EROTECH #1 is a dark, NSFW comedy launching on Kickstarter this May. Darin X. Cape writes the book with art, letters, and design by Geoffrey Krawczyk. At first glance, the premise sounds like the next great HBO Max series, an R-rated dark office comedy.
About the issue:
The startup where you need a safe word to survive. Join Samantha as she rallies her team of misfit engineers and out-of-touch managers to release a new sex robot in this edgy comedy.
Cape sets the first issue up nicely on the first page with an email to the entire staff of EroTech from “the Owner.” The stakes are established, and the comic jumps right into the action. And boy, does it jump into the action! This book is definitely not safe for work, but it’s not gratuitous either. After the opening sex-robot scene, the book becomes an office drama with all the awkward social dynamics you would expect.
The best aspect of the writing is how the characters are introduced throughout the issue. You come away with feelings about each person after reading the first issue. The last page hooks you on the main character, Samatha, and I still want to know what type of wine she drinks after work, sitting on the couch. It’s a sign of good writing that I want to know more about these characters. Even the creep in the basement, Erik, is part of an insanely good subplot, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Cape has intrigued me, and now I’m along for the ride.
Krawczyk has a tremendous indie 80s vibe with his art style. You can see EROTECH #1 fitting nicely in the pages of Heavy Metal or in the first film. Also, he adds real drama when he puts several pages on a black background, as opposed to the white pages that highlight the office drama. In an office, there are a ton of back and forth conversations. Krawczyk’s panel layout keeps the story flowing correctly and guides the eye toward the essential plot points.
The star of the show is Krawczyk’s colorwork. He pushes the envelope with color technique and textures The book is very layered with color, which adds depth to the panels and sucks you into the story. The texture he uses also puts the story in its appropriate genre (edgy, indie). The edginess adds drama and makes you feel like no one is safe in the story. The colors in EROTECH #1 are like the score in a film; they build upon the drama and move you closer to the edge of your seat.
The last page of the book is all drama, because of Krawczyk’s panel structure and color technique. The inverted pyramid of panels leads you to the punchline, and the colors guide you to flip the page, BUT IT’S THE LAST PAGE! This is how you hook a reader with art and story.
EROTECH #1 is a solid first issue and a great example of how there is a comic book out there for everyone. Don’t forget to check out the Kickstarter Campaign.
