Let’s call this review an object lesson in why you should never trust the opinion of a reviewer. Go back and read the review for the first issue of this series, if you haven’t already. If you can’t be bothered, fine: I loved it, legitimately laughed out loud several times, and was eager to see more. So here I am, roughly three months later, seeing more, and my general thoughts on this one were… meh. Still some funny parts, but the whole thing seemed like more of a chore, which was not at all my experience from the first issue. And, since both issues are pulled from the same era of Chris’s comics (and since they both really need to be read together), it’s ridiculous to think that the quality changed much at all so, once again, that just leaves me as the dummy. I can live with that! Oh, I still haven’t given any synopsis of this. Basically think of Spinal Tap and you at least get the seed of the idea; Chris and a friend were bored in high school and made up a fake band with dozens of albums, all released in a comically short period of time (also with comically short album lengths compared to the amount of songs). There’s also an extended fake interview and even a few comics, all of which made me at least smile, so I honestly can’t tell you why there’s a disconnect in my head on this compared to the first issue. If you liked the first issue I do think that you’ll also enjoy this one, and I even included a link to buy both of them in a package deal (for $7 instead of the $6 for a single issue). Maybe somewhere down the line I’ll read these together just to see what’s wrong with my brain, but this is as clear of an example that I could present showing that my problem with a comic is me, with absolutely nothing to do with the comic. They were made at the same time, for the love of all that’s holy! $6 (or $7 for the pair of them)
Quick, you don’t know anything about this comic yet (unless you’ve read it already, obviously; this is for the people coming in new). Do you think this comic is about a baby who likes BLTs or do you think this is a comic about a baby who is part of a BLT? Just me for that last one? Ugh, that probably doesn’t say anything good about me. This one actually starts off a little smaller, as it’s all about a cranky baby who won’t eat their tomatoes. Many attempts are made (although I would have given up when the old standard of tomato soup and grilled cheese didn’t work), a professional chef is even consulted, but nothing prevents the baby from throwing a tantrum and tossing the tomato-based attempt on the ground. As for what it is that finally breaks through, it’s somewhere between difficult and impossible to spoil such a thing when it’s right there in the title. It’s a cute little story, but I may be burying the lead here, as it’s also a fold-out comic. No, not one of those comics that makes you wonder if you’re reading things in the correct order, this one just folds out into a giant maze in case you want to help the baby find the lost tomatoes (now that she loves tomatoes). This naturally made me wonder about the author, and it turns out that these fold-out comics are kind of A.T. Pratt’s thing; he has all kinds of them on his website, some with some truly impressively complex designs. If you’re a fan of those types of comics I’d suggest checking out a pile of his comics, if you’re only a fan of angry babies I’d suggest giving this one a shot. Yes, I’m afraid that you’re required to fall into one of those two categories. $5
I will occasionally shame people for reading a comic for free online, but the link for this one goes to a site that encourages people to read it online or even print out their own pdf of it so, if you have the means, go nuts with this. Print out copies and leave them around your town where you think they’ll do the most good, hand them out to your dumber friends, etc. But then maybe make a donation to one of several groups that support trans rights, because hey why not? This isn’t going to be anything like a traditional review (as if I even do those), because there’s really only one question with a zine like this: is the information in it helpful? And the answer to that is a simple absolutely, it sure as hell is. Reading this as a cis guy (but an ally for my entire adult life, for whatever that’s worth) the most depressing takeaway that I had? And there were many, but the worst one was the repeated emphasis that if you get in trouble as a trans person, even if you’re in a crowd, even when you’re with an ally, more often than not nobody will back you up. Even when you’re with a friend! Gah, that just blew my mind. I’ve stood up for friends in near bar fights when they were clearly the stupid one, I had no idea that assistance when this happened was so rare. Anyway, this is crammed full of helpful information, including how to handle people you absolutely can’t respond verbally to (cops, employers, customers), how to deescalate with people you can’t just punch (gropers, kids) potentially violent situations, how it’s always best to go out in a group when possible, and finally deescalating with a romantic partner when they’re not taking “no” for an answer. Training, it turns out, is key, both for physical situations and bullying situations. Not to necessarily win a fight, but enough to make an impression on the attacker and keep them from coming for you again. There are all kinds of scenarios in here with plenty of useful tips, it’s just about never been easier to read a comic right after reading my review, so I strongly encourage everybody to do so now. Trust me, no matter how much of an ally that you think you are, there will be something in here you’d never considered. And if you’re at risk and feeling hopeless, this is at least an excellent place to start. $5 (or free at the link)
