January 4, 2011
Website
The Neighbor
Ah, cats. It’s a sad but true fact that the inclusion of cats in a comic will make me more likely to enjoy it. Yes, I’m a guy in his mid 30’s with one cat who is somehow still managing to turn into a crazy cat lady. Still, I like to think that I wouldn’t like a book JUST because it had cats, and going by that theory I’ll say that this is an objectively good book, not just a good book because of the cat. Anyway, this book deals with a cat that is new to a neighborhood and has the place all to itself. No communal litterbox like at the cat shelter and everybody loves it. Things take a sudden turn for the worse when this cat notices another cat just across the way, but this other cat seems to be evil. I’ll say no more, but I will say that I loved the fact that Desmond mentioned in his letter that I was allowed to use the artwork in the review as long as I didn’t spoil the ending. I understand that that could be a problem at some other sites, but your secret is safe with me. After all, in the few comics of his that I’ve read so far, the ending has been the best part, as every time it’s managed to be clever and unexpected while still fitting in perfectly with the rest of the story. No mean feat, and he’s three for three at the moment. $2
Comments Off on Reed, Desmond – The Neighbor | 
Reviews | Tagged: Desmond Reed, The Neighbor | 
Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 29, 2010
Website
To Share is to Divide
The ability to recognize when you’re being too melodramatic is often missing from autobiographical small press types, so it was heartening to see Nick take himself to task for it after a few pages of increasing melodrama. Nick is feeling sad and goes back to some hurtful things said by his last girlfriend (?), then off to ruminations about how he’ll be forever alone. Then the self-awareness returns and he seems to get that he’s wallowing, and the comic gains a little insight because of it. Nick rents a boat, goes off in search of time to think and ends up in the belly of a giant fish. It ends up being a fairly hopeful comic (without giving too much away), and ends up breaking through some fairly conventional “I’ll never be loved” territory. Why are there no comics in this genre for women? I’m sure there are some out there, but the vast majority of it I see is from guys. Because women have an easier time getting into relationships than shy guys? Let’s just go with that, even if it does feel a little like a stereotype. Anyway, Nick makes a few insightful observations about the process, and it’s certainly easy to see why it’s so common to get discouraged. Check it out if you like these types of stories but maybe want to see a bit of a twist for once. No price, so let’s say $3 and hope for the best.
Comments Off on Soucek, Nick – To Share is to Divide | Reviews | Tagged: Nick Soucek, To Share is to Divide | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 23, 2010
Website
X-Mas Afro
Who else out there hates Christmas? There, now that everybody else has left the review I can talk to the few remaining cranks out there. The holiday bugs the hell out of me. So, so many reasons not to like it, but even I’m not totally without a heart, and I am capable of getting something fairly cute and amusing in the mail and still getting a chuckle out it. It’s the story of… oh come on, you can read that cover. The man can’t afford a tree, so he makes use of his natural asset. All is going swimmingly until he decides to plug in the Christmas lights. If you’ve enjoyed Tom’s previous comics then I’d recommend this one, or even if you just like the holiday. If you are even one step above me in your hatred of the holiday, I’d avoid it like the plague, but you know that already, as you’re probably in hibernation until the stupid thing is over with. Either way, it’s a measly $.25.
Comments Off on Cherry, Tom – X-Mas Afro | Reviews | Tagged: Tom Cherry, X-Mas Afro | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 22, 2010
Website
Beloved
It must be the holiday season, because my usually cold and unfeeling heart was in the perfect mood for something heartwarming when I read this. E.S. says this is his first mini, in which case kudos, as it’s expertly paced and drawn. This is the story of an old man who has just lost his significant other and who is, understandably, in a bit of a funk. He eventually decides to go the route of online dating, deals with the usual nonsense one will find if they don’t know what they’re doing (or, in a lot of cases, even if they do) and ends up with an agreement to meet somebody. Any more that I say would just be unfair, although I already did give away the “heartwarming” part, right? Eh, that could mean anything. It’s short and mostly wordless, but it’s exactly the right size for the story it tells, and that’s all you can ask out of a comic. Well, that and it’s entertaining and/or informative, and this one wins on that front as well. Check it out already, give this whippersnapper some incentive to keep the comics coming. No price, but I’d guess a maximum of $5 and will post any actual price if I receive it.
