EYES ON WRAITH OF GOD: BLOOD HUNTERS
The WRAITH OF GOD returns as he and Esther battle a vampire and his brides in the old west of 1883.
The Wraith and Esther return to battle Count Korvac, a vampire looking to take over a growing Tennessee town, with the help of his blood-sucking brides in 1883. Our two heroes continue to define their relationship as their faith is tested by the dark evil of the power-hungry vampire. The same issue features 3 backup stories featuring Garbage Man, The Night Club, and Kit Carter: Galactic Ranger.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
The stories in WRAITH OF GOD: Blood Hunters were created, written, and illustrated by Aaron Lopresti. Aaron Lopresti is a 30-year veteran of the American comic book industry. He worked on Marvel’s PLANET HULK, X-MEN, and MS. MARVEL or DC Comics’ WONDER WOMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE. After successfully launching his new independent comic publishing company EMPIRE COMICS, with the hit graphic novel, WRAITH OF GOD, he is bringing more of the LOPRESTI-VERSE of characters.
The Wraith of God story was colored by Omi Remalante Jr. and Gabe Eltaeb. The lettering work was done by Warren Montgomery. Cover art was done by Aaron Lopresti (Cover A, Cover B and Cover C), and Simon Bisley (Cover D). Pin-up art by Fanart winner Adam Miller. The book was assembled for printing by Kurt Hathaway and proofread by Christina Lynn.
THE BOOKS
WRAITH OF GOD: Blood Hunters is a 100+ pages trade paperback perfectly bound with a unique soft cover printed on quality paper in full color. The book has an intro, a thank you page, 51 pages of the main story, 15 pages of the Night Club story, 16 pages of the Garbage Man story, 14 pages of the Kit Carter story, an Empire Comics info page, letters to the Wraith, a page with the Pinup art of the Winner of the Fanart competition and an ad page for the LOPRESTI-VERSE.
WRAITH OF GOD: Roughs Volume 2 is a 24-page perfect bound with the same soft cover material as the main book. It is an art book that shows you how the story of the current issue was created. Printed in a smaller size than the trade paperback on high-quality paper in black and white. The books were published in 2023 by Empire Comics, a subsidiary of Cold Crocodille Press, Inc. owned by Aaron Lopresti.
THE STORIES
WRAITH OF GOD: BLOOD HUNTERS
The Wraith and Esther return to battle Count Korvac, a transplanted European vampire attempting to take over a growing but faithless Tennessee town. With the help of his blood-sucking brides, Korvac wants to establish an empire in the new world one bite at a time. As our two heroes continue to define their tumultuous relationship, they must come together to defeat their deadliest foe yet.
THE NIGHT CLUB
We first met the Night Club at the end of the Garbage Man trade paperback story. The Night Club is a mysterious team of heroes who defend the citizens of Murnau City from the forces of evil and corruption that plague the dark metropolis. Led by the enigmatic Mr. Midnight, who has a clandestine connection with the Wraith of God, they fight together to enforce justice in hopes of saving the city from its moral decay.
The Night Club gets their first solo adventure as they must stop an elephant-like creature from destroying Murnau City. Who is the strange antagonist? We also meet Aeon Chance, a god-like creature with significant powers. What role does he play?
GARBAGE MAN
Attorney Richard Ethan Morse was on the fast track to a partnership with his law firm in Murnau City. When Morse was given the Titan Pharmaceuticals account, he inadvertently discovered illegal activity and was immediately targeted for assassination. Directed by Titan’s chief biochemist, Dr. Edwin Clive, Morse was experimented on and thought to be killed in a lab explosion. But Morse did not die. Instead, his chemically altered remains mingled with refuse and toxins from the chemical plant and he was reborn as the monstrous hero, Garbage Man.
Garbage Man returns to face off with a family of zombies that he discovers deep in the rural woods outside of Murnau City. But The Walking Dead is only half of the story as the muck monster finds himself in more danger than he could imagine. Aeon Chance makes an appearance.
KIT CARTER: GALACTIC RANGER
Kit Carter and her partner, Merv the Astro Chimp, are galactic rangers employed by the Galactic Alliance Freedom Federation, better known as GAFF. They patrol the known universe, bringing criminals to justice and saving the galaxy as often as possible. Kit Carter was created to be an online weekly comic strip, similar to the old Sunday newspaper strips of yesteryear.
The story presented in this issue is the first 14 weekly episodes of the comic strip in print for the very first time. Kit Carter Galactic Ranger and her partner Merv the Astro-Chimp must save the galaxy from the maniacal conqueror Zing the Zealous. Will they be successful in their mission?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
As a 30-year veteran, Lopresti’s storytelling prowess is evident in the gripping tales woven within the graphic novel. The graphic novel not only introduces readers to a fresh set of characters within the LOPRESTI-VERSE but also establishes Empire Comics as a promising platform for compelling independent comics.
