I was handed a golden opportunity the other day and since those so seldom come along I took a long  moment to  bask in it’s glow . Let me show you what I’m rambling about, so you can bask too.  

This is Black Salt and I have a feeling it’s going to gather momentum like a Cheetah with hunger pangs.

 The guys over at Blackline were kind enough to provide me with the ‘Press Release’ for this little nugget so I’ll toss it in here then I’ll tell you all about issue 1.

 BLACKLINE COMICS’ DEBUT TITLE “BLACK SALT: THE LAST HEROES LEFT” PREMIERES ON COMICS XP WEBSITE

Blackline Comics operates under a policy that respects creators’ rights foremost, and works exclusively with creator-owned concepts. Blackline has business offices in Las Vegas, Nevada, and production and editorial offices in Los Angeles, California. For more information on BLACK SALT: THE LAST HEROES LEFT and other projects under development, visit our website at www.blacklinecomics.com.

LAS VEGAS, NV– Publisher BlacklineComics’ newly-released digital comic book title, BLACK SALT: THE LAST HEROES LEFT, has debuted on the digital comics website Comics XP (www.comicsxp.com) on September 23^rd, and after one week on the site has risen to number one status on the website’s top five best sellers of the week list.

,&quotThis is great news for us here at Blackline," said Michael De Lepine, Blackline’s Director of Operations. "It’s wonderful to see a breakout series like BLACK SALT shoot out of the starting gate like this. For Blackline’sfirst title, it’s gratifying to have a book that is superior in quality do well from the very beginning. We are confident that it only picks up more momentum from here on out."

BLACK SALT: THE LAST HEROES LEFT, a martial arts espionage thriller, focuses on a criminal empire run by a renegade monk from the fabled Shaolin Temple, his plot to hold the world hostage with a technological super-virus, and the CIA agent and his partner who must use the ancient ways of Shaolin to stop him. BLACK SALT is a multi-format franchise created by Owen Ratliff of Ratti Entertainment, Inc., and is currently in simultaneous development as a video game, a leisure and workout apparel line, a cartoon series and a major live-action motion picture.

Blackline is proud to be associated with Ratti Entertainment and the BLACK SALT franchise, and has plans to publish the title in both digital and eventually trade paperback print format. The equivalent of a minimum of three issues is planned for the digital series and the TPB compilation.

An aggressive grass roots campaign is under way to promote BLACK SALT: THE LAST HEROES LEFT, including utilizing Blackline Comics’ presence on the Twitter and Facebook social networking websites. There are close to 1,000 people currently following Blackline Comics on Facebook.

In addition, a two-minute motion comics trailer for the BLACK SALT comic, courtesy of PixoFactor (www.pixofactor.com), can currently be seen on the home page of the Comic Book Trailers website (www.comicbooktrailers.com).

Comics XP, where BLACK SALT: THE LAST HEROES LEFTcan be downloaded from for 99 cents, is the brainchild of Robert W. Hickey, who also created the comic news website ComicRelated.com, publishes SKETCH Magazine, and produces BlueLinePro comic book drawing paper and art supplies.

Ratti Entertainment operates out of Columbus, Ohio, and more information on the multi-format BLACK SALT franchise can be found on their website, www.blacksaltfilm.com.
 

Ok, there you have it…..ALMOST everything you need to know.

I read through issue 1 pretty quickly; it’s a tight story and it flows smoothly. The art, though not ground breaking is well executed and form does follow function in this case. As you can see from the press release statement Black Salt has many diverse ‘futures’ in the works and I wonder if this  somehow determined the overall appearance of this book, maybe with such diversity ‘ease of  translation’ must reign supreme.

The story, though seemingly predictable is fresh and entertaining. I didn’t find myself so deeply involved with any one element or character that I had to thumb back through the pages to find my way and in todays comics that truly means something. Sure, you could argue that means ’simplistic’ but I just think it means ‘entertainment’ for the sake of being entertained and that’s exactly what this is. Don’t take it seriously, don’t ask too much from it, just enjoy the ride.  Since only issue 1 is available at the moment the story has yet to unfold enough to really get a feel for whats to come. The two minute trailer though hints at multiple twists and turns and promises to deliver something pretty exciting. All the right elements are in place to gather Black Salt a pretty good following. I’m just not sure it will be in the comic book arena.

I wasn’t excited about the artwork BUT it works for where the ‘property’ of Black Salt is headed. I imagine this more as an animated series  rather than a comic. So when I first looked at the panels my impression was one of disbelief. A lot of money and time went into Black Salt and from what I garnered from various Internet sites a lot of people were involved too. So I was  totally perplexed with the artwork until I saw the two-minute motion comics trailer, then the idea hit home and I suddenly found myself pretty hyped. So don’t just read the comic – to get the WHOLE feeling you MUST go over and see the various other formats. Then it should perk up your ears.

The Sci Fi element here?  uhhhhhhhhhhhh……….well – it’s coming.  There is a technological super virus involved here; you get a brief glimpse of the glowing green tube that contains the virus in issue 1 - more to come on that front . So at this point I’m not sure I’d hype the science fiction aspects. I would however hype the ‘Violent Bloody Monk ’ aspect – everything  in THOSE  panels caught my eye…..but I’m a sucker for an angry Shaolin – I LOVE IT!

One other item to note here – this is a ‘digital download’ comic and love or hate the format it’s quickly gaining ground. That said, its in the readers best interest to load  these comics on the best viewing device you can get your hands on or else some detail suffers. I also want to point out that Blackline looks to be a superb creator oriented company. I was extremely impressed with their website and their offerings. I believe they will play an important role in the future of digital comics.

So overall I’m liking this ‘idea’…..as a comic? it’s ok. I think its potential lies elsewhere and that I am excited about. So don’t put Black Salt out of your mind or your sights – because I have a feeling very shortly its going to be everywhere you look. Hit them up on Twitter or FaceBook – I did and was pleasantly surprised.