Canini, Brian – Applewood Canyon #9-11

June 25, 2024

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Applewood Canyon #9-11

Good lord, am I actually caught up on one of his series? The last issue in his online store is #11, so unless he’s running behind on updating his store, I just might be current with this one. …I feel like I just wished a new issue into existence. Anyway! I’m still doing the clump reviews for his shorter books (he also sent along some graphic novels, and those will obviously be done one by one, probably before the heat death of the universe), at this point mostly in the hopes that I can also get caught up with Plastic People one of these days. So what’s happening this time around? #9 starts with our heroes (???) getting back into Applewood Canyon the hard way. They’re starting to wonder if the place is really so bad (after they commit just a few murders to get in), but the last page gives them something to work with in that department. #10 has the crew eventually working up the nerve to try to get out of town, but them meeting one of the, uh, “colorful” locals gives them second thoughts about the plan. #11 is a break in the action, as we get some details about the neighboring town (Coconut Valley), using the same method that Brian used way back in the first issue of a narrative voiceover. The cracks in the happy facade are a little clearer here than they were in that issue, but we also know a whole lot more about what’s going on, so that’s as it should be. The man always keeps me guessing, and this series is no exception. 11 issues is plenty to dig into, so give it a shot why don’t you? $1.99 (per issue)

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Posted by Kevin

Lehmann, Brandon – Dog Restaurant

June 21, 2024

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Dog Restaurant

Quick, before you read any further: what do you think that title means? I came up with three possibilities pretty much right after seeing that cover, and I’m happy to report that Brandon has them all covered. This one starts off with a married couple trying to figure out where they should go for dinner, which leads to the husband recommending a new place he’s “heard about” called Dog Restaurant. He’s also inexplicably pretending that he’s never been there, but that’s an adventure for the reader. It’s a formal restaurant, so they both get dressed up and head out, speculating all the way about what exactly they’ll be in for. They arrive, settle in… and start to get the sense that something is off. Where are the dogs? Their wondering is interrupted by the server bringing them their dinner, under the fancypants tradition of a covered silver platter, of two servings of “the usual.” It’s at this point (the halfway point of the comic) that Brandon stops the action for a brief warning to the reader. You’re given two options as to how you can continue at this point. You can either read on for the inevitable conclusion to where this has all been leading, or you can skip ahead to the blue colored page for the happy ending. Am I going to talk about either ending? Unless you’re new around here, you know the answer is always absolutely not. I will say that both have bits that got those rare out loud laughs from me (which Brandon seems to be very good at eliciting). I have no clue how the husband thought this was going to go well for him in the “dark” ending, and the questions raised by shoehorning in a “good” ending did an excellent job of showing the dangers of giving the reader what they thought they wanted. Oh, and a quick glance at the publisher’s website shows a small but choice selection, as I’d recommend everything on there that I’ve read (it’s mostly Nick Mandaag and Brandon’s stuff), and it’s yet another reminder that I really need to stop talking about it and just buy a pile of Brandon’s older comics. The fact that I’ve never read his “The Werewolf Expert” feels like a hole in my general reading experience. $10

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Posted by Kevin

Hill, Dan – The Fifty Flip Experiment #32

June 19, 2024

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The Fifty Flip Experiment #32