Comments Off on Fletschinger, E.S. – Beloved | Reviews | Tagged: Beloved, E.S. Fletschinger | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 20, 2010
Website
Drinking at the Movies
Where to even begin? It’s cheating for me to just say that this is fantastic and leave it at that, right? Crap. This covers the time between the summer of 2007 and the end of 2008, as Julia decided to move to New York after all the things keeping her in San Francisco fell away at once. Parts of it seem to be taken from her “Fart Party” comic and maybe another mini or two, but I’m far too lazy to go back and check which parts. Most of it seemed new to me, and I do try to keep an eye on this sort of thing. The book even almost has an uplifting ending, although I’m sure Julia would hate to hear that, as she seems to more or less give up the drinking and get on with a few more “adult” responsibilities. In the meantime we get to see her drunken year and a half in all its glory. There’s the random nature of her move (hilariously explained as her natural propensity to always take the difficult path), how bums seem to gravitate to her and how she can’t seem to hold a job. There’s her oddly happy home life and the fact that she gets along with her whole family, even though an older brother has had some trouble unrelated to her. Yes, drinking at the movies does take place, and it seems to take place fairly often. Do they serve liquor at the movies or does she smuggle it in? The world may never know; I know some places are smart enough to serve liquor with their movies. Other highlights (out of about 190 pages, so I’m cutting this list extremely short) include her odd ability to quiet a baby, the various ways she gets fired from her jobs and her utter lack of sadness about any of them, her hobo-like appearance and the fact that she only uses three outfits, her childlike eating habits, being ignored by obnoxious assholes who hit on everyone else, and, of course, drunken shenanigans. I read a chunk of comics on her website that seem to indicate some serious maturing going on in some ways, but her stuff is still hilarious as ever, so no worries there. Something about a tv adaptation of “Fart Party” was mentioned in this, but I haven’t seen anything about it since, which would be a shame. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I don’t see a way that it wouldn’t fall apart on television (unless maybe it was an IFC and she had a serious hand in the creative aspect), but it would have made for some excellent comics. There also don’t seem to be any minis in her store, which is odd, but all her books are available and you get special bonus goodies for ordering them from her. If you’ve avoided her comics so far because maybe you don’t like unconnected but fantastically funny comics, this one has a more or less coherent storyline, so your excuses are over. Buy it and be happy. $15
Comments Off on Wertz, Julia – Drinking at the Movies | Reviews | Tagged: Drinking at the Movies, Fart Party, Julia Wertz | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 19, 2010
Website
Kus! #8
Is the world ready for an anthology based on allotment gardening? Well, considering the fact that the world doesn’t seem to be ready for small press comics in general and it seems like a bit of a moot point, doesn’t it? Still, those of you reading this are probably inclined to give it a try, so don’t run away based on what seems like boring subject matter. The great thing about these anthologies is the wide range of colors, styles and cultural backgrounds, so at the very least you’re bound to find at least parts of this book gorgeous. That being said, honestly, to me the subject matter was often a little dull. Granted, this is a wildly creative group of people who took the subject into unexpected areas, but chunks of it didn’t do a lot for me. Highlights include Ruta Briede’s painted piece about a growing garden gnome, Sabine Moore’s hungry carrot, Malin Biller’s heartbreaking tale of family life contrasted with the happiness of vacations, Yoshi’s Garden Gnome Liberation Front, Irkus Zeberio and Hitler’s doubles, James Turek with some useful advice for long-distance murdering, and Lai Tat Tat Wing’s cautionary tale of the future. The highlight of the comic was again the manga portion by Hironori Kikucki, as he drifted off while contemplating the subject matter and came up with something completely different and fantastic. I’m guessing the translating errors are unintentional, but they add an extra layer of funny to the whole thing. According to his bio he mostly does stories for teenagers, but he should really consider branching out into the small press world where he can get creative. All told it’s far from an awful anthology, but I wouldn’t list it as one of the greats either. If you’re looking to explore the international world of comics this is a great place to get a number of names and contact information, if you’re already a regular reader of this series this is the one I’ve seen so far that you could maybe get away with skipping. Then again, it’s only $8 for 111 colorful pages, so it’s up to you.
