Greetings, Fellow True Believers! King Cryptid, created by Peter Simeti and published by Alterna Comics, is an ongoing comic book series published by Alterna Comics. It follows the adventures of a mysterious immortal being named Krowan, also known as King Cryptid, to those aware of his existence or legend.
Set in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, King Cryptid chronicles the story of Krowan’s life as a supernatural protector of the natural world and the wildlife that live there. King Cryptid is a heroic protagonist who is inherently empathetic and compassionate to the people, creatures, and entities he encounters. He selflessly comes to the aid of animals and people in peril within his sphere of influence. Of particular interest to King Cyptid are the paranormal creatures and phenomena that cross his path regularly.
Krowan, who views his immortality and current form as a curse, is shown to possess a variety of abilities, great strength, winged flight, and telepathic abilities that keep him in tune with the environment and sensitive to unnatural occurrences which he seeks to guard others against. His power stems from the enigmatic Moonstone embedded in his forehead. The Moonstone draws energy from the moon and is particularly potent during the full moon. Once per month, however, during the new moon, Krowan’s power is at its weakest and can only be recharged by ancient mystical waters within his lair, a large cave hidden behind a waterfall.
The first four issues introduce the reader to Krowan and the various characters he encounters. Issue one tells the tale of King Cryptid’s discovery of another new cryptid known as BeHeMoth, a creature that is the result of introducing cryptid DNA, in this case, the Mothman, to a human test subject. The motivation for such a project is as yet unknown, but Krowan, now aware of this vile threat to man and nature, may have to get to the bottom of it. Subsequent issues expand a bit more until we learn the name of the shadowy organization is NECRORG, and it shows potential as a major challenge to King Cryptid.
Peter Simeti has done an excellent job with the worldbuilding and the writing for this series thus far. The plot is intriguing, and the characters are interesting and relatable. The setting and the people in it have real depth and believable motivations.
The art is good throughout, and even though different artists work on each issue, the style and design are consistent enough to avoid breaking immersion. The sequential flow of the books is smooth and easy to follow, with linework and color that give the setting gravitas.
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In short, this series is of high quality and very entertaining. I recommend it, with confidence that other readers will feel the same after picking up the books. The digital issues are only 99 cents, and I enjoyed the series so much that I have ordered the physical books, which retail for $1.99! I splurged and paid an extra dollar per issue to get them signed! I also backed the financing of the next five issues for $15.00, and they will all be signed, too! You simply cannot beat that!
Lastly, I want to point out that Alterna Comics books are printed on newsprint just like the old comics I fell in love with as a young nerd! So if you remember those days, you’re in for a little nostalgia.
Watch my video review of King Cryptid below!
Excelsior!
TrueBeliever
What do you think of Alterna Comics books like Peter Simeti’s King Cryptid? Is this something that interests you? Leave a comment!
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King Cryptid is amazing. Enjoyed the first 4 books a lot
They are! I’m looking forward to the next issues!
I’ve enjoyed Wulf & Batsy and Tinsel Town in the past. Sounds like I need to give this one a try.
I need to get caught up on Wulf & Batsy! The Blood Realm is pretty cool, too, but I haven’t gotten too far into it. Alterna is great!