In this issue, a young woman desperately tries to save her friend from falling into a volcano. Welp, that’s it for this review, what’s going on with y’all? Oh, I kid. Ha! Ha. If you’ve been reading Dan’s comics, either for a long time or a short time, you know what a ridiculously incomplete synopsis that is for one of his pages, let alone an entire comic. If you are new and can’t make up your mind about trying out an issue, consider this: are you frustrated with the limitations of language, or even the combination of visual and written language, to convey the ideas that you’d like to express? Well, read a few of his comics, and you’ll quickly see that anything can be expressed through comics, and comics are even better if they have to percolate in your brain a bit before they settle. Got it? OK, for everybody else who already knows his stuff, I wasn’t lying in my earlier synopsis, that is indeed how things start off. See? I even used the first page as a sample to prove it. And so I wouldn’t have to type out that splendiferous title. Jennifer is trying to save her friend, but both of their arms are slippery after their successful battle against the eye monster (battle, sadly, not shown). Naturally, endurance and muscles play a big part of a thing like this, but that can’t do everything. So she reflects on her cult training (I’ll let you discover that part for yourselves), and manages to send out a distress signal. Naturally, this call goes to a larval child, who passes the signal along to bears. But these bears have to pass the message along to the cult, who are very busy with a series of interpretive dances. Sure, but do we meet each of these dancers? You bet! And we also get the names of several dances. But wait, what about the lava? Yeah, I’ll leave that for you to discover too. Also, once again, his intros and outros (although it’s kind of the same thing this time around) are worth the price of admission alone, and will give you a lot of insight into Dan in case you ever find yourself asking “who would make a comic like this?”, whether in a reverent or negative tone. These are always a treat to me, so you can guess where I’m heading: give it a shot. Get a few of them, is my advice, so you can get a real sense of what’s happening here. $5 ($7 with shipping)

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Posted by Kevin

McCallister, Lauren – Teen Girl Killed #1

June 14, 2024

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Teen Girl Killed #1

I’ve been wondering what Lauren had been working on since I read her Bad Sex comic several years back, but as is often the case with this brain full o’ artists, I often leave it at wondering and not googling. Well, it turns out that she’s five issues into this series that she started way back in 2016, so it is once again confirmed that I’m a big dummy. I’d swear that she hasn’t had a table at CXC for the last few years. Anyway, who cares about that? This one tells the story of Lauren’s past (unless it’s one of those Seth-esque “kind of true but not literally” type of autobio stories), starting with her in an obvious rut and bored silly at school. Another girl asks her if she wants to hang out sometime (at that age when it was just that easy), and Lauren’s life changed considerably. She was introduced to a game called “dare or dare” pretty much right away, which is just what it sounds like: truth or dare without the truth. It immediately got sexual, which sounds about right for high school kids, and which leads later to a belated changing of the rules to ban that kind of thing, as it also had the potential to get rapey in a hurry. The rest of the comic is mostly teenage meandering, with subtle but huge milestones piling up all around her. First time drunk, first time (?) being yelled at by the parents for staying out late, getting the boy she liked stolen out from under her by her own friend, those sorts of things. It feels to me like there’s an undercurrent of distance here, which makes sense considering the fact that Lauren is probably a decade out of high school (I’m guessing based on information in her last book), and it also helps this book from devolving into a coming of age cliche. It’s also the first of five issues (so far), so who knows where things go from here. It’s a hell of a promising start though, and yes, I clearly should have bought more than one issue when I was at Laughing Ogre today. Oh well, now I have an excuse to go back. Oh, and that title? No idea. Maybe it comes into play in a literal fashion later, maybe not. Read more to find out! $6

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Posted by Kevin

Forker, Nick – Eyeland #13

June 13, 2024

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Eyeland #13

It looks like that tricksy Nick Forker has been working on a longer story, so my usual plan to randomly review his issues is not going to work anymore. But hey, this one is comprised of a few short pieces, so I’m going to cheat this time around before going back to them sequentially. More information than anybody would ever need or want, that’s the Optical Sloth promise! Like I said, this is a collection of shorter pieces, with one story that’s obviously part of a bigger narrative. There’s some talking cat and dog mayhem to start things off (if you consider a calm conversation to be mayhem), a peek at some actual aliens and their exact level of competence, a badger confronting several animals in what is a clear attempt by Nick to justify drawing a whole bunch of animals (no shame here, the man can draw all sorts of animals damn near photo realistically), the piece that’s part of the bigger story (that’ll make more sense when I go back through the other issues, but it looks like our hero is headed to the real world), and a bit of commentary on the quality of the drinking water in various cities in the U.S. He’s not wrong, and it would be nice if ANY CITY took pride in their water. Finally there’s a personal story about the time he got beat up about 20 years ago, the damage it did to him physically and mentally, and what it feels like to sneeze when your jaw is wired shut. That image of him on one knee, trying to play off the pain as his friends looked on, is rough to look at. He also goes into his reasoning for talking about this now, and how our identities are a construct of the stories we tell ourselves. I’d recommend going and watching the talk Dan Clowes gave at CXC 2023, as he really dug into the unreliability of memory and how tough it is to nail anything down when the other people who were part of those memories have passed away. What does that leave you with? Anyway, yes, this is another really solid issue, and he’s apparently stuck forever (with Brian Canini and a few others) on the list of artists that I just can’t seem to keep up with here on this blog. Still waiting on that eccentric billionaire that decides to keep me as a pet just so I can read comics and write about them forever… $7