In case anybody wonders if I go back and read my old reviews to get caught up on an ongoing series that I’m reviewing: I absolutely do. Is that a cheat? Would it be better if I went back and read the previous issues again before each review? Absolutely! Just as soon as that benevolent billionaire first exists and then gives me a pile of money to quit my job, I pledge to do just that. Until then, this is the best I can do. Look, I’m stalling a bit because I’m here reviewing the fifth and final issue of a series that I adored, and I don’t know the combination of words that I could type that would convince people to check out this series who haven’t done so already. It’s Karl at the absolute top of his game, and if you’ve read any of his other series you’ll know what a claim that is. It’ll make you look at whatever city you’re in in a new light; during my trip to Columbus for Cartoon Crossroads I spent hours just walking the city streets (something I never really did when I lived there), taking it all in and observing all of the subtle and barely noticeable sights. Do you want details? Sure, I can do that. Things start off with a sprawling view of the city, really encouraging the reader to take it in (and, I’ll bet, remember some things themselves if they’re familiar with the city). Then we get our heroes having a conversation in a bar while an unhoused man rants outside, eventually throwing a rock through the window. At them? I don’t think so, but it does take forever to get all of the glass out of your hair. Then we get more time in the city, running into old friends in the street, debating over what makes a pub a pub, telling (and hearing) old stories, finding a new addition to the men’s room, before Karl makes a turn down the wrong alley and gets sucker punched. This is another reminder to stay on good terms with the local weirdos, as one of them is able to help him out before things get too bad. This leads to them needing to spend a little time outside of the city to recover, which is maybe illegal in a comic with that title? But it’s handled wonderfully, and that’s the end of me describing things about this comic, even though nothing I could say would really lessen the experience of taking a city in that’s chock full of details like this. I will say that we do get some quality Oola time, including a full page of Oola’s release after a long time spent in a cat carrier (something everybody with a cat can relate to, and damned near photo realistic). I’m fascinated to see what he comes up with next, and while getting the eventual collected edition of this has my highest recommendation, maybe get an issue or two as well. Even with the occasional violence, this series is thoroughly calming for me. Check this out already! $18
I hate to do this, but the link in the title goes to a free online version of this comic, purely because I couldn’t find a place online to buy a physical copy of it (and the link will be changed once I do). So if you follow that link, please send her $8 so neither one of us has to feel guilty about it. This is Ruby’s latest, and it’s completely different in tone from the other two comics of hers that I’ve read so far. What’s that you say, that that’s the mark of a great artist? You’ll get no argument from me. This is an almost (but not completely) silent comic, and it’s all about the moment that a stripper finally snaps. It’s also tricky as hell to get a sample image out of, since there are a few double page spreads and it’s such a complete story as is that pulling an image from it might not tell you much about it. Things start off normally, with our stripper in a seedy room with countless anonymous eyes on her. It doesn’t seem to be any one thing that causes her to snap, but snap she does, gradually and then all at once. I’m also only noticing now that the eyes that are constantly in the background are very much telling their own story, and that you should keep an eye (ugh) on them if you’re wondering about the reactions of the faceless crowd as things progress. It’s a spectacularly unnerving story, and any long term reader knows that that’s about the highest recommendation I can give for a comic. $8 (if you can find it; Chicago people, check the shops!)
Note: there’s no sample image for this review because I didn’t want to crack the spine of my fancy new hardcover to get it. Yeah, I admitted it. There’s also the fact that I would have a very hard time sampling just one page, so this keeps me from having to choose.
