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Ethan Van Sciver has been in the comic book industry his entire adult life. He published his creator owned character Cyberfrog at age 20 in 1994. Van Sciver rose from unknown indie artist to one of the finest visual stylists in comic book history. He’s best known for collaborations with Geoff Johns at DC Comics. Together they created Flash Rebirth, Green Lantern Rebirth, Sinestro Corps Wars and many other hit books for DC Comics. His art and creative inputs on the Green Lantern mythos generated tons of revenue for DC Comics. He is the definitive Green Lantern artist. No other artist has done it better. No other artist is as synonymous with the character. Period.

Van Sciver is an open supporter of Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency. After Trump’s victory in 2016 he was the victim of comic industry reprisal on social media. Tim Doyle, Keiran Shiach, Darryl Ayo and others SJWs targeted EVS and his employer DC Comics. They call him “nazi”, “alt-right”, “bigot” and every other buzzword the radical left uses to defame people these days. Around the same time Ethan began his own YouTube channel, ComicArtistPro Secrets, connecting him with readers more than ever.

During these attacks DC Comics never publicly supported Van Sciver. Ethan gave the vast majority of his adult life to the company and their characters. They stood silent while a hate mob, who never contributed one thing to the company or industry, tried to tear him apart. It’s an ultimate betrayal.

Eventually he asked for an early release from his contract with DC Comics. He concentrated on growing his YouTube channel. Ethan began defending himself against slanderous allegations on social media. He became a champion, and leader of sorts, in Comicsgate. A consumer movement aimed at removing ideological propaganda from comics, preserving hero legacies and demanding decent behavior from professionals in the comic book industry.

In mid-2018 he revived his dormant Cyberfrog character and launched a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Initially he raised over $500K for his campaign. He launched two subsequent variant cover campaigns and gave new fans a chance to support the project. In total Cyberfrog: Blood Honey has over 14 thousand backers and over $800K raised in support of the project. It was originally scheduled to ship in November 2018. He’s a bit late on delivery. That led to many detractors calling his backers suckers, claiming EVS ripped them off and was running off with their money. Van Sciver took it upon himself to serve a huge serving of crow to his detractors. He recently messaged backers with Chapter One of Cyberfrog: Blood Honey

I will start by saying that I think EVS is one of the finest comic artists in history, so Blood Honey has a seemingly impossible bar to clear.

Art 5/5

Somehow he manages to exceed expectations for his record-breaking Cyberfrog graphic novel. Ethan is known for his exceptional eye for details. He’s taken it to another level in Blood Honey. The image of Cyberfrog being born is absolutely stunning. The perspective of a simple frog being assimilated by alien technology is one of the craziest images ever seen in a graphic novel. All elevated by the amazing work of color artist Kyle Ritter. His work is exceptionally vibrant and oozes a cool factor most comics don’t. The extreme detail of Van Sciver’s work can be very challenging. Kyle helps make Blood Honey a premium visual experience.

The first chapter is mostly an origin story. When Van Sciver and Ritter finally put Cyberfrog in action it’s amazing. The scenes are very dynamic and the action poses of Cyberfrog are fantastic. EVS put his heart and soul into this book. He didn’t need to add detail of this level. But he did. He wants backers to receive the most impressive graphic novel he’s capable of. Ethan has already dropped fully rendered images not included in the preview. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Most backed Cyberfrog knowing Ethan’s visuals would be phenomenal. His ability to write characterization, dialogue and plot are another story.

Writing 4/5

One of the big issues with Richard C. Myers Jawbreakers: Lost Souls, Jon Malin’s Graveyard Shift and other crowd funded books is story compression. Creator’s compact five to six single issues of material (that would normally be 100 to 130 pages) in 50 pages or less. Ethan Van Sciver’s Cyberfrog: Blood Honey doesn’t appear to suffer this issue. The first nineteen pages tell a well-constructed origin story, with room to breathe. It’s a refreshing change from the frenetic pace of other books.

The Pyrdani dispatch a living ship with the ability to create new life, teach and nurture new offspring. The ship races to save Earth from the incoming Vyzpzz swarm. The ship arrives in New Jersey with twins ready to assimilate with a terrestrial life form. The Pyrdani expect to find human hosts but none are available. The twins are born and select a frog and salamander as host forms.

Cyberfrog is born. His mother ship, appoints him protector of Earth. As long as Cyberfrog and his mother are connected she will adjust and enhance his body for battle. His appendages can turn into massive machine guns. Mother explains the Vyzpzz are a conquering swarm. They see humans as livestock. Blood is the nectar that becomes honey that sustains them. Mother tells him to help humans and be prepared to die for them.

Cyberfrog starts his mission with optimism, sympathy and compassion for humans. He’s not prepared for the fact they have none for him. No matter how many lives he saves, he does not look like one of their own. He’s rejected and worn down by the very people he protects. Cyberfrog is committed to his mission but caries no love for humans. Until he meets Heather Swain, herself beaten down by life.

Overall 4.5/5

I really enjoyed Ethan Van Sciver’s Cyberfrog preview story. Our three main heroes (Cyberfrog, Salamandroid and Heather Swain) all have established origins and motivations. The threat is identified and the story is well paced. From the preview art, the story is action-packed and gory at times moving forward. The opening 19 pages are beautifully illustrated, as expected. I truly hope this book distributes to direct market. The work of Van Sciver is very impressive and merits the opportunity to compete on the open market.

One thing is for sure. There’s plenty of crow for his haters to eat. Cyberfrog: Blood Honey is complete. It’s going to print very soon. People all over social media will soon be posting pics of a book detractors said would never happen. The book is real. The scam is like everything else said by Ethan’s accusers. Complete and utter b.s. and outright lies. Ethan Van Sciver was driven from mainstream comics through slander and bullying. Through perseverance, self-belief and god-given talent he’s a bigger player today than ever before.

For a more in-depth preview of Cyberfrog: Blood Honey Chapter One view the video below.

Ethan Van Sciver's Cyberfrog: Blood Honey Preview

Watch this video on YouTube