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Posted by Kevin

Goldenberg, Teddy – Good Night and Sweet Dreams!

June 6, 2024

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Good Night and Sweet Dreams!

This is a collection of short stories, almost entirely about situations that are just bizarre and otherworldly enough to make you feel uneasy, like they couldn’t really happen but still might one day. Dreams, in other words, which I guess is right there in the title. Stories include showing off a revolutionary way to make comics (but having it fail when the pressure is really on), an attempt to salt the earth to help plants grow and the effect it has on everybody involved, a conference where our hero is forced to try and sleep in the lobby before getting rid of his pants and attempting to find a bathroom (in that order), and being young enough not to care about a serial killer on the loose, not that that’s guaranteed to keep anybody safe. The heart of the book, to me, was Prison Laps. Our hero, as part of a mysterious prison sentence, was forced to run laps around his old hometown. Which was fine, until the route changed to force them to go near the scary hotel. It was nerve-racking but manageable, but then the route was changed again to force them to go THROUGH the hotel. Our hero speaks out against this, which doesn’t go well for him. Finally he reaches the roof and the sample page below happens. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that it’s one of the times that this book got an audible laugh out of me. The reason may surprise you! It’s a damned solid collection of stories, and after looking at his website I’m really curious about that Cobra parody as well. Give it a chance, why don’t you? $15 (ish)

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Posted by Kevin

Kish, Matt – Spudd 64 #5

June 4, 2024

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Spudd 64 #5

I’ve been robbed! That’s the only reason I can think of as to why my copies of Spudd 64 #3 and 4 are missing, anyway. I had it all planned out for this lazy Sunday morning: grab all of the previous issues of the series, read them, then read the new one and talk about it. Simple! But since I could only find #1 and 2 (I have copy #4 of the 25 copy print run for #1, in case anybody was curious), I’ll have to go with my own reviews to remember the other issues. Terrifying. This issue is Matt’s return to the world of Spudd 64, and since the last issue of it came out in 2007, I’d strongly advise you to at least read my reviews of those issues before going on. Matt was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease recently, but he’s been wanting to return to this world for ages, so he went with a minimalistic approach with his art. Have no fear though, this is still very much the world of Spudd 64. This issue starts with Hassan picking up the unconscious body of Spudd 64 from space, where’s he’s been drifting since the end of issue #3. Don’t take my word for it, Matt was nice enough to include synopses for the previous issues at the end of the comic. He also includes a couple of other comics in the timeline, including one that’s still unpublished, so he clearly has big plans. Hassan takes a leisurely journey through space, sees several odd and wonderful sights, and is eventually shot down and crash lands on a strange planet. It turns out to be a peaceful world, but Spudd didn’t survive the crash landing, so Hassasn sadly buries him. But after several years a tree grows from the grave of Spudd, and it happens to have a creepy face on it. Could this be the end of our hero? Well, that would be a heck of a thing to come back to a series after 17 years away, wouldn’t it? This is a quiet, contemplative issue, and a very welcome return to this world. I didn’t touch much on Hassan’s time on the world, but it’s all about exploring and coming to terms with the fact that he’ll probably never leave that world. I’m not seeing an easy place to buy this online, but get in touch with the man, maybe he even has copies of previous issues to help you complete the story so far. As for me, I’m going to find a spelunker to go through my comics caves to find those two missing issues… $3