Oh hey, the review is starting now! If you’ve been around this website for any length of time (or comics at all), you already know about Julia Wertz. I do this thing where I review comics for people and then drop out of reviewing their graphic novels once they get successful, on the almost certainly wrong assumption that The Comics Journal and other fancier review sites can handle it. But dammit, I can’t let this one go by without talking about it a bit, because it’s the best thing she’s done yet, and boy howdy is that ever saying something. First, if you’ve only ever read my reviews of her work and not her actual work, shame on you. Every book she’s put out that I didn’t talk about (Impossible People, Museum of Mistakes, etc.) is worth getting, and they’re all on my bookshelf. I’m ashamed to admit that I briefly hesitated on this one, because I’m a childless weirdo and this is all about Julia deciding to have a child. I thought it might not connect with me as much as her other work. Reader, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I haven’t laughed out loud (which I spell out because it’s true) this much while reading a graphic novel since maybe Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt, and that one is meant to be all jokes. This is the true story of her deciding to have a child, the trouble with actually having that child, excruciating details about pregnancy and giving birth, and the differences between living with the baby through his various stages of development. Well, up until about age 4, because this is a printed book and it had to stop somewhere. If you’re like me and wonder what compels people to have children in this broken, circling the drain world, you’d better believe that she gets into it, and you’d better believe that those doubts never really go away. But there’s also a tiny human around that’s constantly doing and saying incredible things, which is a big help. Julia also gets into everything else that was happening in her life while this was going on, but she somehow manages to do it without embarrassing anybody too much or revealing too much personal information, which is a hell of a skill. Her older brother gets hit with some of his previously mentioned (in other comics/graphic novels) mental health issues again, and she manages to avoid saying most of what went on with him while confining it more to her reactions and how it affected her during the pregnancy and early years of the baby. I also hope that Josh writes a book about his experiences, because she’s somehow only scratched the surface with her stories of him. Oh, and all of this happened in the early days of the pandemic, meaning that she had to do most of it alone; even her husband couldn’t come along with her to most of her appointments. And oh, the American health care system is thoroughly covered here, and if you don’t think you’re mad enough about it yet, reading this one will somehow turn that loathing dial up another few notches. Her book is a lot more linear and coherent than this review, but I have to once again point out: this shit if funny. Consistently, uproariously, did-I-really-hurt-my-back-laughing level of funny. And when I say “this shit,” you’d better believe there’s plenty of that involved in an open discussion about a new baby. I thought that after reading this book I’d probably recommend it mostly for new or prospective parents, but no, that’s too limiting. Humans who like Julia’s work, this is her best book yet, and you need to read this. Humans who haven’t read her work… sigh. There’s still time, and this is a fine place to start. $32
Do you mean to tell me that I’ve been reviewing mini kus books for over a decade now (maybe closer to two?) and my first time hearing about this Latvian artist is through a random buy online? Baffling. This is a good old collection of several stories, which we’ve all established as the best format for mini comics. Well, I’ve established it, and since I’m not taking votes from the outside world, that means it’s settled. First up is Headache, a haunting tale about all of the things that the artist never got around to doing in their life, leading up to learning a skill that would make it all possible. Maybe. Next up is Spring Song, which perfectly captures the feeling of endless hopelessness during the winter months, all leading up to the moment that hope starts to shine through again. Cellular is about his obsession with his phone, which he shares with most of the rest of the population. This was a story that could have gotten old in a hurry, but he veered off in a unique way that I didn’t see coming. Finally there’s White Spider, which is all about change and letting go. Or it’s partially about that; I’m not the artist and you should never fully trust a reviewer who tells you what a comic is “about.” There’s also one more story that I liked quite a bit, but I have to leave at least one surprise for anybody who wants to check this out, right? This is a solid collection of stories, and it manages to avoid being too maudlin while still covering some depressing (and realistic, due to this stupid world) themes. And, like the best of the mini comics, it’s cheap enough that you can buy it without being worried about missing a meal! $5
It might be time to start looking a nice quiet home to put me in, because I completely forgot about buying the previous issue of this series (and reviewing it!) at SPACE last year and almost bought that issue again for my recent trip to Columbus. But I didn’t, I bought the most recent issue, so I should be able to take care of feeding and clothing myself for a few more years yet. Like the previous issue, this one also has a series of short stories, which is pretty much my favorite type of mini. Big ongoing stories don’t work well with the sporadic publishing schedule of most minis, and a single story covering the whole mini can be good or bad. But multiple stories? Well, there’s pretty much always gold in there somewhere. This one starts off with a story of Condor Blue, an intergalactic bounty hunter/detective. I’ve rarely been this conflicted about not spoiling the ending to a story, because I really do love it so, so I’ll just say that this one ends like I wish most dramatic confrontations with bad guys in a movie would end. If you can puzzle out the actual