The Bulletproof Coffin

Steve Neuman cleans houses of the recently dead. When he uncovers a collection of freshly printed Golden Nugget comics, Steve knows something is not right. Nearly 50 years ago in the early 60s, Big 2 Publishing acquired the rights to all Golden Nugget publications, promptly canceling all the titles. Things get even weirder when elderly versions of the Golden Nugget heroes appear, telling him that he must help them find the Creators -- David Hine and Shaky Kane -- to save the future and their existence. In this clever bit of metafiction, Hine and Kane introduce an entire comic book publisher and heroes, complete with prose historical articles and letters pages. The contemporary tales of Steve's adventures intertwine seamlessly with the show more freshly created, previously unknown Golden Nugget stories. These new tales reveal key elements of Steve's story and a possible dark future. Kane's graphic stylings nearly perfectly mimic the comics of the late 50s and early 60s, while maintaining a unique vision. Same goes for the prolific writer Hine. The action-filled, thought-provoking Bulletproof Coffin barrels along at quick pace, culminating in a creative and satisfying conclusion. show less

The Bulletproof coffin uses the story-inside-story concept in a 60's comic books enviroment and while it is not a new concept, it is made in fresh and fun way. The result is like Total Recall (the film by Paul Verhoeven) drawn by Jack Kirby, Herb Trimpe (aping Kirby) and Geoff Darrow.
Shaky Kane shows himself very skilled, with a varied pallet of art styles, without losing the storytelling.
It could make a good movie!

David Hine created a smart plot and filled it with a lot of crossed refences with the real world comic book companies histories, which tips to the histories of Fawcett Comics. Charlton Comics and the usual Marvel and DC, making fun even with Image Comics, which is the publisher. It makes a good easter egg for the hard core show more readers. show less