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Posted by Kevin

Baumann, Suzanne – For Thee

May 31, 2024

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For Thee

Did I go into SPACE this year hoping to get a new comic from Suzanne? Of course, it’d been at least 5 years, maybe more. But I’m also a sucker for a good collection, so here we are. This is a collection of the minis that Suzanne made specifically to have free comics to offer at cons. She made a new one every year for several years before finding out that the plan was unsustainable, as that’s a whole lot to manage along with everything else that goes into planning for a con. She has an informative introduction for anybody who’s curious about the process, and as somebody who rambles on a regular basis (I’d say “professional basis”, but come on now), I can appreciate an intro that goes into detail about a grammatical error that’s bugged her for years and was only fixed for this collected edition. If you’re thinking that you go to every con all the time and probably have already seen these stories, I kind of thought the same thing, and only two of these stories were familiar. This is a collection of seven stories, dealing with things like a talking teddy bear that gets far too existential with a small child, the joy of skipping and how it’s somehow not for everybody, a detailed strategy session for dealing with whiteheads, getting called out at school after forgetting about the social hierarchy (also kudos for the information on the back cover proving that she was correct way back when), a more realistic love song, aliens at the bar, and the inevitable conclusion of being unable to change your mind. She was correct in her intro, these stories held up really well and I’m glad she put them all out in this collected format. I also saw several minis on her website that I wish I had picked up (two 24 hour comics in a row? Done over a 48 hour period? The mind reels), but hey, there’s always next time. $8

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Posted by Kevin

Cooley, Rob – Anywhere Man #3

May 30, 2024

Website (sort of but not really)

Anywhere Man #3

I do love a cautionary tale from SPACE, and this one fits the bill. Because, and this is an easy one: there’s no contact info anywhere in the comic. Sure, this has happened before, but I can usually at least find an Instagram page with some digging. This time around, not so much. There’s the bizarre “history of comics” type page that at least has details of his work, and nothing else. But hey, screw it, I’m still going to talk about the comic. First, a personal note to Rob: if your totals were off by $2 after SPACE, somehow another copy of this issue was shoved into this one. Meaning yes, I ended up with two copies of #3. Not sure if that was you handing me the comics or me grabbing them without paying attention, but my apologies either way, and if I see you at another con I owe you $2. Should I finally start talking about the comic? Yeah, I’ve stalled long enough. This is the story of a planet killing monster (unnamed, I think), but the comic starts off with him worrying about an escaped villain named Mindscare. We don’t hear anything else about that guy, as the entirety of the issue is a fight between Anywhere Man, Star Acer (a local hero) and the planet killer. There’s a loopy Kirby vibe to some of his artwork that I enjoyed, but the story itself is fairly typical superhero stuff, which is not really for me at this point. But hey, that’s just me. If it’s still your thing this issue is pretty well done, although it does hit the “God” talk a little heavy, considering the fact that they’re literally fighting a planet killer and that sort of thing might make one question their faith or even the concept of faith. Overthinker, that’s me! Ooh, my own super hero name. Anyway, if you can find this and if you still enjoy the superheroes, give this one a shot! Hell, if you can track me down you can have one of my extra copies if nothing else… $2

