All-ages action and adventure from Randy Reynaldo and WCG Comics

It’s not every day that you come across a small press comic that’s as exciting for kids as it is for adults. But why is that? After all, many of us came into comics fandom as kids, and yet even mainstream superhero books are moving in darker and darker directions. As always, the small press allows creators to do something a little bit different.In this case, that creator is Randy Reynaldo, a small press creator who received the Xeric Foundation award in 1995 and was also nominated for the Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer. His signature series is the long-running Rob Hanes Adventures, which he publishes through his independent WCG press which he “founded” in junior high in 1973. While a character called Sgt. Hanes appeared in WCG’s War Comics 5 in 1974, Rob Hanes did not appear until 1976 in a newspaper strip. The first actual issue was released in 1991, the year WCG Comics was officially founded.And oh, what a comic it was. The initial series did not continue, but it was quickly followed by Adventure Strip Digest 1. Between 1991 and 1994, 4 issues of the globe-trotting Rob Hanes saga were published. Hanes is an agent for Justice International, a mysterious organization which helps patrol the entire world. The strip is often compared to the work of classic artists like Will Eisner on Spirit, Roy Crane on Buz Sawyer and Wash Tubbs, and Milton Caniff on Terry and the Pirates.The first four issues of Adventure Strip Digest are still available on the WCG Comics website as either individual issues or a trade paperback, Rob Hanes Adventures, Vol. 0 . Also available is the Rob Hanes Archives paperback, which collects the very first appearances of the character.In 2000, the Rob Hanes series was restarted as Rob Hanes Adventures 1. Since then, 12 issues of the series have been released, each offering a complete, “done-in-one” story. Comic writers and artists like Kurt Busiek, Tony Isabella, and Karl Kesel have all given the book rave reviews. No word on when the next issue will come out, but you can check out a full serialized Rob Hanes webcomic adventure on the WCG Comics website. When it comes to small press comics, any new avenue is a good way to promote your book, and we applaud Randy Reynaldo for taking advantage of it.