Written & Illustrated by Peter Campbell
Published by Lone Star State LTD
Lone Star Soul is a book created by Peter Campbell. It tells the tale of Leroy Soule, a former movie star down on his luck that’s had to turn to Blaxploitation films just to keep a roof over his head. He’s a man drifting through life. He’s hit such a low point that when a blue light suddenly engulfs him and whisks him away, no one even notices he’s gone. Leroy is sent to an unknown planet and after a journey of undetermined length, he’s given an ultimatum: find me before it gets dark, or your soul will be lost forever.
I love the idea behind Lone Star Soul. The post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, western is a genre that’s becoming really popular for good reason. The idea here is really original beyond the setting though; a down on his luck man is taken away from his life and sent into the unknown in an effort to find himself again. The execution of the idea, however, slips up with the dialogue. There were multiple pages of what felt like filler panels that said the same thing but worded differently in two or three separate panels. I also get that the book is called Lone Star Soul, but the number of times the word ‘soul’ is used in this issue is BEYOND excessive. I’m going to chalk most of the missteps up to first issue jitters, though. As I said before, the idea behind his book could be really interesting; it’s just a matter of execution!
The brightest point of this series is going to be the art, no matter how good everything else ends up being. There’s a hint of abstraction in it, but just the right amount. The book is bright, colorful, and I loved looking at the pages that really showed off the scale of the story. There are a few panels that show planets from a distance, and I don’t know what Campbell used to create them, but I found them really aesthetically pleasing! With as many gripes as I had about the writing in this issue, I can’t say enough great things about the art. I really loved it.
LSS is a book with eons of potential. Anyone who’s a fan of the genre should check it out. Just because there were things I did or didn’t like doesn’t mean you won’t! If the missteps in the writing are corrected in issue two, I totally see myself reading this book every time it’s released! Give LSS a read!
2.5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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