Well, this was an unexpected, but very welcome surprise.

Before I even left the shop, I was idly flicking through the pages of Quantum #6, when I happened upon the letters page.

I had no prior knowledge that this would be happening, but they gave me a rather lovely shout out and even said that they look forward to my regular reviews:

Which I was, of course, blown away by.

There are times, much more frequent than you may imagine, that I have the worst imposter syndrome.

There are also times where it feels like no one reads my reviews or checks out my site, so to get a proper shout out – and such lovely feedback – in one of my favourite comics, was wonderful and incredibly motivating.

My review of issue 5 went into great detail about what a lovely, tangible experience it is to read Quantum.

It’s one of those things that you don’t even realise you miss until it’s gone, or when it’s gone and you get it back, perhaps more accurately.

For years now, it’s been quite difficult to be a fan of non-US comics in the UK. Very few that aren’t reprints of US comics can be found on the shelves at newsagents or other retailers, so digital comics are often the way to go.

Which means it hits even harder when you have a new, physical comic in your hands – and realise the pleasure of being able to flick through the pages and even just feel, and smell, the comic as a tangible thing.

Anyway, to quote the great Marty DiBergi of This Is Spinal Tap fame, “Enough of my yakking. What do you say? Let’s boogie!”

The sixth issue of Quantum opens, as each issue always does, with Steampunk, Alt-Victorian space adventure Major Rakhana.

It’s the concluding chapter of the first story arc; some interesting questions have been raised along the way about the perceived heroism of the British Empire, but the Major and the British military are up against something much worse.

It’s full of lovely little touches, great dialogue and plenty of commentary on old school British xenophobia, even if the colonialism and technology of the setting differs from the actual reality.

It’s a great strip and I’m looking forward to spending more time with the fairly subversive, yet often campy, adventures of Major Rakhana.

Westernoir continues next; Mrs Jones has confronted someone who seems like he’s going to be difficult to deal with, but can she talk him around? And what does he know about monsters?

I love Weird West settings in general, so Westernoir was always going to appeal to me, but it really is just a straight up great strip with atmospheric art and an excellent script. This episode feels a lot lighter than the usual, nocturnal events in the series and it’s also a neat little two hander, comprising a single sequence in which the two characters spar, for the most part, in back and forth dialogue.

In new story The Very Strange Reappearance of Peter Thomson, the titular teenager discovers that he is far from the average kid he’s always believed himself to be.

In fact, Peter has a special gift – but it almost immediately gets him into a lot of trouble.

This is an excellent opening chapter and one that sets up an awful lot of possibilities for the next issue. Definitely keen to see where this goes next!

Finally, The Baker Street Irregulars – a team of literary, historical and mythological characters – make another appearance, with a story about a deadly outbreak of something at a London Museum.

It reminds me in many ways of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, though it’s a much lighter and faster paced strip than that comparison may imply.

So, Quantum issue 6 is definitely another worthy read.

If you’re not already reading Quantum, you really should be. British retailers are richer for having another original indie comic on their shelves and sci fi anthologies that aren’t 2000AD, for once, are always welcome.

And it still smells great, too.

Enjoyed what you’ve read? Want to support my blog? There’s no pressure of course, but every penny helps to keep this site running, as I earn no income from my writing here (though I may earn small fees from affiliate links posted on my pages).

However, I’d be truly grateful for any support that you could offer – and it’s easy to do so at either of these links: Ko-Fi.com/geekmid or PayPal.

Any donations are truly appreciated – and I also appreciate you taking the time to read my articles. Thank you so much!