Comments Off on Various Interational Comics – Kus! #8 | Reviews | Tagged: Agnieszka Piksa, Ernests Klavins, Franziska Adler, Hironori Kikuchi, Ines Christine Geisser, Ines Estrada, Ingrida Picukane, Irkus Zeberio, Jaakko Pallasvuo, James Turek, Konig Lu Q, Koshi Kawachi, Kus!, Lai Tat Tat Wing, Liesbeth de Stercke, Liga Laurenovica, Malin Biller, Marie-Pierre Brunel, Oskars Pavlovskis, Phillip Janta, Ruta Briede, Sabine Moore, Ulrike Seitz, Yoshi | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 17, 2010
Website
Gin Palace #2
That Rob Jackson, he has to be one of the hardest working guys in comics today. Well, small press comics anyway, as those guys with Marvel and DC have a monthly schedule to keep up, but you know what I mean. The first Gin Palace was a success, and this one follows it up nicely. Don’t be alarmed with the familiarity of my using first names here, and check the tags so see exactly who they are if you’re unclear. Francesca starts things off with a story about how awesome it was to go out to a bar with her dad when she was very young, Andrew has a story about a black dog rib that flew right over my head, Rob has a lovely tale involving a black hole and a robot that became a god, John/Sean has a story about living with a serious regret even though things aren’t all that bad as they are (probably the highlight of the comic), Paul has an excellent mish mish of family drama, Dave tells the story of a pumpkin competition that goes too far, Pete has a great piece about a grandson being tricked into pursuing a career in science, Sin-Cat (I’m guessing that’s the name the creator goes by too, at least judging from the back cover) has another wandering tale that hits and occasionally misses, Jarod deals with his tricky future self, Brad gives us instructions to build our own intelligent robot cubehead, and Barry has a fairly straightforward story about revenge until the ending. What else do you want to know? Any comic with Rob Jackson, Dave Hughes, John Robbins and Brad Foster gets my vote, and this one has more than a few great stories besides that bunch. Buy it why don’t you? $6ish
Comments Off on Jackson, Rob (editor) – Gin Palace #2 | Reviews | Tagged: Andrew Cheverton, Barry Cook, Brad W. Foster, Dave Hughes, Francesca Cassavetti, Jarod Rosello, John Robbins, Paul Rainey, Pete Batchelor, Rob Jackson, Sean Mac Roibin, Sin-Cat | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 16, 2010
Website
Two Eyes of the Beautiful #2
Huzzah for a second issue! I got the first one a while ago (please don’t ask me to remember exact dates when I received comics) and loved it, and this issue only solidifies that love. Right away you should be able to tell by that cover if you’ll be interested. You have an angry dog, a melting face, a chainsaw and a pair of scared eyes. Draws you right in. I should also mention that this is based on a manga called “Blood’s Baptism” by Umczu Kazuo that is apparently unavailable in English, so kudos to Ryan for putting out his own take on this. Things start off with an excellent two page recap of the previous issue, something more people should do, but regular readers already know my thoughts on that subject. From there we see the mother reminiscing about her beautiful past, then catching a stray dog and dragging him to the attic (past her hiding and terrified daughter Sarah). Sarah thinks this may be a dream, but the blood dripping from the ceiling convinces her. She somehow manages to fall asleep and wakes up to it all being cleaned up, but her mom still has the marks on her arms from where the dog lashed out. Sarah decides that it’s time to get serious, so she goes through an elaborate process to get ready for the day. Yes, I used one of them for the sample, as it’s so quintessentially manga that I couldn’t help using one of the few non-creepy or violent pages. So Sarah works up the courage to check out the attic after her mom goes out and finds… I’m giving too much away again, aren’t I? Dammit. The last issue of this series was creepy as could be, this one actually ups the ante and ads “disgusting” to the mix. The few printing problems I noticed the last time around are gone now and the art is fantastic, just absolutely perfect for the story. There’s one more issue in this series coming, so you should really get the first couple now so you’ll be ready. Assuming you like this sort of thing, I guess, but who doesn’t like tense and creepy manga? $5ish
Comments Off on Smith, Ryan Cecil – Two Eyes of the Beautiful #2 | Reviews | Tagged: Ryan Cecil Smith, Two Eyes of the Beautiful | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 15, 2010
Website
Blackguard #2
