by MATTHEW PRICE

From the Dec 2, 2022, edition of The Oklahoman

The second season of a sci-fi comic book epic from Oklahoma City publisher Literati Press prepares for launch. 

Three different artists illustrate three different eras in the ambitious “We Promised Utopia,” which also features three writers: Charles J. Martin, writer of “Glamorella’s Daughter”; Adrian Morales, an energy engineer; and Robert Holman, a geophysicist.  

“We began by building the tech using our basic concept and built a world around it,” Morales said in an email from the publisher. “Then Charles gave life to the world with amazing characters. We built whole lifetimes for each character to understand how they would react in different scenarios and make their decisions make sense. I really enjoyed world building – I wanted to explore the possibility of a future with a different financial system and wealth creation that is tied to energy consumption.”

Artists for the series include John Eric Osborn, Jonathan Koelsh and Chloe Elimam. 

Osborn illustrates a near-present as an activist seeks to avert an environmental disaster. 

“It’s been so exciting to help build this universe from the ground-up, and to present a contemporary society that struggles with environmental disaster and the utopian era that has achieved an ideal world, Osborn said via email. “The environments, the technology, and most importantly, the emotions of the people are such invigorating things to portray as an artist.”

Koelsh is the artist for a utopic future with a dark secret. And Chloe Elimam is the artist for a distant future where humanity faces possible extinction. 

The series is crowdfunding for season two on Kickstarter.

An event promoting the series is set for 10 a.m. on December 17 at the Literati Press Bookshop, 3010 Paseo, with several of the the creators available to talk about season two, and to sign comics and items from season one.

More from Literati

This is just one of Literati Press’ series that are aimed at ongoing release. Two other genre tales from the publisher have new issues out this season. 

The third issue of Colin Ingersol and Greg White’s “Aliengaged” is set for Dec. 7 release. “Aliengaged” follows three friends during an alien invasion. 

“The book is also about how love can blind you, even to an alien invasion, as one of our characters is so focused on proposing to his girlfriend, he doesn’t notice the chaos all around him,” White told Fanbasepress.com.  

Meanwhile, the highly regarded “Glamorella’s Daughter,” by Charles Martin and Jerry Bennett, continues its second season. Issue #5, the season two premiere, takes place in Yielding City, the alternate realm where Glamorella was born. 

The first four issues of “Glamorella’s Daughter” are available in a compendium, as a superhero tries to save the day and provide a nurturing home for her neurodiverse daughter. This superhero tale was lauded as “exciting and thought-provoking” by Kirkus Reviews.  

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.