Reviews
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A Dummy’s Guide to Danger“Everyone knows ventriloquist dummies are creepy – but Jason M. Burns’ comics prove they can be clever, scheming and laugh-your-ass-off funny too. Hell, if the dummies I ran into were this smart, Hollywood would be a much more enjoyable place.” Daniel Truly, Writer/Producer, Blade: The Series "Jason M. Burns is an imaginative and fresh new voice -- a writer with the uncanny ability to wrest character and emotion from the most fantastical situations. Burns's imagination and invention -- not to mention his gallows humor -- are impressive, but what drives his narrative home is his knack for finding humanity and pathos in places most people wouldn't dare to look." Javier Grillo-Marxuach, “Middleman”, NBC’s “Medium,” ABC’s "Lost” “Hilarious banter between two unconventional PIs drives this enjoyable ride celebrating and skewing genre conventions.” Library Journal “A Dummy’s Guide to Danger is an excellent comic book working both the pulp and comic side of the line. The amazing Viper producer another winner with this book.” Silver Bullet Comic Books
“A Dummy’s Guide to Danger is a friggin’ brilliant idea mired within an easy-to-thrill genre that somehow manages to come out of the wash looking a sight more resplendent than either component did going in. Unlike most new series out there – which may be damn fine books when all is said and done – I only had to read this one, single 22-page installment to realize that I wanted every last drop more.” Broken Frontier “Talents such as Burns and Chan (art) need to be harnessed and appreciated for their raw, creative ingenuity and storytelling.” The Comics Review “This has been a terrific series from page one, and might just be the best book Viper has produced in 2006. Definitely worth your time to seek out.” The Comics Waiting Room
“Although the title says, “A Dummy’s Guide to Danger,” this book could easily teach a thing or two to some current authors and illustrators. Author Jason M. Burns and artist Ron Chan are no dummies when it comes to telling one heck of a story.” Independent Propaganda “A Dummy's Guide to Danger is complicated, fascinating. Burns has a beautifully tuned ear which makes every scene dramatic!” Jazma Online “The story was much better than I had anticipated. I sincerely hope Viper has already signed a deal with Burns to do a second volume.” Pop Thought “DUMMY’S GUIDE is a lot of fun, and features one of the most unique casts of characters on the stands right now. Give it a look and I think you’ll find it enjoyable.” Comics Waiting Room “It has just the right amount of mystery, action and humor that I feel most comics should have. Viper Comics, Jason M. Burns and Ron Chan are on my radar now for future comics.” Amish Otaku “A Dummy's Guide to Danger is a fun and exciting story with a light touch of humor and eccentricity.” BookLoons.com A Dummy’s Guide to Danger: Lost at Sea“Returning to perhaps my favorite of his works, Burns puts his characters into a classic type of mystery, a “locked room” in the form of the cruise ship, and that’s a smart move.” Comics Waiting Room “This offbeat adventure comes with many recommendations – and you can add mine to the list.” Independent Propaganda “I strongly encourage anyone who likes a little action/mystery/comedy in their comics to check the series out. You won't be disappointed.” Amish Otaku “A Dummy’s Guide to Danger is one of the most twisted comic books you will ever read. Jason Burns has created the kind of psychotropic thriller that would have made Hitchcock proud.” Broken Frontier “Aside from the rather sharp dialogue, Burns’ Dummy’s Guide stories really only feature one joke, told over and over again. The thing is, it’s a good joke, and the fact that Burns keeps finding new ways to tell the joke give the entire endeavor a sort of suspense, as one waits in vain for it to start falling flat. It hasn’t yet.” Newsarama “A good start to a new adventure with the most unlikely detective duo this side of Columbo and his talking Darth Vader action figure. Fun stuff for those seeking the unusual.” Comixtreme.com “Tired of the status quo? Viper has the answer to your mainstream woes. Dark and hilarious, Dummy is the kind of book that makes odd seem normal.” Broken Frontier “Good story. Good art. Good book. Go buy it.” Project Fanboy The Expendable One