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Posted by Kevin

Zvi Felder, Aaron – Bad Day For Melvin

May 29, 2024

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Bad Day For Melvin

Oh, poor Melvin, that dude cannot catch a break. Looking around Aaron’s website it appears that Melvin has been a character for awhile now, with him changing here and there as Aaron’s style evolved. Or it’s a bunch of different characters named “Melvin” and I’m just not understanding it because I’m parachuting into a situation where he’s been working with the character for years and I’m doing a quick skim of his website. This particular comic is an epic story about a fairly simple day. Aaron really takes the time to let the situations breathe, whether they’re deadly or mundane, which really helps with the sense of inevitability of the whole story. We start off with a view of Melvin’s normal routine, with a ticking clock problem left in place when he leaves to walk to work. Along his walk a tragedy occurs, as he’s entirely too close to a crashing airplane. He gets away without being hurt (or this would have been a very short comic), but not unscathed, which was plenty for his supervisor to notice and chastise. Our hero then remembers that he left his coffee pot on but, office culture being what it is, he doesn’t get permission to leave, so he has to wait for his lunch break. Is there also an obstacle over his break that prevents him from getting home promptly? Reader, you’d better believe it. He arrives home to the sample image below, which I just could not resist using. From here he returns to work, but as you might have guessed from that last panel, that doesn’t go well either. It’s a “three strikes and you’re out” rule at work, and if you’re wondering if there was also a third strike, there absolutely was, and you wouldn’t guess it in a million years. It’s a spellbinding journey, and I couldn’t help but root for the poor guy even though it was clear that he was doomed. Is this the winner of SPACE so far? Eh, it’s tacky to rank comics like that, but let’s just call it one of the better comics I got from a solid pile of them. $15

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Posted by Kevin

Kalmback, Addi – Cute Girl Magazine

May 28, 2024

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Cute Girl Magazine

This was the blindest of blind buys at SPACE this year, and I had no idea what to expect from it with that title, but I’m happy to report that it was a bizarre and unexpectedly dark extravaganza of madness. Addi describes it as “inspired by tigerbeat magazine and my love for surrealist horror,” and while I was expecting the first part of that sentence, the second was a welcome surprise. I should note here that it’s entirely possible that Addi described this all thoroughly at SPACE and I’m just blanking on it now because it’s a month later and, as has occasionally been established, my brain bad sometimes. This one is going to be tricky to review, so I’ll say right now that this is gorgeous/spooky/hilarious, and if that general combo sounds appealing to you, go in blind! The stock is low, according to the website, so you might not even have time to read this review. If you need more convincing, topics/stories in this one include suggestions for where to keep your teeth, a terrifying warning about pet rocks, one of the funnier set of fake zodiac signs that I’ve seen (believe me kids, I’ve seen people get this very wrong, which is not what happens here), some facts about Shadow Man, a good tip on a hot new trend, trying to pick a boy for the perfect date, and a page that tells you how to get out of an awkward situation, complete with encouragement. Oh, and Addi also manages to make an ad for spoons deeply disturbing, in case you were wondering if that was possible. It is! So yeah, it’s a nice mix of pieces, why not give it a try already? $15

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Posted by Kevin

Canini, Brian – Plastic People #10-12

May 27, 2024

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Plastic People #10-12

I’ve been promising/threatening to do this for awhile now, and the day is here: it’s a combo review! Honestly, it’s mostly the reviewer equivalent of self defense, as Brian is too prolific for me to keep up with otherwise, and even after this chunk I’m still a good 8 issues behind. These actually are all grouped around a single event, the first murders in 20 years, that happened last time around. Or was it #8? Recently, anyway. #10 starts off with a press conference assuring the public that everything is fine, followed quickly by a peek into the actual investigation and the obvious conclusion that everything is not at all fine. There’s a missing ear, and a trail of teeth, and oh hey, love is in the air! Brush up on your latin before reading the last panel, as I think I got the gist of it, but Google translate may become involved if this keeps up. In #11 the investigators of the murder try to interrogate a former detective, who has some hard feelings about being pushed out of his job decades ago after all murders stopped. The attempt to keep the worst of this from the public also goes up in smoke, as the killer sends a letter (and an ear) to a local news station directly. #12 is all about the aftermath of that event, as we hear reactions from some citizens before checking back in with Gabriel, who’s having all kinds of thoughts and regrets. Yes, I’ll stay that vague, thank you very much. It already feels weird talking about most of the previous issues all in a clump like this. The story is moving along nicely, and I’m going to try to get to the next set sooner rather than later to see how things progress. If you’re new to this whole thing, grab a few issues, see what you think! Or heck, just grab these three to start. Sure, it’s bizarre to start a series by reading issues #10-12, but don’t let the man tell you what to do! $4.99

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Posted by Kevin

Fuller, Tim & Wolverton, Basil – Ol’ Man Maggot Sucks!