When they say this is 18+, they are not fucking around. Just a warning to all you sensitive souls out there. This is a collection of stories about Dads, featuring that list of names on the cover (seriously, click on it to check it out if you want, I’m not going to type them all here). As you might expect, very few of these stories are positive, and most of them aren’t true, but they are funny stories. Highlights include Neal Blanden’s story about not being able to visit his mother for the last two months of her life because his Dad was seeing another woman, Dexter Cockburn (a hilariously fake name) and his story about a Dad helping out with an “adventure club” and his noticing how one of the girl members has blossomed, Glenn Smith and his litany of Dads throughout history, Julie Doye and her Dad’s new teeth, Anton Emdin with his “Deadbeat Dad” strips (which, if there were any justice in the world, would be in newspapers across the globe), Mike Diana playing with the concept of a Dad and his two-way mirror, Ryan Vella with the shortest “Tales From the Crypt” story ever, Chris Mikul with one of the few seemingly true stories in the book, and Lark with a brilliant bit of father/son bonding. There’s also an accurate table of contents (I bitch when it isn’t present, so I should praise when it is, right?), a series of reviews on other minis, and plenty of other fair to great stories in here that I haven’t mentioned to save you some surprises. No idea on the price of this thing, as the website doesn’t have a listing, but I’d have to say at least $7 for the fancy front and back cover and the sheer size of the thing. Contact the website, why don’t you, and you should also go there because the guy apparently spends a lot of time reviewing comics and such, which I clearly think is a good use of free time.
Comments Off on Various International Anthologies – Blackguard #2 | Reviews | Tagged: Anton Emdin, Ben Hutchings, Blackguard, Chris Mikul, D. Rat, David Puckenridge, Dexter Cockburn, Doug Iannucci, Gerard Ashworth, Glenn Smith, Henry Racicot, Josh Simmons, Julie Doye, Lark, Michael Aushenker, Mike Diana, Neale Blandon, Ross Radiation, Ryan Vella, SCAR, Stratu | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 14, 2010
Website
Hey Princess
Sorry about crappy sample image, but this book is small (in size, not the number of pages) and dense, so I didn’t feel like cracking the spine for what probably still wouldn’t be a good sample image. Top Shelf has a few decent sample images if you’d like to see it a bit clearer. So what’s this all about? It’s the story of Mats from early 2003, when he was first starting college to just about 2000. He has a steady job for the vast majority of this hefty 479 page book, so that’s out as a source of conflict. Luckily he has a hell of a time with the ladies, and that subject is mined beautifully. It helps when the author has no qualms about being honest even when it makes him look bad, and Mats clearly has no such qualms. He starts off with a girl who already has a boyfriend (not that that stops him, but oh, the guilt), falls for another girl who says that she’s incapable of falling in love, gets with her friend when that doesn’t work out, and generally looks downright pathetic in the process. Well, he looks pathetic in hindsight, and how many of us can honestly say that some part of our romantic past doesn’t look pathetic these days? That’s what I thought. Anyway, he eventually falls deeply in love with a girl he meets at a music festival before the age difference and the physical distance between their homes takes a toll. Yes, that’s as far as I’m willing to go with the details. I will say that the cover gives the impression of a blissfully happy couple and, while there were a few of those moments in this book, overall it doesn’t paint that picture a bit. Other highlights include his honest appraisal of whether or not he was really exactly like his nemesis, the wannabes and fakes of all walks of life, whether or not he WAS one of those wannabes, lots of drinking, and getting trapped in a relationship with a suicidal girl. It’s unflinchingly honest (either that or he has a fetish of making himself look bad) and good luck putting this beast down once you get started. Even if you’ve managed to become jaded and sick of the autobio genre, you’ll still get plenty out of this pile of brilliance. #14.95
Comments Off on Jonsson, Mats – Hey Princess | Reviews | Tagged: Hey Princess, Mats Jonsson | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 13, 2010
Website
Enter Out (“with” Sean Mac Roibin)
It’s lazy as hell to post the description given by the author on the back of his book for the contents of said book. I get that, and I will post my thoughts here in a moment, but this is too good for me to pass up and it sums it all up so much better than I will, so: “Mutually overlapping dreams resonate into the waking lives of two friends. Physicality violently communicates a couple’s finance-related despair. Remedies for loneliness and frustration are sought in odd places. Meat.” I could write a few thousand words on this and never hit on anything better. First things first: this book is backwards. Basically that means to take the title literally and start at the back cover and work your way forwards, reading the panels right to left (although the “top to bottom” formulation still applies.) Once you get that out of the way you’ll notice that the description I listed (that I didn’t