“Only a handful of comic book writers today can match Jason M. Burns for imagination and the ability to make a reader's adrenaline rush!” Jazma Online “I know you are thinking, 'I've seen this somewhere before...' but I promise this is a new take on the idea. The humorous format used by the creators has allowed that to happen. This character is much easier to identify with than anything I've seen from superhero books of this nature. That makes a winner for me.” Pop Thought B+ “I recommend The Expendable One for fans looking for some mindless action with good humor and art.” Paperback Reader “Merriam-Webster defines “lurid” as “causing horror or revulsion; gruesome; melodramatic, sensational; shocking.” There’s good lurid and bad lurid. Bad lurid is Wolf Creek or the New York Post; good lurid is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the Weekly World News. Happily, The Expendable One falls into the latter camp, and does so with a splash of gore and mean humor.” Pop Syndicate “Lurking behind The Expendable One’s somewhat disingenuous cover is a lively and ghastly modern homage to EC Comics.” CHUD.com “A book like THE EXPENDABLE ONE is all about the journey, not the destination. What makes it such a fun read is seeing how many different ways that Burns can come up with to shoot, dismember, and generally humiliate his character. Good, clean, nasty fun.” Comics Waiting Room “A clever story!” Publisher’s Weekly “Right up Fango readers’ alley!” Fangoria Magazine The Underworld Railroad
Recommendation for the Week: “It’s a really cool concept. As I was reading it, I was seeing it in my head as a film.” Fanboy Radio “What a premise, eh? I was intrigued right away as this teaser was printed right on the back of the book. I read the book immediately upon its arrival, and again Viper has not failed to please by publishing worthy projects.” Pop Thought “Jason M. Burns, master of the high concept, strikes again with THE UNDERWORLD RAILROAD! Conceptually, RAILROAD is a solid book. With books like this and THE EXPENDABLE ONE, Burns has really shown himself to be one of the best high-concept guys working in comics today.” Comics Waiting Room “All in all, this first volume of Underworld Railroad (I assume there will be more) is an entertaining read, featuring plenty of supernatural action, intrigue, and personal conflicts to keep readers interested.” Silver Bullet Comic Books “Graphic novels are books, too, and while this one isn't heavenly, it's a hell of a good time.” SF Scope “The concept is rife with potential, and Burns would do well to pursue it further.” Rambles.net “The Underworld Railroad is a rustic gothic horror story where you feel like all life is at stake. If you like boy like Hellboy, the recent Elk’s Run, or even enjoy short stories of old horror books like House of Mystery, which this reminds me of, check out The Underworld Railroad.” Indie Comic Book Noise Podcast The Sleepy Truth“The Sleepy Truth is a nice, refreshing story and a lot of fun. And fun is something that is sorely missing in comics today. Keep an eye out for this one!” Tim Janson, Newsarama “No sex, no swearing, bit of violence - confined to the climax of the book - funny, caring, and actually touching in a couple places. I like it and I can't wait for vol 2.” Scott Tingley, Comics in the Classroom “This is a great little book for the younger set, but a more sophisticated palate can enjoy it, too.” SF Scope “Three Tonys: There’s strangeness on all sides of this entertaining suitable-for-all ages first story.” CBGXtra.com “Sleepy Truth holds its own and promises more entertainment to come.” Comics Buyer’s Guide “The writing by Jason M. Burns is high-spirited and amusing, with the right dose of tension for younger readers while still appealing to an older set. Appropriate for all ages, volume one of The Sleepy Truth heralds even finer things in the future. I look forward to volume two.” Rambles.net “Recommended: THE SLEEPY TRUTH is a tad irreverent, chocked full of hard-hitting issues, and fun all at the same time.” The Graphic Classroom “The Sleepy Truth is a great little book I will be proud to have on my school shelf, watching the teenagers flip through it. It is one of those books that can bridge the gap between readers and non-readers.” Independent Propaganda “The kids are interesting, unique characters, their dialogue rings true, and while there’s a “threat” involved, you know that whatever resolution comes will be appropriate. I wish there were more like it.” The Comics Waiting Room Borderland“I recommend that you pick this one up for several reasons. One being that the actual story is based on true events, you’ll never get bored reading the story (You’ll actually want more) and Jason Burns is the writer. Seriously, have you ever read anything that he has written?” Comic News “Writer Jason M. Burns has also scored again with another intriguing script. Like many modern horror films, the use of humor in establishing the characters allows the reader to feel a bit more intimately involved rather than just watching the hack/slash that was so abundant in the 1980’s. I believe his work was a complete success.” Pop Thought Gypsy Joe Jefferson"After reading the third installment of Gypsy Joe, I have to bow before the creative mind of Jason M. Burns. I've reviewed other works by the author (Dummy's Guide to Danger, Underworld Railroad & The Sleepy Truth) and I have to say that Burns is definitely going to be my pick for writer of the year in 2008." Project Fanboy |