ending from that, congratulations! Next up is a story about the Bogman, who is, you guessed, a swamp creature. Also mixed up in this is a young lady who’s looking for love and finds it in a very strange place. But how is her father and the torch wielding mob going to take the romance? Then there’s the story of the kids who always sit on the bench during their basketball games finally having enough and taking a bunch of steroids to try to level the playing field, but these particular steroids have some serious side effects. Finally there’s Ug-Tar the Destroyer, which is basically a three page Conan parody, but at least it’s a funny one. “And more,” like the cover says, but I’ll let the single page stories be surprises for you. It’s funny, it’s gross, it’s occasionally alarming. Give it a chance, says I. And since he’s selling bundles of the first three issues of this series, and since I already like #2 and #3, it wouldn’t be the biggest gamble in the world to give the whole bundle a shot. $8 ($18 for the bundle)
I ended up buying five comics from Laughing Ogre during my recent trip to Columbus (6/26, future readers, or maybe past readers who are very freaked out right now) and so far I’m 0 for 2 on reading comics that have active websites. But hey, at least this time around I was able to link to his active Instagram page, so if you’d like to check out his comic, maybe contact him there and see what you can find out! This one has a solid premise: what if a dad had been turned into a zombie but was calm enough to be able to still be around his family? Tied up to a tree in the backyard, granted, but able to mostly control his urges. Things start off with a distraught woman putting up missing posters for her daughter, while Undad was playing with his own daughter in the backyard. She recognizes the missing girl as a classmate who was kind of a jerk to her, but hey, somebody should at least try to find this terrible kid! They end up checking out a boarded up grocery store with a very stark warning written outside of it, which naturally leads to a zombie attack. But are they regular brain eating zombies or also kind of nice zombies? There’s a fun little moral dilemma involved, or at least there is for the member of the search party who’s still capable of higher thought. From there they can think of one other place to search, but it’s chained up and checking it out doesn’t look like a great idea either. How far is this girl willing to go to rescue a kid who isn’t even her friend? If you’re looking for a deep lore dive of “OK, so what is civilization like with zombies wandering around?” or “If this one guy can be tamed, can that happen with all of them?” then there are probably other comics out there for you. But this one was a sweet, self-contained story about what’s left of a dad trying to get along in the world and his family trying to navigate what’s left of the guy. And hey, it’s full color, so if you have $4 and can find a copy (there are probably some left at Laughing Ogre as I’m typing this), check it out! $4
Oh small press comics, never change. I picked this up at Laughing Ogre during a recent visit to Columbus. No contact info in the comic? Sigh, this happens a lot, to the internet! There’s a game on Steam called Later Alligator that takes up all of the search results? Double sigh, OK again, that’s a fairly unique name, let’s just search by that. There’s one result for an Instagram page using that name with no comics imagery visible, but at least the name matches exactly, so try contacting that guy if you’re interested! Once again I plea, to an uncaring universe: if you’d like somebody to be able to buy your comics, MAKE IT EASY ON THEM. So for the rest of you who might be near the Columbus area and might find yourself in Laughing Ogre (who had a couple copies of this left I think as of 6/26), on with the review! Actually, this one is pretty simple. Do you think it’s OK to make a comic purely to get to the punchline that is the title of said comic? If so, you’re in luck! This one is all about an investigator who goes down into the sewer to investigate some strange happenings. He’s looking for a pair of troublemakers who live in the sewers, but when he finds them he sees that they’ve both been shot. One of them is still alive, and with their dying breath they manage to point out the murderer, which is right around where the troubles begin for our investigator. If you’re going to make your entire comic based around one joke at least in this case it’s not a bad joke. If you can find this it’s worth a look, but honestly, if you’re not in the Columbus area, good luck with that. $5
Just so you know, it looks like Apollo’s website hasn’t been updated in a few years, so maybe the best way to keep updated on their current work is through finding them on Bluesky and assorted socials. Eh, you all know the drill, you’re reading this online, after all. Anyway, how about this comic? It looks like it’s their latest book (published in 2025), and at a base level it’s the story of them trying to come up with a gender and personal identity that fully fits their needs. Things start off quietly, with Apollo in their childhood bedroom taking the time to watch the train roll by. From there we see them spending time trying to fit in at school when playing house with other kids (“I always opted to forego personhood and be the pet when on the playground”) and taking that attitude into classrooms, which led to more than a little bit of bullying. Once they got to the internet the idea of furries was introduced to them, which helped for awhile, but it was still tough to find real life friends to play along with them. Once Apollo got to college and started taking testosterone things seemed to be moving in the right direction, but there was always a sense that exactly what they wanted to become would be forever out of reach. It’s a fascinating story and it’s beautifully told (that last panel, told while they were at their most content, was still a bit of a gut punch), and I’ll bet there are lots of people out there who could get a lot out of reading this story. $5
Note: I’m putting a link to Christine’s Patreon account up top near her website link. Should I have been doing this all the time for everybody? Absolutely! Will I remember to do this going forward? …probably?
