"Think Frank Miller’s HOLY TERROR without all of that bat-shit annoying Frank Miller-ness and you’ll get the drift of this one..."

"This is a fun book which empowers women while it entertains and inspires hope."

Sometimes you get a review that makes your MONTH. This review of Ben Ferrari and my Souverain #1 by Ambush Bug over at Ain't It Cool News did that for me. Souverain #1 is Earthbound Comics' book for December:

"Collecting five short stories featuring the female vigilante Souverain, this issue is a great introduction to the character created by Ben Ferrari and written by Ferrari and Mike Luoma. Set in the conflict of the Middle East in Iraq, Souverain serves as a masked force for justice, operating by going AWOL from her military unit in order to fight crimes that happen on foreign soil. Part revenge fantasy/part bold superhero adventure, this is a character that one most likely wouldn’t see in a mainstream comic. Ben Ferrari writes and draws the first tale, a bit of an origin story for our heroine. Mike Luoma steps in to write two hard-biting, hot button-pressing  prose tales. Think Frank Miller’s HOLY TERROR without all of that bat-shit annoying Frank Miller-ness and you’ll get the drift of this one. This book successfully mixes real world issues with superheroism, while remaining respectful to the men and women fighting overseas and pointing a finger at atrocities performed around the world. This is a fun book which empowers women while it entertains and inspires hope. - Ambush Bug"  http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52200#11

I corrected "prose" because that's not quite right - I did write a brand new prose piece, "The Kid", for the book, but he second "story" - the interconnected "One Nation - Under God - Liberty and Justice for All" is a good old fashioned comic book story with art by Ben and letters by Matt Grant and myself.

Get a digital download for 99 cents here: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=96675
Order a print copy here: http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6337

Another cool review here: http://www.blogthispal.com/2011/11/life-during-wartime-review-of-souverain.html
(Thanks, Gordon!)

Happiness Is... A New Book!

Here it is - my newest baby Souverain #1

Print copies arrived at the house today!

SOUVERAIN #1 is OUT!

My new book is out today - SOUVERAIN  #1! More a group effort than mine alone, of course. The character was created by Earthbound Comics founder Ben Ferrari, and he wrote the origin story in this issue. And Ben draws and inks all the comic book stories collected here. Former Earthbound honcho Matt Grant letters three of the four stories - I lettered the fourth and did the production work on the issue - spending a bunch of time on things you won't really notice but that hopefully make the book more cool!

For those who asked - Mike, love Souverain, but do I have to buy all those Lady Fight issues to get her whole story? Not anymore! All four of Souverain's Lady Fight stories are now gathered here under one cover -  And what a cover! With pencils and inks by Seth Frail and color by Chuck Michael Obach, the brand-new cover art really sets the tone for the issue - Beautiful!

For those now wondering - Mike, why should I buy this new issue if the stories are from those other books? Well, I've written a brand-new prose short story "The Kid" with new illustrations by Kitae Kim - there's a bunch of brand-new material!

For those of you wondering who the hell Souverain is, in these pages you can "Meet the woman who works with the U.S. Army by day and strikes out at night delivering justice on her own as the vigilante SOUVERAIN!"

It's in print here (Indy Planet): http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6337

Get the 99 cent download at Drive thru Comics: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=96675

And there's been a review: http://www.blogthispal.com/2011/11/life-during-wartime-review-of-souverain.html

Souverain... soon!

December 1st...

The Earthbound Comics release for December is Souverain #1 by Ben Ferrari and myself, along with Matthew Grant, Kitae Kim and Vic Moya, and Seth Frail and Chuck Michael Obach on cover art.

Spent a long time on the lettering and layout on this, too - but, again, I wanted it to be right :)

HEAR A BRAND NEW AUDIO SHORT STORY ON TODAY'S EPISODE!



Vigilante character Souverain has, up until now, been exclusively a denizen of the comic book page. Listen today as she debuts in an all-new format -an audio short story - as I read you my new tale "Souverain: The Kid"!

I'm Mike Luoma - writer and reader of the stories on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio. We'll travel back to Bagdhad in 2009 as Lieutenant Lane of the U.S. Army moonlights as the masked hero Souverain, as she attempts to bring justice to the women and children trapped in the war zone! Souverain was created by Ben Ferrari and first appeared in Lady Fight #1 from Earthbound Comics. I've written and Ben has illustrated 3 more comic books shorts featuring Souverain that appear in Lady Fight 2 - 4. These will be collected along with this brand-new story - with new illustrations by Kittae Kim - in Souverain #1 - coming soon from Earthbound Comics!

Find out more about Souverain at
http://glowinthedakradio.com and http://earthboundcomics.com