read until I was done because it was on the front, meaning the back, cover) doesn’t mention that the listed happenings bleed over into each other and it all ends up being connected. There’s also one of those guys with the dreams who wakes up with blood on his hands, someone else wit h the ability to get words by squeezing the balls of a man with a donkey head, a floating doll head and a clown, but I suppose John didn’t want to give everything away on the back. I’m all for innovation in the small press comics world (or pretty much anywhere) and this one fits that bill in spades. I guess you could argue that the backwards setup is a gimmick, but you’d be wrong, or if you are right it certainly doesn’t read that way. It accentuates the mix-up that is the lives of all these people and the increasingly strange but distinct things that are happening to all of them. Much of John Robbins work could easily fall into the “fucking brilliant” category, and this is definitely on that list. $3
Comments Off on Robbins, John – Enter Out | Reviews | Tagged: Enter Out, John Robbins, Sean Mac Roibin | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 12, 2010
Website
The Sad State of Affairs of Rooster Jack
Huzzah for finally finding what I was looking for with this series? What’s that you say? The creators of the series are under no obligation to please me and it’s silly to judge it using that criteria? You would have a good point if my underlying problem with the series was wrong, but it really wasn’t: my theory was that the characters weren’t fleshed out enough and the quests they went on seemed random and meaningless. This one solves that problem by not really being about any quest at all, although I suppose there is one that serves as the impetus of the book. The team is after a gem in the middle of a body of water, but due to the um, sad state of the team, nobody is really able to get to it. So they have a little hilarious recruitment drive and then finish off the comic. Why don’t I care about the lack of any sort of resolution? Because this was all brilliantly set up to finally get a look into some of these characters. They complain around a bar, they complain while sitting around outside, and their various weaknesses are gone over in detail. Then, once all that and the story is over, we get little synopses of the characters. If you’re ever looking to read this series in some sort of order, start here. Oh, and there’s also a 3-D element to the bios, the covers and bits of the middle. The middle also features lots of games and such for kids, but with enough funnies to keep adults amused. Or at least to keep me amused, I don’t know what you like. Oh, and it comes with 3-D glasses to help you enjoy all the special features. Yep, I have no problems with this one at all, and think it’s an excellent sign on the overall potential for the characters and the series. $3
Comments Off on Zmith, Ben & Hansen, Adam – The Sad State of Affairs of Rooster Jack | Reviews | Tagged: Adam Hansen, Ben Zmith, Rooster Jack, The Sad State of Affairs of Rooster Jack | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 10, 2010
Website
Billy the Demon Slayer S2 #4
Didn’t I say that I was going to go back and read this all in a chunk? Maybe I’ll do that with a future issue, because the problem isn’t that I’ve completely forgotten what was in the first three issues in this series, even with the gap between reviews. The trouble is that I have no idea what happened in the first “season,” and that information seems terribly important to understand what is happening now. Or then, as this book came out in 2008, but there’s no sense getting everybody all confused. Past events and characters are mentioned all the time, and that’s fine on a show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (an obvious influence) because past seasons are readily available and they’ll even occasionally take a moment to explain something that happened long ago. I’m trying to just enjoy this one and not worry about it, but they make it tough when everything is tied so closely to the last series. So, ignoring all that, this issue is basically a long and hilarious fight scene between Billy and the mutated hamster from the last issue. While this is going on a shadowy group is taking over hell, and the emo mist is creeping closer to Billy’s location. And all kinds of past events and characters are referenced like we’re supposed to understand them. Aargh! It bugs me because this is a very funny series all on its own, and the major plot developments are clearly the result of careful planning that I’ll never see. Also, dispatching a villain by smashing it through a microwave glass door, then turning on the microwave while you’re standing right there WOULD KILL YOU. Sure, you can say it’s “just a comic book,” which is another way to say that you just thought it would look cool and have no interest in the facts. Man am I cranky today, I better wrap this up. In conclusion, this is a funny and innovative series that is crying out for a collected edition of the previous series or some sort of a synopsis, but still holds up reasonably well all on its own. $3.50
