Tales of Fantasy

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tales of Fantasy is the name of my self-published small press comic book. The first issue was published in January 1988 and the current issue, #60 featuring Jesse Stuart in “A Day At The Zooy”  is now available. To order  just click here.

TOF offers the on-going adventures of the citizens of the city of Brookston where weird things always seem to be happening. We have Lew Brown, an ordinary fellow who happens to experience extra-ordinary things, and an ancient gypsy woman Madame Boogala, who runs a tearoom on Hemlock Street where in the dead of night she releases demons in compliance with her curse. Together these two individuals form the focal point for most of the the strange happenings in the city.There’s a whole supporting cast, too, and nearly each of them has been featured in their own adventures. There’s Detective Kolowski who is pressed into service assisting Madame Boogala. Then, of course her son Goomar, whom she doesn’t hesitate to use as a demon channeler has a girlfriend Ramona, known to channel a diety known as The Lady of Light.

Alistair Crowe runs a little curio shop, and each item has a story to tell. He is friends with Dr. Charles Young, Lew Brown’s psychotherapist. And Lew has a girlfriend Gabrielle LeGrande who is a scientist at the Brookston Scientific Institute. She also has an uncle named Joseph who prefers to live on the street. Joseph has another homeless friend named Mary who encounter Madame Boogala on occasion as well. Lew Brown’s brother Freddy shows up too, not to mention Detective Kolowski’s mother the imperious Polish lady Magda Kolowski, patron to the down and out in Brookston.

As you can see all of these residents of this mysterious city relate to each other and continue to fascinate readers with their adventures.

There’s some sample pages you can access by clicking on the links to the left.

Aside from comics, sometimes were have text stories in the style of the old 50s science fiction magazines, featuring Bart Rover, a shape-shifting android hunter.And in color each issue we have the surreal Space Cat, a wordless strip of weirdness.

Lately we’ve been running short essays on obscure 1960s comic book characters like DC’s Space Ranger, Mighty Samson and Sea Devils. And last but not least we have Mails of Fantasy. This letters column has been called by some as one of the best letters columns in small press comics. We have talented individuals in their own right offering comments and criticism each issue, and I can only improve from their perceptions of what I’m doing with TOF. Sometimes I’m not so sure, but that’s the act of discovery common to the practice of making art. Some fans of TOF have collaborated with me in producing stories featuring my concepts, adding more flavor and a different perspective I ever could to the comics featured in Tales of Fantasy.

It’s a labor of love, like nearly all of what can be found on the self-publishing scene and I guess that’s what keeps me going. So if you haven’t already, give TOF a try. You might like it. Single issues are $3.00 and a subscription for 4 issues is $11.00

Order the current issue if you like, or look in the back issues section (click on the link on the tool bar on the left) and take your time browsing. Curious?

Order from: Larry Johnson, 31 Greenbrook Rd., Hyde Park, MA 02136

For information on the latest issue click here.