Hard, brutal and ruthless – with a weakness for hot women and cold cash – "Digger" McCrae is the consumate criminal. Whether it’s an armored car hijacking, bank robbery, art heist or a kidnapping, you can depend on “Digger” to handle every obstacle and double-cross with professional cool and a complete lack of conscience. And that “Gravedigger” nickname? Well – don’t ever call him that to his face, or you’ll find out where that monicker came from… the hard way.
The critically-acclaimed Gravedigger: The Scavengers first appeared online ten years ago, serialized weekly on the subscription-based ("pay") webcomics site, AdventureStrips, and was subsequently published as a one-shot comic in 2004. Now, artist Rick Burchett (the Eisner Award-winning scribbler of dozens of terrific comic books - including tons of Batman - and the webcomic series Lady Sabre & The Pirates of the Ineffable Aether) and I are re-presenting this first "Digger" McCrae caper for free... and in a few months, when the story concludes, we'll roll directly into an all-new, never-before-seen story: The Predators!
Here's a sampling of what reviewers said about Gravedigger: The Scavengers, when it first appeared:
“Chris Mills and Rick Burchett have created an instant crime comic classic. Briskly told with all best aspects of a pulp story presented with panache and the proper measure of meaness. I love this comic!”
– Chuck Dixon
Writer: Detective Comics, G.I. Joe, Nightwing
“‘Gravedigger’ McCrae claims this is his last job, but for the sake of crime fans – I hope it’s not. Mills & Burchett have put together a fantastic noir comic, and it would be a crime if they stopped here.”
– Jay Faerber
Writer: Dodge’s Bullets, Noble Causes, Point of Impact
“Gravedigger: The Scavengers is the great lost film Lee Marvin coulda (and shoulda) done – straight up hard stuff, no chaser. It may go down easy, but it packs a punch like a set of bloody brass knuckles. Let’s hope Mills and Burchett serve up another round of murder and mayhem real soon.”
–Kevin Burton Smith
January Magazine Rap Sheet
“Gravedigger: The Scavengers from Christopher Mills with pencils and inks by Rick Burchett is a beaut. Crisply rendered with deft thick-and-thin lines, dramatically composed panels and page layouts, toned various grays (by Mills), and with a Lee Marvin look-alike in the lead. A brutal, amoral tale but expertly done.”
– R.C. Harvey
Comics Historian and Critic
“Gravedigger is pure homage to Richard Stark and Lee Marvin. It’s the unofficial sequel to Point Blank that we never got to see. The story by Mills is loaded with rip-offs, double and triple crosses, brutal violence and steamy sex. The artwork by Rick Burchett is crisp and clean and presented the way noir should be presented: in black and white and shades of gray.”
– Terril Lee Lankford
Author: Earthquake Weather, Shooters
Screenwriter: Armed Response, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers
“Mills is an underappreciated writer. He has solid skills and uses them to good effect here. Digger and the other characters are well-realized, even those destined to play but minor roles in the caper. The pacing is solid, the writing appropriately hard-boiled. He threw some good curves, too; I saw one of them coming only to be fooled by the second. Solid. Artist Burchett is a consummate storyteller as well. All the visual elements – character designs, panel and page construction, backgrounds – are in service of the story. That he draws so well adds to the quality of the presentation."
– Tony Isabella
Comics Buyer’s Guide
“…a good tale about a bad man… All in all, Gravedigger is a swell little crime fiction vignette – a tight package. Highly recommended.”
–Sean Fahey
C.H.U.D.com
2 comments:
And how appropriate indeed to launch only a few days after TCM's salute to the great Lee Marvin.
I've been waiting for new Gravedigger for a long time now -- very excited for the launch!
Just like Michael and Mariah--I'll be there!
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