OK hi, review starting here, that other text is unrelated. Cartoonists who are just starting out, take note: the title of this comic jumped right out at me, so when picking a title, keep that kind of thing in mind, OK? This isn’t one of those comics with a random title either. You come in expecting a unicorn fight squad, and what you end up with is a unicorn fight squad. Things start off with one of our heroes (Twink) enjoying a night of watching wrestling at home and critiquing the story line. We’ve all been there! Her sister Jet comes home, in an obviously terrible mood, so Twink goes in to her room to cheer her up. Please note that this is where a lesser comic would spend a few pages finding out what’s wrong, why she’s sad, etc. Not this one! Sadness was detected, and a solution was immediately presented: going out to see a show at a dive bar. Cherry, a possible love interest of Twink (another thing that was gloriously left vague) was working at the bar, we spend some time getting to know the three of them a bit better, and the opening band starts their set. But, disaster! The opening band is a weird snake cult that opens up a portal to another dimension, bringing brain eating slugs into the bar. Will they be able to escape, and/or end the threat? Well, that’s the rest of the comic, I’m not going to tell you here. A solid comic, with funny bits and lots of action. Is this really a #1 or is this the only issue of the series that will ever exist? I have no idea, as there’s no date in this comic and it sure looks (from Christine’s website) that she’s moved on to other projects. Either way, this works fine as a stand alone comic. $5
So after reading my second Ben Sears book, done by a man who’s been cranking out comics for years but somebody who I’m only recently reading, let me say something that everybody else has already figured out: the man has range. The other book I read (Night Air) was a fantastical tale with all kinds of oddities in it. This one is more of a straightforward crime caper, with, sure, some fantastical oddities, but overall it’s much more grounded. Things start off with a man nervously testing some counterfeit money by trying to deposit it at the bank, and after he gets away with it this little angle is dropped for quite awhile. From there our heroes manage to take down a bad guy, go about their lives for a bit and then go back into the treasure hunters office to get more work. They’re asked to do something that’s morally abhorrent to them (rob the grave of somebody who died owing money), quit the business, and are forced to get real jobs. They end up in catering, which leads them to working an event in a hotel, which hey look at that, leads to them running across the people who were passing off the counterfeit money in the opening. There’s a chance encounter with the man who set up the counterfeiting operation years ago (and took the fall for it in the process) at the hotel bar, and the caper of our heroes trying to catch these people is off! One thing I love about Ben’s artwork is that you can really linger on any panels that have more than a couple of people in them or are outdoor scenes of any kind; the man does not waste any chance to tell stories in the backgrounds, which really increases the perception of it as a fully realized world. Also there’s a blurb on the back cover that describes these books as stealthily being OK for kids to read too, and you know what, that’s exactly correct. It didn’t dawn on me either, and there’s plenty here that an adult would appreciate more, but these are the best kind of “all ages” comics: the ones that don’t insult any age group. There are still many more Ben Sears books out there for me to find and read (and he has a Fantagraphics book coming out soon too), but after reading these two books, any doubts I might have had about that being a good idea have been erased. Check out his stuff, says I! $12
I feel like I should once again mention that Scott sent me these comics (roughly 21 in total) in bundles of four or five each, and that it’s entirely possible that it would be better for me to review them in clumps rather than one at a time. And, once again, maybe I’ll do that next time! But this time around I just read the one comic, so that’s what I want to talk about. Last time I used my traditional single page for the sample image, which I think shortchanged the man’s artistic ability a bit. Just about every page is a double page spread, so please take in an actual example of his work in the sample image below. That level of detail would be enough by itself to get me to check it out, so if that’s all it takes for you, please go about your day. The link in the title goes to a website where you could purchase each issue of this series, so see what strikes your fancy and go nuts with it. If you’re looking for a little more detail, keep reading! I can certainly provide very slightly more information, since I’ve never been all that great at reviewing what is basically an illustrated poem. This comic describes how the king of waters came into being, how many others tried for the role, and how reluctant the actual king was to accept the role. He flows through everything, but not everyone is interested in participating. See? Very few extra details indeed, but his art style is mesmerizing to me, and I’m still pondering some of the dialogue well after reading this a couple of days ago. Both solid reasons to check out his comic, I reckon. $5
