't look now, but Kevin Church has something to say: "Sunset City by Rob Osborne? W o w. Seriously underestimated how much impact it would have with me, as it was about the olden folks and all. This reminded me of a really good Jim Jarmusch movie, with humor that adds to the pathos without ever making the whole affair seem cheap. I think I may go into it more later, but as I already owe you guys a big writeup about Runaways and a piece about decompression in comics versus things like Deadwood, let's just assume that it's essential reading for people who like natural, human drama instead of dodgy spandex magazine attempts to be 'serious.'"

Lee "Budgie" Barnett has been doing a "Fast Fiction Challenge" where he'll write you a 200 word story based on a four word title and a word to use. Hit the link to read the one he wrote for me.

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Heather Smith, of the Bay Guardian, has an article on the San Francisco scene wherein this quote appears: "Independent comics literally are independent," says Larry Young, co-owner of San Francisco comics publisher AIT/Planet Lar. "You can do whatever you want. Some guy's going to turn in a 400-page opus about going to the bathroom, and some other guy's going to say, 'I thinkArmageddon was the best movie ever, and here's my version of it.' "

Lord Grant turns his critical eye upon Full Moon Fever: "You can almost hear the high concept thought processes behind this Joe Casey, Caleb Gerard & Damian Couceiro's Full Moon Fever: '30 days of Night had such a simple concept - vampires in Alaska when it's night for a month. There's got to be something else that simple and cool!' Fortunately for Casey et al, there was: werewolves on the moon. Not that Marvel didn't kick up this same turf a few decades back, but it plays nicely here, like an EC comics story by way of ALIEN. Good pacing, decent dialogue, very effective high contrast art. Not the greatest graphic novel you'll ever read, but it goes a long way toward showing how much entertainment can be got from a simple idea well executed."

Longtime friend of AiT Greg McElhatton looks at Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden: "For a series that has had its protagonist make mistakes and spend the rest of its run trying to make things right, it's this gradual understanding and acquiring of knowledge over the years that pays off perfectly here. Jax has learned a lot, and whether you've read the entire series to date or just this concluding issue, that much is definitely clear."

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JK Parkin is doing a Full Moon Fever giveaway, so click over to The Great Curve if you want a chance to pick up the book.