I discovered Bearmageddon when I was reading Axe-Cop, and even though it just started in August, I still thought it was worth sharing. Bearmageddon is written and drawn by Ethan Nicolle, the same guy who draws Axe-Cop, and the similarities between the two comics are apparent right from the start. There are even some subtle references to Axe-Cop for fans of the series, so keep an eye out. All that said, this is by no means a little “side project;” this is a very well-done comic that would easily stand on its own without the connection to Axe-Cop.
I’m sure you’ll be able to guess the gist of the story from the title; in a nutshell, the impending world domination by grizzly bears led by a group of super-bears. What isn’t as easy to guess from the title is the excellent characterization Ethan accomplishes, as well as the clever and subtle ways he weaves in a tension between nature and society, which is shaping up to be a major theme for the comic. A story about pissed-off, super-intelligent bears would be cool, but since it’s a lot easier to relate to humans, making it a story about humans dealing with pissed-off, super-intelligent bears was probably the right choice. So we’re introduced to Joel Morely, a 22 year-old working a lousy job at Wow Mart and living at home with his younger brother and overbearing father. Joel’s friends are all just as unmotivated as he is, and this leads to a pretty ingenious plot point that I won’t say anything else about (he’s only on page 22). Ethan manages to perfectly capture the slump that so many young adults find themselves in, just getting by day-to-day and unable to make the leap from adolescence to adulthood. The characters sound and act like young twenty-somethings, and I have a feeling most people can relate to them in some way.
Ethan has said that Bearmageddon is a graphic novel, and as such will not go on indefinitely. This definitely shows in the very focused, foreshadowing-heavy storytelling he uses, and it’s a nice change of pace for an online comic. Also, one more little thing that really impressed me: under the “Characters” tab on the site, in addition to the main characters, Ethan has given extensive descriptions for characters that (so far) have appeared only once and are never referred to by name in the story. He was probably just doing it as a gag, but even so it’s great to see that he recognizes that these characters, however minor, have their own stories, and by giving them their stories the comic as a whole benefits.
Anyway, I don’t want to say too much more since it’s so short at the moment, but it’s also a good reason for you to go read it. You can get caught up in about 20 minutes, and then when this becomes a hit you can brag to all your friends that you’ve been reading it since (almost) the beginning.
Happy reading,
-Nate
Tired of Superheroes 
hi!!!