Oh past me, you big dummy. Wasn’t there a plan in place to review these in order from now on? There sure was! Luckily this one is self-contained, so I can get away with not doing that for at least one more issue. This one covers some familiar themes in the Eyeland-a-verse, not that that makes them any less relevant. Nick (or his giant eyeball stand-in) is trying to nail down reality again, and makes the discovery that part of the reason he feels like his time is slipping away is because he’s spending over 5 hours a day staring at his phone. I wish this was a shocking revelation, but he’s probably still doing pretty well compared to the people I see staring at their phones while crossing the street. From there he throws himself into his work, ponders the terrible nature of the reality that we’re all stuck living in, and is eventually asked (from a voice on high) whether or not he thinks the human experiment is worth continuing. After a revelation that I’m not going to spoil here (hey, if you’re curious about the answer to the secret of the universe, buy his comics!), he decides to turn to an old friend to try and figure out how he can best live his own life. Like it probably would be for most of us, the actual answer is unwelcome, but does that mean it’s impossible? At the bottom of every page of this comic is Nick’s story of his times spent in an isolation chamber, what he went through, how he describes to it friends, whether or not he’d recommend it, etc. The main story is more than enough to give anybody an existential crisis, but if it didn’t do the job, give the secondary story a chance! These are always worthwhile comics to read and consider, which is just about the highest praise I can give. This issue is a solid entry point if you’re considering just jumping into this world, and this time around I was even able to find a copy of it for sale online. $7
It’s almost an Optical Sloth tradition at this point to pick up a comic from somebody I haven’t read for ages (but used to read regularly), wonder what they’ve been up to and discover that they’ve been cranking out comics this whole time. The rest of the comics world probably already knows that, sure, but if you’re like me, guess what? There are a whole lot of “new” Kevin Huizenga comics in the world that you probably haven’t read yet. I started reviewing his stuff back in the Supermonster days, and those don’t seem to still be in print, if that tells you anything. This is one I picked up at the Spit and a Half shop (always a good place to visit); if you’re curious, this came out in 2011. So 15 years ago if you’re reading this review as it’s coming out. There are three stories in here, and boy howdy did that alone make me nostalgic for minis like this. First up is a fairly abstract piece about the little creatures that literally eat the fissures that appear between our written words, over the course of years. If you’re a fan of oddball little dudes, you’re in luck here. Next up is the first part of Bona (so I don’t know how it ends), which deals with a family of at least moderately racist explorers who have troubles in their blimp and end up in a strange prehistoric land. I liked the idea that the mother would be the one to panic and leave her kids behind at the sight of danger, which is not how these things usually work. Finally there’s the title story, dealing with three broken men who are also explorers, but in this story they’re given the chance to have everything they’ve ever wanted. Can they resist such a thing? It’s Kevin Huizenga, so there’s solid art/storytelling throughout, with only the mild complaint that the middle story doesn’t technically have an ending contained in the comic. But the other two stories are great, and you can find the conclusion with a little searching. Check it out, says I. Meanwhile, I have to figure out how many spare dollars I have this month so I can get caught up on some of his stuff that I’ve missed over the years… $10
This one took several turns that I wasn’t expecting but it was also genuinely brutal in its depiction of mortality. So if you’re here for a quick review, yes, I absolutely recommend it, but since anything I say about it is going to be at least a slight spoiler, stop here if you’re willing to just accept mini kus as a mark of quality and go from there. For the rest of you, this is a wordless (but not soundless, and those are some genuinely haunting sounds) comic that starts off with a stone statue surrounded by some futuristic architecture, which instantly places the reader in another place and time. From there we briefly watch a woman getting ready for her day, followed by her distraction when she hears a loud scream coming from the street below. It’s not good news, to say the least, but she has to go back to continuing to go about her day before arriving at work. When she gets there… well, that’s what sample pages are for, as the image below is what she sees. Quick, what do you think is happening there? Place your bets! Her work day is also fairly mundane, before she finally gets a customer. What follows is also mundane, horrifically so, but it’s chilling and a fair representation of where we’re most likely heading as a society. This one is well worth checking out, either by itself or through my usual recommendation: as the last of a four issue set of comics that you can get for $22.