May 24, 2024

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Ol’ Man Maggot Sucks!

If there’s a theme with the comics from SPACE 2024 that I’ve reviewed so far, it’s that they’re not available on the respective websites of their creators. This has baffled me for as long as I’ve been doing reviews, and it still does today. If somebody picked up one of these comics at SPACE like I did, but was curious to see a few more (he had a number with a similar theme, which was “Tim rewrites the dialogue over a classic story and artist”), well, good luck with that. Once or twice would just be the person selling their newest work without a chance to update their website (even though they could literally update their website during quiet moments of the con), but to not find the comics on the website so many times? I’ll never understand it. Too many of these reviews have ended with “it’s not listed as available for sale, so just contact them.” Make it easy or lots of people won’t bother! OK, rant over, but maybe I reached an artist or two. And to think, all I wanted to talk about originally was how happy I was to have a chance to review a Basil Wolverton comic, even if it is only sort of his comic at this point. Kids (or middle-aged people, I guess): Basil was an artist on the old timey EC comics like Tales From the Crypt and Weird Tales back in the 50’s, among many, many other projects. I’d be curious to see which comic this originally came from, but we get 16 panels of the comic with Tim rewriting them, sometimes seemingly barely at all and sometimes quite a bit. The story is about a drifter who comes into a town, hears a story about some riches held by a very old man, and decides to go after those riches, despite all the warnings from the townspeople. Tim does a solid job with the rewrite as there’s some really funny stuff in here, and boy howdy was Basil ever one heck of an artist. Check it out, if you’re lucky enough to find one! It’s listed as only $.50, but I vaguely recall paying more.

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Posted by Kevin

Feazell, Matt – The Amazing Cynicalman #14

May 22, 2024

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The Amazing Cynicalman #14

I wish that Matt had an “about” section on his website, because I was curious when he started drawing his Cynicalman comics. He’s been around since I started up the website in 2001, but I got the impression at the time that he had already been doing it for years. Maybe the 80’s? Definitely the 90’s. Anyway, the man has been making comics for a LONG time, so show some respect! This time around Cynicalman starts off learning about his problematic behavior in the workplace, and from there learns that he is going to be pilot for the first spaceship in the new “Space Force” program. Why yes, this did come out in 2020, why do you ask? He mostly decides to check it out because the whole thing seems absolutely ridiculous, but the next thing he knows he’s locked into the pilot’s seat and heading away from Earth. Little does he know that he has a stowaway who has his own thoughts on who’s going to be first on the moon! Never mind the fact that we’ve already been there. I’m being cagey, but his stowaway is on the cover, if you can decipher his identity. That combover that’s helplessly floating over his head without the benefit of gravity should be a big clue, I reckon. Funny stuff from Matt, as always. Kinda sorta political, if you consider making fun of that spectacular buffoon political, but that’s more of a “you” problem at this point in human history. He has a vast back catalog of comics, most of which he keeps in print, and if you’re not sure where to start (previous characters are referenced here, but it’s OK if you’re unfamiliar with them) he has an offer for “one of everything” for $12. What a deal! Or the single comics like this one are usually $.50 (with postage)