WRAITH OF GOD: BLOOD HUNTERS
The Wraith and Esther continue their journey to destroy evil but Esther has some insecurities that she needs to work on. This time the evil they face is in the form of vampires. The story is engaging from beginning to end. What I love the most is the reminder that I feel is especially pertinent for the West to listen to:
“When you leave the door open to Evil, it will always come in, and the consequences are always terrible and always permanent”
Recognizing the necessity of vanquishing evil, the forces of good must summon the courage to confront the impending threat. Learning the boundaries that the malevolent entities are prepared to breach, they cannot afford to be naive in assuming otherwise. The good side also needs the strength to take decisive action, which in the case of the Wraith means eliminating the evil. This is what the Wraith does effectively. I love what the Wraith says at the end of the issue and would love to see it on a poster:
“As always, wherever evil threads on our land, we will be there to destroy it, so speaks the WRAITH OG GOD”
THE NIGHT CLUB
The Night Club story was quite interesting with the introduction of Aeon Chance. He reminds me a little bit of Loki, the God of Mischief. I wonder how the team will adjust with the new member. By the end of the story, you realize that there is still a lot to uncover from the Night Club and their connections with the LOPRESTI-VERSE.
GARBAGE MAN
Following up on the story from the Garbage Man trade paperback in this back story we see the Garbage Man still struggling to find purpose. In another confrontation with people misusing science and being unethical for personal gain, the Garbage Man finds a purpose.
KIT CARTER: GALACTIC RANGER
This is the first time reading Kit Carter and it is completely different from the previous stories. This is a lighter sci-fi comedy adventure and highly entertaining. When Kit Carter gets in trouble, Merv the Astro Chimp doesn’t always come to the rescue when she would expect him to show up.
THE ART OF WRAITH OF GOD
The art is amazing. I appreciate it even more because the illustrations are made using the old-school method with paper, pencils, pens, and markers. You can see the sketches in the art book and compare them to the final product. I guess it’s different when you have insights into the process and see the effort and dedication put into the work. I like how the Wraith has a distinctive lettering style for his dialogue.
The artist, Aaron Lopresti, has a YouTube channel where he shows how he makes his art. He talks about his artistic style and shares insights about the art world. What sets him apart from most creators is how provides interesting and unique content and how he concentrates on creating his art for the audience to see, somewhat similar to Kenneth Rocafort, 
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WRAITH OF GOD
The story has religious elements tied to the Wraith’s origin which is the base of the power the Wraith has and the base of Esther’s faith. It’s not a straightforward good-versus-evil story, with shades of gray making it more intriguing.
Narratives of this nature carry significant relevance in an era where societies are shifting away from traditional religions to embrace various cults and movements where there is no true distinction between good and evil. Evil is good. Good is evil.
In my view, one doesn’t necessarily have to adhere to a specific religious doctrine to acknowledge the existence of a higher power, an energy symbolizing goodness and light, and an opposing force embodying darkness and malevolence. And understanding that we need to support the forces of good sometimes through actions that are against our principles but are needed to destroy evil. As the influence of darkness grows with more individuals aligning themselves with it, there will always be a select few who opt for the light, determined to resist and combat the prevailing evil.
I would love to see more stories where the light is front and center. There is way too much focus on darkness and demons in entertainment these days. Frankly, it’s annoying. I love that we have the option to still get these stories from independent creators. Companies like Empire Comics and Angel Studios are championing these stories and it is important to support them in their efforts to bring stories of strength and hope in a world where people have become weak and lost faith in themselves.
THE CAMPAIGN
I signed up to support the campaign in advance and by the time Aaron Lopresti’s Wraith of God: Blood Hunters Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign was active on Indiegogo, I decided first on the tiers with Cover B and 1 x Merv the Astro Chimp card, 1 x Roughs Vol.2, and 1 x Cover A. Later I also got the tier with Cover A signed and 1 x Roughs Vol.2. The advantage of signing up in advance is the chance to receive something for free in addition to the potential free goodies that will be available by the end of the campaign. This time it was the Merv the Astro Chimp trading card.
Along with my orders, I also received some free stuff with each book tier, what they call stretch goals on these campaigns:
- A one-sided bookmark
- An Esther “Queen of Harts” Trading card
- A thank you letter (which was very much appreciated)
- 3 Trading cards: Wraith of God, Garbage Man, and Kit Carter: Galactic Ranger
The tracking number was provided via a US postal service. The package was received in good condition with no issues. The products, especially the stretch goals were carefully packaged. The campaign was professionally managed providing regular updates about the status of the campaign.
FINAL THOUGHTS
WRAITH OF GOD is an awesome supernatural Western tale with fantastic, detailed artwork that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The Wraith, a pretty intimidating character, is all about getting things done. Esther is dead set on doing her best to assist the Wraith, even though she has her doubts. The Wraith acknowledges that those doubts will come in the way of her work and she has no other option but to face them.
As of date, the crowdfunding campaign of WRAITH OF GOD: Blood Hunters is closed. The adventures of the Wraith will continue in 2024 with WRAITH OF GOD: Fear Hollow but, in the meantime, the LOPRESTI-VERSE is expanding with more new stories. The next ongoing campaign is Kit Carter: The Galactic Ranger where the Wraith of God books & other previously published books are available as add-ons on the campaign. Check them out!
Interested in more titles? Check more GRAPHIC NOVELS from the “EYES ON” series wherein I documented my experience with crowdfunding entertainment and shared my notes on the products I received.
My notes are all set. Let me know what you think.
See you on the next page!