For as long as I’ve been going to small press conventions (my first was at APE in Chicago in 1995), a man in a hat named Matt Feazell has been around with his Cynicalman comics. The “hat” part isn’t particularly relevant, but for somebody like me who has trouble with names and faces, I can always spot him in a crowd. His comics are a delight, I’ve mentioned them several times here, and I always leave SPACE feeling like I should have grabbed another comic or two from the man. Brian (and Michael Anthony Carroll, who also contributes stories) had the idea to make a bootleg version of the comic, mostly because the idea of a bootleg version of a stick figure character was hilarious to them. And hey, they were right! This is both hilarious in its own right and a fantastic tribute to a true small press original. Most of these stories are parodies of different Cynicalman stories, so I’m definitely not going to be completely up to date on the specifics. I’ve maybe read 1/3 of Matt’s comics, and probably, if I saw all of his comics in one place, I’d discover that I’m vastly underestimating that. So if you’ve been reading his for ages you’d most likely get more out of this, but I got plenty out of it with only some familiarity, and I’d bet if you’d never heard of Cynicalman you’d at a bare minimum be very curious about the source material. Stories in here include Cynicalman vs. Godzilla, an investigation into whether or not he lives in a bootleg world, the appearance of bootleg Galactus, his attempts to fight the Deconstructionist, some interesting work with panel structure and the concept of time (I maybe read a bit too much into that one), some terrible advice from future Cynicalman on where to invest his money, and the inevitable Cynicalman multiverse story. Like I said, there’s some really good stuff in here, it’s well worth a look. $5
One thing I’ve been happy to see as I get older (and older, and older) is people who put out mini comics 30-40 years ago either jumping back into the game or republishing their old material. And, honestly, since a lot of that old material was sold in one or two shops at the time (with little or no internet available) and had print runs of maybe 50 copies, it’s likely to be new to the vast majority of people who see it now. Woodrow Comics was started by Chris and a friend who were bored in high school in the late 80’s, to give you some idea of the origins of this material. Specifically they were bored in a “just say no” school conference, that infamous attempt to keep kids off of drugs that more often than not just explained to kids how the various drugs were likely to make them feel. So Chris and his friend made up a fake band, then fell in love with the concept and made up all kinds of fake albums, songs, band history, all of that stuff. He put the original comics out in 1995 (and, hilariously, puts some old reviews in the back; Terry Laban was actually a fan), they didn’t exactly make much of a splash, but he always liked them, so he cleaned the art up a bit and re-released them. There’s a fair amount of funny stuff in here if you have any experience with punk bands and/or Spinal Tap-like band parodies (30 songs on a 10 minute album got an audible chuckle out of me). Most of the book is descriptions of some of their albums, descriptions of them and a few songs from each, but there’s also an ad from the band for a bong cleaner, a few comic strips, and even a fake interview with them. Check out the sample page, that should give you some idea of whether or not this is your type of humor. Me, I laughed several times, so yeah, I’d say this is worth a look. $6 (or, as of this review, $7 for issue #1 & 2)
It probably says a lot about the indie comics I read in my formative years that I kept waiting for this comic to answer one basic question that it never got around to: does Ruoki (or the possibly fictional version of them in the comic) pick their nose or eat what they dig out of it, or just pick? Crumb and Chester Brown have both admitted as much, along with plenty of others that I’m not remembering at the moment. But this comic goes a different direction, as the theme here is that the act of picking one’s nose can lead to an almost zen state. Ruoki goes into detail about how the act of picking their nose is practically a requirement after a stressful day and even has a full page of various techniques (three fingers? How?). Eventually Ruoki starts teaching their methods in a class, with the “rewards” from the pickings of the class members being displayed and given different nicknames. There’s also a damned sweet ending here, but I’ll leave that for you to discover, gentle reader. If you’re disgusted by this concept I’m honestly surprised that you’ve read this far, but it’s safe to say that this one probably isn’t for you. If you’re secretly also in this club, or just like a good story that’s told well, check it out! Or do the four comics for $22 deal, which is, as always, my suggestion. $7 (for just this issue)
Posted by Kevin 