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Posted by Kevin

Hager, Steven & Rosenberger, Bruce – Dutchy Digest #10

May 20, 2024

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Dutchy Digest #10

I was all set to go with a review, but when I got to the Dutchy Digest website (which might be dead, because it’s looking rough, but it was the most current thing I could fine online for them) I was greeted with a banner ad that said “what is a vampire breast lift and how much does it cost? Take a look!” and suddenly I’m filled with questions that I would have never thought to ask. No I didn’t click it to check, as it might as well have said “click here for malware!”, but boy howdy am I curious. OK, back to reviewing! I’ll stay on topic. This is the story of a small town that makes a colossal doughnut, the theft of said doughnut, and the efforts from there to both figure out who stole it and why. There was a nice little fake-out a couple of pages before the end of the comic where I thought they were just going to leave the mystery hanging, but worry not! We do eventually figure out what happens. It’s a fun little story, in which I learned two new facts about hobos (that a group of five of them are called a “tramp” of hobos and that they leave a bent nail as tribute after being fed) and had to puzzle over whether or not the eventual thief would have had his plan work out how he wanted in real life. There are plenty of these issues out there and I’d say it’s worth hunting a few of them down, but I’m not sure how confident I am about suggesting that you use the linked website. Maybe it’s fine and it’s just the banner ads that are a giant red flag. Or maybe you should look them up on Facebook or something. Or hey, just go to SPACE in Columbus next year! No malware there. $3 (roughly)

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Posted by Kevin

Stellanova, Nick – Here and Now

May 16, 2024

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Here and Now

I had a couple of people ask me at SPACE this year about the general state of physical comics. I’m really not one to ask, because I’m well aware of the fact that I’m outside of the usual trend lines when it comes to physical media (I only review physical comics, my pandemic obsession was buying movies from the Criterion Collection, my current nine bookshelves are soon going to need a tenth, etc.). My thinking is that there will always be an audience for physical media, and that that audience will ebb and flow over the years. But even if physical comics do end up dying out, comics themselves are going to be fine, and I’m 100% sure about that. Why? Comics like this, which was Nick’s freaking senior thesis for CCAD in Columbus. Meaning that Nick is technically very much still learning, and this comic still managed to be (so far, anyway) one of my favorite comics from SPACE 2024. This is the story of a woman who loses her wife to cancer. That whole process is covered quickly, but there’s more than enough to hurt: the hospital bed with the severely physically diminished wife, the open coffin with the deceased wife all dressed up but seeming artificial, and finally the closed casket that’s about to be lowered into the ground. The rest of the comic is all about grief and how you try to get through it, in a more physically fantastical setting than most. Flora goes through her days in a fog, trying to see the point in going on, and soon discovers that she’s transported to a colorful, ever-shifting second world when she expresses aloud that she “doesn’t want to be here anymore.” She gets lost in this world a few times before she finally gets a glimpse of a familiar face: her deceased wife Iris. It goes in a direction I wasn’t expecting, so that’s all you’re getting out of me in terms of the story. But as for the overall future of comics? Not that I’m putting this all on Nick (save comics or else!), but based on this and other recent comics I’ve seen, yeah, comics are going to be just fine.

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Posted by Kevin

Morris, Joseph – Cosmic Taco Zero

May 14, 2024

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Cosmic Taco Zero

Oh, SPACE. I can always count on going to the convention, getting a book from somebody who seems completely new to me, then going home and seeing that I already have a few reviews up of their older comics. In this case I reviewed three of Joseph’s comics in 2005, 2006 and 2009 respectively, so maybe I can be forgiven for thinking he was brand new in 2024. So hey, what’s this one all about? I’m guessing the “zero” is meant to indicate an origin story or issue number, but since he doesn’t have any numbered issues of the series on his website I’m only guessing. This one starts off with a right wing nutjob politician further terrifying the masses after something huge has fallen from the sky, killing millions of people. From there we pull back to see what exactly this giant item was, what was on it and how it came to crash. We get the origin story of the star of the show (who I’m leaving a mystery just in case it’s relevant for future issues), then several pages of pin-ups and unconnected images. What about the Cosmic Taco? Unclear. He definitely shows up a few times (assuming that’s him on the cover), but he doesn’t do a whole lot. It’s an intriguing issue, which is pretty much what a #0 is designed to be, so kudos on that. Here’s hoping it’s not another 15 years before I review another one of his comics, because I’m curious to see what happens next. Not to mention the fact that he has all kinds of comics available on his website, so clearly he’s been putting in the work. No price, and it’s not currently listed on his website, but I’m going to guess $5. Ask the man, if I’m wrong he’ll set you straight!

