I like anthology comics. I think they can be a great showcase for both a writer and an artist and if you’re in the mood for a short story instead of a long multi-part epic, they can really hit the spot.

That’s what led me to Scheme Comix, a new indy anthology from Happy World Productions and produced in cooporation with Arts Council Scotland. It’s a pocket-sized 32-page black and white collection of “5 tales of Suspense! Shocks! And Romance!” according to the cover blurb.

All of them are illustrated by Kev Harper, with writing from David Walker, Sharon Irvine and Louise C. Gordon.

Regardless of how long corporate comics survive, I like that there’s a vibrant group of DIY-ers driven to do it themselves, either on the internets or, in this case, print.

I like the variety of stories here: a private eye, space babes, and what looks like the beginning of a wild road trip. That’s right on the money as far as I’m concerned. And artist Kev Harper is definitely someone to watch.

It’s harder, unfortunately, to get a handle on the writers - the stories are short and some of them continue in the next issue. That barely leaves enough room to get the ball rolling before the “To Be Continued” caption pops up.

I think complete-in-one issue stories would be better for the audience and better as a showcase for writers' skills (also better in case of an irregular publishing schedule). But, I’m not the editor and it ain’t my magazine.

I enjoyed Scheme and I wish Kev and his band of merry anthologists the best of luck. I’ll be curious to see where this goes from here.

Here’s a review of Scheme that first lead me to the gang.

[Artwork: Cover to Scheme Comix #1 by Kev Harper]