Comments Off on Fryer, Hayden – Billy the Demon Slayer S2 #4 | Reviews | Tagged: Billy the Demon Slayer, Hayden Fryer | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 8, 2010
Website
The Girls are Mighty Fine
In case I haven’t made it clear enough in past reviews of Amy’s work, her stuff is perfect for the women fans of comics who don’t like fantasy or other genres that women creators are currently involved in. It’s also pretty damned good for the rest of us who enjoy funny, insightful and occasionally moving stories. This is a hefty collection of odds and ends. There’s an excellent reaction to a catcall, the ubiquity of “he’s never going to change” in advice given out, a fantastically unintentional game of “telephone,” the morning after, spring fever, bloody hell, magnolias, and a few short strips. Then we get to the bits with Amy as a child, and it caused an odd feeling in me: I think that it’s heartwarming. My heart is not warmed by many things, as it too often bubbles over into cheesy, but this stuff hit just the right tone. There’s Amy playing, Amy waiting for a doctor and observing a much sicker baby come in, and the differences in reactions to Easter between young and old Amy. Finally there are some true life tales of Amy’s job as a children’s librarian, which also manage to be adorable without overdoing it. Sure, there’s a piece or two in here that I could have done without, but who cares? This is a solid collection of stories, and if you’re not already a fan of her work, this will probably convince you. If you are already a fan you probably already have this, and I’m sorry to have wasted your time. $7
Comments Off on Martin, Amy – The Girls are Mighty Fine | Reviews | Tagged: Amy Martin, The Girls are Mighty Fine | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 7, 2010
Website
The 120 Days of Simon
Simon is apparently a bit of a celebrity in Sweden, as he also raps and it looks like comics as a whole are a bit more respectable around those parts. So he figured that he would ask people around the country if they’d be willing to let him crash at their place and occasionally buy his plane tickets. and enough people responded to make it happen. His only rules were that he couldn’t return home and he couldn’t stay in one place for more than two days. Things start off awkwardly for him, as he is falling in love with a girl but doesn’t want to be tied down with a relationship while he’s traveling. He wanders around Sweden, playing gigs every so often, taking as many drugs as possible, and having sex with various fans. Oh sure, he also got beat up and had almost all of his stuff stolen (luckily he did manage to recover his travel diary) and dealt with what he thought was a serious death threat, but overall he was having a grand old time. Then word came back to him that his hoped-for girlfriend when he got back had something else serious going on. Simon is broken up about this for a day or so, but it didn’t stop his interest in other ladies and hey, maybe things turn out OK in the end after all. This isn’t going to be very helpful if you were looking to explore Sweden in comics form, but it’s an absolutely engrossing story. Simon is very honest about his problems before, during and after the trip, and he shares more than a few details that make me wonder how this was received when it was released in Sweden. Sure, he often changes names/faces, but he does list the number of each stop, and how hard could it be for the people who live in any given place to piece it all together? Him hitting on the 16 year old daughter of a family he was staying with, talking about his various conquests and constant drug use with all sorts of people can’t have gone over well everywhere. It does say on the back cover that it caused a “scandal,” but that can mean a lot of things these days. Oh well, I’m glad he was fearless in his recounting of the story, as it made for a fascinating comic. Also, this thing may be as thick as a brick but it moves right along. It’s just about the right size for a train or plane right, which is exactly where you should probably be reading something like this anyway. $14.95
Comments Off on Gardenfors, Simon – The 120 Days of Simon | Reviews | Tagged: Simon Gardenfors, The 120 Days of Simon | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 6, 2010
Publisher’s Website
Because I Am: Stories 2004-2009
