Sometimes we are faced with a big decision that causes a drastic change in our lives. It may be met with scorn by our families and friends but we feel the need to press forward and do what we think is right. In the comic Alien Shores by Kathy Catlin we find a young man named Max who has left his privileged life to go strike out on his own only to find himself in a rock band.
Set in the near-future, the comic begins with Max Sauvern during his quarter-life crisis. He has just left grad school and ended an engagement with a girl he knew was wrong for him. Shortly after he makes his way to Denver, he bumps into his long-lost cousin Rael who manages to talk him into singing at a “jam night.” The band who provides the music for his song was so impressed with his vocal skills that they ask him to join them. Flirtatious bass player Lexy, the blunt but flexible Corin, the skirt chasing guitar player Izzy, and the laid-back drummer Arq welcome Rael into the band “Alien Shores” but soon the ladies leave under good terms to join another band called “Lipstick Misfits.”
Not willing to give up the music dream, Max, Izzy, and Arq recruit the no-nonsense bass player Scott to complete their quartet. Together they encounter the usual band drama of trying to keep the group together and getting new gigs but they have some bizarre encounters along the way. Though all of the band members get along, the secrets from their individual pasts could lead to some lethal problems for each of them.
According to the website, the idea for this comic started when Kathy and her husband playing Rock Band 2 and 3 together. After many hours they started to give back stories to each of the characters which helped spark Kathy’s creativity and became part of her first comic project. The story was pretty much written during 2007-2008 and went through several drafts before reaching the website where we can find it today. Overall the storytelling is well done and Kathy does a great job of drawing all the characters and their expressions. On her twitter account she jokes that the cast is made up of “unrealistically attractive people,” and I have to admit, they are all good looking but there is a lot of drama and not so pretty events that happen in the comic. Most of the content is set to be PG-13 but there are a few situations that might require an R rating. With that said, most of the story is filled with fun band humor that anyone can enjoy.
Q&A with Kathy
How do you feel that your own experience as a musician has helped when creating this comic?
(Kathy) My experience as a musician has helped me with the comic in small ways, I think. I understand what it’s like to be onstage and how scary and addictive that can be, though my experience with it is limited. I’m also familiar with the instruments and equipment the bands use as well as the process of learning songs and rehearsing, which are part of the story, though not large ones. I feel like it helps make the guys – and the ladies – more believable.
On your website you mention that the characters came to life due to too many hours played on Rock Band 2 and 3. What was it about these characters that made you want to bring their story to life?
(Kathy) The fact that the four guys seemed very different from each other led my husband and I to speculate how they came to be in a band together and how they might relate when not onstage. At the time I had a massive art block going on and couldn’t get enthusiastic about anything. Imagining what these guys’ lives were like finally sparked some creativity! I really wanted to see them and share them with others so I started the comic.
There are a few neat gadgets in your comic like the hologram computers since your comic is based in the near-future. What made you want to set the narration in that time frame?
(Kathy) I’m not creative enough to set the story in the far future, too lazy to research the past, too uptight to make it solidly in the present. Also some of the plot elements involve things that don’t exist now. Having played a lot of Cyberpunk I feel comfortable in the slightly sci-fi near-future. I’m also trying to play with thoughts about social/cultural issues and what ways they might differ in a couple of decades, though that’s not my main focus.
I like to ask this question to webcomic creators who have bands in their comics. If Alien Shores could open up for any band real or fictional what band would that be?
(Kathy) They’d open for Rush. Yes, I am a hopeless Rush fan, and so are they, even if it is “ancient” history for them. But hey, you did say ANY band.
New full pages of the comic are usually posted once a week but sometimes they are delayed in order for Kathy to keep up the quality of the artwork and story. There are over a hundred pages on the website so you have some time to catch up on this fantastic comic. While there, take a look at the Scrapbook section to see some of Kathy’s sketches, animations, detailed illustrations, and just for fun pictures of the cast.
Has Max lost his mind or will he find the happiness and fulfillment that he seeks? Will Izzy and Scott always give each other a hard time? How far will their talent take them? Check out Alien Shores to see where the musician life takes the guys!!
Learn More
Website
Twitter
Kathy’s deviantART
Have a webcomic that you love to read or do you make your own? Please email them to me at webcomic@christinebrunson.com! Your suggestion might show up in a future article.
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