The Sixsmiths
Religious satire series about a family of suburban Satanists fallen prey to the GFC. Volume 1 published by Slave Labor Graphics, then republished by Caliber Comics, accompanied by volume 2. There was also a weekly webcomic than ran for 2 years leading up to the publication of volume 1. Some of those strips were reprinted in the SDCC $1 One Shot.
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The Sixsmiths Volume 1
THE SIXSMITHS are a family of suburban Satanists who’ve fallen prey to the global recession. Now their life is in turmoil: Ralf needs to find a new job; the twins, Cain and Lilith, need to survive the public school system; Annie needs to keep them all sane and under budget. Will the Devil rise to smite their enemies, or will he damn them with hellfire and wrath?
LEDGER AWARDS FINALIST
Written by Jason Franks, illustrated by J. Marc Schmidt, cover by Jase Harper. B&W 168 pages.
“Blazing a new trail into heavy-duty social satire.” — Jesse Karp
“One of the breakthrough graphic novels coming from a new age of Australian comics.” — Julie Ditrich (author of Elf~Fin)
“… a fun read that doesn’t take itself too seriously… how no matter what religion we happen to follow, we all are pretty much the same underneath.” — Ain’t It Cool News
Published by Caliber Comics 2015. Originally published by Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics 2010.
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The Sixsmiths Volume 2
The Sixsmiths are a family of suburban Satanists recovering from the global recession. Their eldest daughter, Jezabelle, has returned to the fold with a frightening amount of zeal. Meanwhile, recently converted Dennis O’Dowell finds that adapting a new faith has not made him as cool as he had hoped. But when the church burns down, the whole community is embroiled in a crisis. What hidden enemy has brought them low? Or is the Dark Lord punishing them for their weakness?
LEDGER AWARDS FINALIST
Written by Jason Franks and illustrated by Dean Rankine, Bruce Mutard, Jase Harper, Sacha Bryning, Sarah Howell, Anton McKay, Aly Faye, Gregory MacKay, Trevor Wood, Luke Pickett, Jan Scherpenhuizen, Tim McEwen, Bobby N, Ed Siemienkowicz and Jason Franks. Cover by Jase Harper.
“There’s been a lot written about the banality of evil. And evil doesn’t get much more banal than the Sixsmiths, a hardworking, loving middle class family who happen to worship the Dark Lord. Hilarious, profane, and even moving, the Sixsmiths is a book you should be reading. Or Lucifer will reap your soul.” — Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Spread)
“Plenty of great gags… and fun ideas and scenarios, as well as some ambitious world-building going on.” — Australian Comics Journal
Published by Caliber Comics 2015.
B&W 158 pages.
OUT OF PRINT
The Sixsmiths One Shot
$1 One-shot San Diego Comicon special (July 2010) featuring
Featuring 21 Sixsmiths short stories by Jason Franks, J. Marc Schmidt, and Jen Breach.
(out of print)
McBlack
Gonzo action SF noir series about a bodiless doer of dirty deeds. Self-published under my Blackglass Press imprint, then republished by Black House Comics. The graphic novel and the one shots are stand alone stories. Lady McBlack #1 is the first issue of volume 2. Volume 1 was serialized as 3 issues for various digital comics stores with additional covers by Tom Bonin and Rhys James.
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McBlack vol.01
WHITEFACE McBLACK used to be a private dick, but he gave it up in order to pursue on his true calling: murder, sabotage, theft and arson. So, when the Killer Dame asks him to help her find her rotten ex-husband, he’s reluctant to take the case.
Written and pencilled by Jason Franks, with inks by Dave Gutierrez, cover by Ron Salas.
84 pages, B&W interiors.
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Lady McBlack #1
At the behest of her three sisters, McBlack investigates the murder of Lila Bodicker by the Western Reapers, a mixed municipal soccer team. But whoever killed Lila does not want the Bodicker sisters to find out what really happened and before long McBlack himself is being hunted in the streets. Part 1 of 3.
Written and pencilled by Jason Franks, with Inks by Dave Gutierrez, cover by Rhys James. 22 pages, B&W interiors.
McBlack One-Shot
McBlack is dispatched on a multi-stage seek-and-destroy mission–but who is he supposed to kill, and who is he really working for?
Written by Jason Franks. Illustrated by Mike Athey, Tom Bonin, Trevor Wood and Jason Franks. Colours by Luke Pickett. Wraparound cover by Rhys McDonald. 28 pages in full colour.
McBlack Two-Shot
McBlack is hired to eliminate a monster that is haunting a young boy’s dreams. But can he survive the imagination of a child?
Written by Jason Franks. Illustrated by Bruce Mutard, Luke Pickett, Rhys James, John Stewart and Jason Franks. Colours by Ellie Pickett. Inks by Dave Gutierrez. 24 pages in full colour.
Ungenred
Short story collection published by Black House Comics.
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Ungenred
UNGENRED collects Jason Franks’ mainstream short comics. Autobiography, comedy, travel, biography, allegory, social realism, tall tales, period drama – you never know what will be on the next page. Might even be some talking robots.
Illustrated by Bruce Mutard, Ed Siemienkowicz, Joe Pimienta, J. Marc Schmidt, Nicholas Hunter, Renan L’Hopsum, Bobby N., Jan Scherpenhuizen, and others.
Left Hand Path
Horror/urban fantasy series published by Winter City Productions. Only 1 issue completed.
OUT OF PRINT
Left Hand Path #1
Detectives of the Unconventional Incidents Unit (UIU) are called in to investigate a bloody massacre perpetrated by a demon who is loose on the streets of Los Angeles.
Their only clue: a missing barrel of Rainbow Peach Swirl ice cream.
AUREALIS AWARD FINALIST
Art by Paul Abstruse. Colours by Eddie Swan.
Smiling Damned
Series of themed anthologies about villains. Self published under Blackglass Press.
Smiling Damned #1
FOUR THE HARD WAY
Learn the ins and outs of the super-villain business from three-time Best Solo Supervillain award winner The Prince. Watch Mr Ex orchestrate a supercrime the smart way. Destroy a wind farm with gun-crazy pro-pollution-activist Monochrome. Take a fully automatic tour of Transylvania with murderer-for-hire McBlack. Impress your friends by quoting Shakespeare–then rob and kill them. If you ever wanted to be a supervillain, this is the book for you.
Written by Jason Franks; illustrated by Daniel Watts, Brendan Halyday, and Aly Faye; coloured by Jason Quest and Garth Jones. Cover by Graeme Jackson.
Kagemono
I edited this series of horror anthologies. Two single issues and two larger TPB anthologies, self-published under Blackglass Press.
Other Comics
Anthologies edited by me.
Short comics bibliography
A mostly complete bibliography of my short comics can be found here: https://jasonfranks.com/short-comics/