Broken Frontier

Awakening Comics is publishing Everwinds: 'Shrooms, a 48-page comic reprinting the entire "'Shrooms" storyline from Everwinds #2 and #3, originally published by Amaze Ink.  Xeric Award-winning creator Steve Peters says: "The 'Shrooms comic always attracted a lot of attention at comic conventions, and I sold out of my copies of it a couple of years ago (I guess a lot of comic readers also like psychedelia and mushrooms---who knew).  The Origin Of Sparky comic has generated new interest in Awakening Comics, and both Sparky and Everwinds: 'Shrooms include jams with Dave Sim, so it seemed like a good time to reprint the 'Shrooms story."

For those not familiar with the Everwinds series, it is about a shaman called Fur Face, his elk familiar Wapiti, and their new companion, a mysterious wandering spirit inhabiting the physical form of a fox carcass.  In the first issue, Fur Face revealed to the fox that Everwinds is a crossroads reality, with doorways that lead to endless alternate realities.

In Everwinds: 'Shrooms, Fur Face decides the group must eat some strange mushrooms in order to solve the mystery of the walking carcass' origin. Much chaos, confusion, and psychedelia ensue. A virtual reality wizard (also the villain in the Everwinds Awakening War comic, which tied Awakening Comics and Everwinds together) takes the form of the evil shaman Broken Neck and engages in mortal combat with Fur Face. Fur Face's life force is captured, and it's up to the fox to become a shaman and try to get him back.  

Ever the jam comic aficionado, Peters worked a number of jams into the story.  It includes bits by longtime Awakening collaborators David Nowell (co-creator of Awakening's Rabbit Hell) and CD Regan (Nether, Petit Mal, High Caliber).  Three jams were done at comic book conventions: the first was a drawing of Arzach by Moebius.  The second was the Sim jam, which featured his character The Judge from Cerebus.  He did the first two drawings at a convention, then completed the jam by mail.  The final contribution was by Terry Laban, whose character Muktuk Wolfsbreath: Hardboiled Shaman's jam cameo fit in perfectly with the Everwinds universe.

Everwinds: 'Shrooms has received a Spotlight and has been Certified Cool by Diamond Comics' Previews catalog.  It is a 48-page B&W book, and will retail for $3.99 US/$4.99 Canada.