Make no bones about it, while he may tell you that he dreamt it up in college, Rafer Roberts created this comic book years after in Hagerstown, Maryland. It's about the life of a fictional character, Cheezer. Loosely based on people throughout his own life, Rafer has created in Plastic Farm what some have referred to as "...Lost episodes of the Twilight Zone", and "...what the Ramones are to music, Plastic Farm is to comics." Rafer has successfully imagined a world where you can never be sure of what's around the next corner. Although Rafer says that his non-linear story will begin to come into focus more by issue fifteen, each issue leads the reader into a different direction, with only the promise of more confusion to come.
The first issue is the retelling of a drug-induced hallucination. A cowboy, the kamikaze Kid, has escaped hell on the back of his trusty dinosaur steed. He's looking for the man in black, and his searches leads him to a tavern. Of course, being a western story, the trouble begins in the tavern when the "kid" meets up with a beautiful woman. This story is told narrative style by Cheezer after waking up hung over, and not quite sure how he got home.
The second issue is about Cheezer's childhood. He grew up in a boy's home located in an abandoned mental institution. This place was filled with dread for Cheezer, whether it is for the evil deeds of his keepers, or the ghosts that haunted the place. Rafer's art really fits this story, as its otherworldly look gives you the creeps almost as quickly as the story.
The third issue deals with a few short stories within this world. The first "People's choice" deals with a couple of old farmers, starving on the porch. When a wounded hippy shows up and asks for help, the Mrs. gets an idea. The second story in issue three "Be prepared" introduces the reader to the devil, The Reverend Jimmie Grinn. A pair of cops are staking out a junkie ratting out his source. When the legendary "man in white" shows up, can they rise to the occasion? Told in a Film Noir fashion, it seems the perfect compliment to the first tale.
Issue four is a love story about Jack. He finally gets the nerve to talk to a girl in school, and things actually work for him. The two begin what turns into a lifelong relationship. Life progresses, and soon the two are reaching mid-life. A storm is sweeping through the ocean front town they live in, and Jack's wife leaves to go for a short flight in her Piper cub before without hearing the weather service's announcement of the storm. Can Jack live without her, or will he wait on the beach forever for her to return to him?
There are more issues in the works currently. Issue five will introduce us to Sean, a major player in the story, while issue six, titled "Chester loses his mind" brings us back to the protagonist, Cheezer. Plastic farm is currently in negotiations with a large distribution company, and may start shipping worldwide, but at the moment you can purchase this comic online at the comic's site. When Plastic farm begins distributing it will be with issue one, and as more of an anthology book. The core story of Plastic Farm will still be present, but told along side like-minded stories such as "The Hope", a sci-fi about a spaceship transported five hundred thousand years into the future. Whenever anyone asks what the big picture is, or what will happen in the future, Rafer only smiles and says, " It’s all about the preparation of the attack of the giant heads!" Who can be sure if he's serious? We can only wait and see.