I’d love to put an actual website up there for contact information, but there’s nothing on Google for P.F. and the only thing listed on the back of the book is a Twitter account, and fuck Twitter. Ahem. Not that I have a strong opinion about it or anything. And that awful cover doesn’t get the book off to the most promising of starts, as it’s almost always a bad idea to put a story on the cover, even if it is a good story. You’re trying to draw people in who might see this at a store or a convention, and that national attention span is too damned short to read a story on the cover these days (see: Twitter). Luckily things take a decided turn for the better once we get to the actual stories. Actually, it’s damned near flawless once you get that far, almost enough to get me over my annoyance that a graphic novel can be put out in this day and age without any proper contact information for the author. Stories include an old man and his granddaughter and his quest over the years to nail down the specifics about a comet he’s discovered, meeting a nice girl while out on the town but missing the planned date due to being too responsible, a kid biting off more than he can chew in trying to pull off a bike trick, a silent (and brilliant) piece about the body fighting off indigestion, playing in a construction zone against the rules and having something go horribly wrong, a man taking a brief break from war by staying with a shepherd, the mystery uncovered by a metal detector, an old timey-tale about sniffing out the guy who’s sneaking in to sleep with another man’s daughter, and a silent bathtub dream about a pearl. It covers a wide range of age groups and types of people and every bit of it is expertly handled. There’s genuine emotion over here, a real laugh or two over there, and all the messy bits in between that make up life. This book is well worth a look, my minor quibbles aside. And Lulu is selling it for $7.54 at the moment, which is a steal for a book that’s this hefty.
Comments Off on Davies, P.F. – Because I Am: Stories 2004-2009 | Reviews | Tagged: Because I Am, P.F. Davies | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 4, 2010
Website
The M.I.E.A. #1 & 2
One thing is for sure about Jason and his comics: he certainly gives you your money’s worth. This is a collection of the first two issues of his Multiverse Incursion Enforcement Agency (in case you can’t see it on the cover), and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Groups of heroes travel to different universes to stop potential threats. This gives Jason (and Dave, who is the penciller while Jason does everything else) plenty of opportunity to get creative, as these teams of three heroes can be pulled from any universe ever thought of. The first issue deals with a team that is sent to fight… oh, let’s be honest, it’s Godzilla. It has a different name here, but that’s pretty much what it is. The three of them fight it and quickly realize that they’re outmatched, but eventually pull together to exploit the creature’s obvious weakness. Or they’re all brutally killed; I don’t want to spoil anything. The second issue is a bit more complicated, as a completely different team sets out to find a group of raiders that also has the ability to travel between universes and is stealing vital supplies. A Benny Hill-ish chase follows (except there are no women in bikinis) where we get to see a good number of other universes before finally wrapping things up. It’s a great idea and the sky is the limit for what he can do with it. The only potential problem I see is that the reader will never have the chance to get invested in any of these team members, although he is starting to develop the people on the cover who are actually commanding all these missions. I’m sure that if this goes on into the double digits my other concern will go away, as they’ll probably start re-using the occasional hero. Either way, these are a couple of issues that manage to be fun and exciting without veering over into being stupid, which is no mean feat. Keep it up you guys, I want to see what happens next. This isn’t listed on his website yet, but if the first issue was $3 then this collection must be $5, right? It makes sense anyway…
Comments Off on Neuman, Jason & Hudson, Dave – The M.I.E.A #1 & 2 | Reviews | Tagged: Dave Hudson, Jason Neuman, The M.I.E.A | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 2, 2010
Website
Smoo #3 Preview
Last time around I asked Simon about the preview and the “1/2” issue, and he had good reasons for both. Actually, the full edition of #3 is out now, so you could just get that and skip this entirely. So why am I talking about it? Two reasons: I’m in a rush (it’s a little thing) and I don’t have a copy of #3 yet and wanted to remind you all that he has a new issue out. Hey, but aren’t I the guy who complains about people who rush out books for cons? What’s the difference between that and my rushing out a review? One thing is a piece of art, the other is… whatever it is that I do here, so it lands a bit low on the hypocrisy scale. Wasn’t there a comic somewhere in all this? A very tiny one, yes. This starts with Simon fantasizing about throwing his phone into a lake (ah, we’ve all been there), then musing on whether this is a fad or a piece of technology we’ll be stuck with for a long time, all in his own inimitable way. This is only a few pages but, like I said, the whole issue is out now, so you should probably just go ahead and buy that one. How do I know that it’s worth it? Well, this is a great little story, and it’s not like he’s done anything awful yet, so let’s call it a leap of faith.
