C.F.: Powr Mastrs Vol. 2

Powr Mastrs Vol. 2 follows hot on the heels of this elusive artist’s first volume-- in a series of six graphic novels--which was one of last year’s most anticipated debuts. C.F. comes out of the mythic Providence, Rhode Island art and noise scene--his musical alias is Kites. In a recent profile The Comics Reporter observes, “Contrasting sharply with many of his flashier contemporaries, [C.F.’s] primary skill lies in overlooked nuances of comics storytelling, in particular pacing.” His distinctive voice and intricate rendering skills have attracted attention from the groundbreaking comics anthology, Kramers Ergot--he was included in the fourth issue, and featured on the cover of the fifth. Here, C.F.’s epic fantasy--an allegorical tale where power, physical identity and even gender are always in flux--picks up steam: Buell Kazee sneaks down into the cellar of the plex knowe crypt and conjures trouble; Tetradyne Cola takes a nap and dreams of Monica Glass and the lemon sparklers of star studio; members of the Marker clan compare notes on their magical crimes and the witches of Lace Temblor conspire over transmutation night.