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Posted by Kevin

Papke, Maryanne Rose – Noumenon

May 10, 2024

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Noumenon

Maryanne describes this on her website as “an allegorical tale of the sun and the moon,” and wow is it ever tempting to leave it at that. Not for negative reasons, but because this comic takes you on a real journey with a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, and picking apart at the details is the kind of thing that lessens the joy of discovering them all for yourself. Huh, sounds like I just talked myself out of a reviewing gig. Well, before I vanish is a puff of smoke at my own irrelevance, this one starts off with an image of a whale in a boat. Yes, I said “in,” so right away the reader is off guard and a little confused. From there we’re told that a bird is inside the whale, and that bird is the moon. So three pages in, it should be clear to everybody both that this is an allegory and that you should be ready for anything. Next she takes us back to an older story, about a time when a spirit and an inkling were sailing together on a sea of stones. If you have a problem with this tale, take it up with the monkey with the silver tail. I can be as cranky and cynical as anybody, but it’s always a joy to just be carried away by a story like this. Good to see that Maryanne is still making comics (It’s at least 10 years since I first saw her stuff, maybe 15) and she’s at the top of her game with this one. $3

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Posted by Kevin

Mosher, Andrew – Confessions of a Craft Show Vendor

May 8, 2024

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Confessions of a Craft Show Vendor

I was all set to unload on this comic, because I bought it at a convention and there’s no contact information of any kind in it nor even the author’s name. Luckily the title was unique enough that Google was able to find it and him, but seriously people. Putting your name in your book is the bare minimum, unless you’re on the run or something. That’s a cranky way to start the review of a comic that I thoroughly enjoyed, but little things like that still bug me. This is a collection of some of Andrew’s experiences at craft shows, and aw, I just noticed that he’s wearing a King Cat shirt on the cover. Subjects include the importance of checking the weather, a new vendor learning the hard way where you get a tent, an impressive assortment of the sights and sounds of the con (which is kind of selling these stories short, as there are a whole lot of them), an honest but inevitable reaction from a couple of friends who wanted a portrait drawn of them, and the brief joy of being compared to some of your comics heroes. It’s a solid enough collection of stories that I once again wish that I had bought more of Andrew’s stuff, but that’s always a crapshoot at conventions. $5

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Posted by Kevin

Bliss, Pam – Kekionga Digest 2024

May 6, 2024

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Kekionga Digest 2024

What can I say, sometimes I have to guess a bit on the title, but I’ve decided to go with the unfounded assumption that Pam may make other “digest” minis in the future, so I’ll differentiate it by adding the year. Another unwanted peek behind the curtain on my few minutes of research after being baffled by the title! This is #61 in Pam’s series of mini comics; to be clear this is one branch of her comics, as she’s been making them since 1989. That’s right kids, over a decade before I started this website, and further proof that quality minis have been around for ages. This one is a collection of short pieces, mostly centered around roughly half a dozen characters. There’s Zinj (the narrator, and a creature that’s apparently also in the fossil record), Mr. Frisky (an adorable name for a terrifying shark), Mr. Rock (pretty clear Mr. Spock stand-in), and a few others I’ll leave for you to discover. Stories in here deal with encouraging the reader to try their hand at drawing, an unlikely place for a small Victorian child, the fatal flaw of a ghost, an adorable Anubis (on the same day I read a Harlan Ellison short story with regular sized Anubis in it. Synchronicity!) the woman (kind of) with the riddles, and a truly unique new set of options for the Fantastic Four. It’s another solid collection of stories from Pam, which should come as no surprise, seeing as she’s been doing this for 35 years now. If you’re just hearing about her now, check out some of her comics why don’t you? I’m not seeing an easy place to buy them online, but you can read a bunch of them at the link provided, and I’ll bet she’d be willing to sell you some comics if you contact her. $5

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Posted by Kevin

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