Comments Off on M., Simon – Smoo #3 Preview | Reviews | Tagged: Simon M., Smoo | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
December 1, 2010
Website
The Natural World 4
Why aren’t there more serialized stories in the small press comics world? Oh, I don’t mean the people who write for one of the “big” publishers, but among the mini comics folks it seems to be exceedingly rare, and that’s a shame. Damien says at the end of this issue that he thought he would be about ready to wrap up the story at this point, but that it “has already strayed a few times from its anticipated course.” Good! Let it stray, let it expand, and let it be whatever story it’s supposed to end up being. If I had a large chunk of disposable income I’d ask my favorite dozen comic creators to come up with ongoing series and give them money to put them out instead of focusing on single, unconnected issues. What set me off on this subject? Um, it’s Wednesday? Who knows. So how about this issue? Well, if it really was only a three or four issue series, it would have arguably been a waste of time, as what we get is Shannon (the crazy guy living in the woods) and Walter (the only slightly less crazy guy with the dog) chatting in the forest. In a shorter series, this might have been a bad idea. In a series that is probably going to go 10 issues, it’s perfect. We’ve seen both of these guys plenty but haven’t had much of a chance to get into their motivations or what they’re all about for any length of time. Here that’s ALL we get, and it’ll almost certainly pay off big in the long run. So what did they talk about for an entire issue? Screw that, buy it and see for yourself. If you’re not already reading this series you certainly should be, so why should I give anything away? OK, a taste: that carved bird pops up again, we learn that the dog doesn’t like Shannon very much, and much fun is had with Walter’s way of talking. $4
Comments Off on Jay, Damien – The Natural World #4 | Reviews | Tagged: Damien Jay, Natural World | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
November 30, 2010
Website
The Playwright
Is it better for a writer to have a wealth of sadness and loneliness to draw from for his work, or is a fulfilled life without art the preferred outcome? It’s only due to the mastery of Daren and Eddie that it took me so long to figure out that that was the central question of this book. Things start off with a sad and lonely playwright who ostracized his family years ago by writing a play which was based heavily on the life of his retarded older brother. This playwright meanders through life, looking for excuses to look at women but without having the courage to actually talk to them, and never seems to dwell much on the essential emptiness of things, as he decided long ago to go for financial success over everything else. We learn about his formative years, his first exposure to the wonders of internet pornography, and his stunted attempts to at least keep current with the rest of the world. Daren White, for you whippersnappers out there, edited the DeeVee anthology in the 90’s, and it’s entirely possible that it’s still going and I’ve just missed it. Eddie Campbell needs no introduction, assuming you have any sense at all of great comics. Both of them weave this tale together masterfully, as Eddie has the visuals of the life of this sad little man down perfectly and Daren manages to guide things over to a chance for redemption naturally. It should go without saying that a book with Eddie Campbell as a contributor is required reading, but just in case maybe you thought you could skip this one for some reason, you’re wrong. This is a beautiful meditation on making art to the exclusion of all else and how it’s impossible to lay a thoroughly black or white judgment on that choice. If you’ve somehow missed Eddie’s work up until now, this is an excellent place to start. Everybody with even a mildly artistic mindset should read this book. $14.95
Comments Off on White, Daren & Campbell, Eddie – The Playwright | Reviews | Tagged: Daren White, Eddie Campebll, The Playwright | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
