Baseball graphic novel makes exclusive debut on Phoenix.com

In our tribute to the Red Sox this season, we give you Brave Play, a fictional graphic novel set in 1948 about baseball. But this comic is just a little off the beaten path from most baseball strips -- what do you expect from us? You won't find discussion of stats and reliving of great plays made in years passed here; instead you'll find a historical world where supernatural conspiracy rules the outcome of games.

Brave Play is a fictional story about how a select few men with occult-connections ruled the baseball world in 1948. While the players slam home-runs and steal bases, secret power brokers are stealing some major cash. These brokers, known only to particular team owners, find and hire certain "gifted" individulas that help influence the score. These handlers find people who have "the Shift," an innate ability to sway actions on the baseball diamond. Those with the Shift can impact which way a close call goes, inflict tragic injuries, and create freak plays -- basically all the things you wish you had sway over this Saturday.

Of course, like many good baseball conspiracies, the scheme is revealed to a select few. But you'll have to read the novel to find out who these select few are and what they do with that knowledge. Think of a Native American-tinged 24 (the TV show) amidst the historical backdrop of life post-WWII.

Enticed? Check it out for yourself, every Monday and Wednesday.