Optical Sloth

New review today for Skullyflower #1 by Dragon Messmer and yes, that is her real name.  The new version of the site is coming together, I’ve been gathering up all the old update dates so there can finally be a listing of when exactly the reviews were written (something people have been asking about for years), and I even have another trick or two up my sleeves.  Patience, good comic readers, it is all slowly coming together.

New review for Billy the Demon Slayer S2 #3 by Hayden Fryer, who is in Australia.  I have plenty more stuff from outside the country but have to go away from the weekend and I can’t let the rest of the comics pile get away from me, so things go back to normal next week.  I may do another theme week soon or I’ll probably just incorporate the foreign stuff in with the rest of the reviews like usual.  Happy weekend everybody!

New review today for Monstrum Horrendum Volume 2 #1 by Leonie O’Moore, and “not from the U.S.” week continues.  Too bad I never came up with a good name for it…

New review for Team Girl Comic #1 by various ladies out of Glasgow.  Let’s check on a couple of fundraisers!  There’s the one for Secret Prison #2, which has made it past their goal but still has stuff for sale, so you could still make out like a bandit and get all those William Cardini books for $5 if you hurry.  I also found out today about one for Good Minnesotan #4, a nice pile of minis I should be able to review next week.  Apparently they’re trying to get it published as one big book instead of a bunch of little ones, and they’re close to their goal with only 4 days left.  They’re also doing this so they can sell this at the reasonable price of $5, so if you have a few extra bucks and would like some goodies they are very close to their goal.

New review for Slab Comix Deluxe Edition by John Miers, as “comics what ain’t from around here” week continues.

New review today for Goblin Hall by Rob Jackson, as I’m kicking  “people that don’t live in the U.S. but still make comics” week  off with an old favorite of mine.  And that title is clunky as hell, but they’re not all from the U.K. this time, and “foreigners week” just sounds mean and stupid.  I’ll happily take suggestion…

New review for Sounds Of Your Name by Nate Powell.  How’s your weekend going?

New review for The Living Cain by Lydia Conklin, and I’ve been getting so many packages with that little “Royal Mail” sticker on it lately that I’m having a “comics from outside the U.S.” week starting on Monday.  So if you think you’ve seen all the worthwhile comics from around here, chances are even you will be able to find something worthwhile you’ve never heard of.

New review for The Former Roommates of Gary Jones by Kelly Froh.  I wanted to mention the death of Harvey Pekar a few days ago, even if I don’t have much to add past past the fact that it was a shitty thing.  I never met Harvey, but outside of everything else he achieved, how he changed the face of autobiographical comics (some would say he invented them), the wonders of comic literature that he wrote, the thing I liked most about the guy was his willingness to talk to anybody who was trying to get started in comics.  Seriously, I never heard of a single disgruntled comic artist who said that Harvey treated him/her badly, and it says a lot for the character of the man that he had the patience to do what he could to help people out who were just starting in comics, up to and including having them in his home.  Matt Herzfeld & Nick Mercer did a few comics of their series Flame-Broiled years ago when they were just starting out (and they may have stopped in the meantime; I haven’t seen anything new from them in ages), met Harvey at an event and he really inspired them.  It’s a shame that he’s gone, and the world is poorer for it.

New review for Moral Geometry #1 by Sean Andress, and I think the online store has been fixed.  For real this time!  The prices show up and everything has been updated with Paypal.  First person to test it out with an order gets a free comic!

New review for Inhabitants by Pat Aulisio.  Hey, wasn’t he one of the guys associated with that fundraiser for the second issue of Secret Prison?  Why yes, he was.  How’s that going anyway?  $310 dollars left to raise in 12 days, with donors still being able to get the William Cardini pack of comics or Box Brown’s Everything Dies #1 for a measly $5.  That certainly seems doable, if only good people who love comics decide that they want their comic purchases to go to a new anthology.

New review for Window #3 by Dave Lapp, and I’ve mentioned this a few times but I mean it: any troubles with ordering comics from my store, contact me and I’ll bypass the stupid thing entirely and send you the comics you want.  All you have to do is pay for them!  And the rental project that I keep talking about is still progressing, to the point where it may be ready by… you know, I won’t post any dates just yet, as I’ve assumed incorrectly on that subject a few times.  “Before the end of the summer” seems a reasonable assumption, barring a massive calamity…

New review for Mimi’s Doughnuts #19 by Marek Bennett, and the site may be going over to a new place other than WordPress soon to combat the store troubles and the prospective troubles with the rental service.  This means the site may be getting a different look again, as it has quite often lately, but don’t fret if you hate change, as the content will be the same as ever.

New review for The Fifty Flip Experiment #13 by Dan Hill.  Hey, I reviewed #1 last time, figured I might as well go all the way to the end (?) of the series.  Oh, and that fundraiser I mentioned to support the second issue of Secret Prison?  They still need $465 with 16 days to go.  Lucky for you they still have copies of Box Brown’s Everything Dies #1 (which I absolutely loved) for a $5 pledge or three comics from William Cardini for the same $5, which is a steal.  If you’ve been holding off on getting either of those things I’d say now is the perfect time, as you get the comics and the sense of self-satisfaction that comes with helping a worthy cause.

New review for The Honduran Coup: A Graphic History by Dan Archer.  I should also mention that I screwed up a few days ago in my review for Noah Van Sciver’s Blammo #6 in saying that it was self-published.  It was not.  Kilgore Books in Denver published it, and I think this is either their first published comic or one of the first, so you can already tell they have great taste.  If you’re in the area go buy some of their books, comical or otherwise!

New review for Secret Prison #1 edited by Ian Harker and containing all sorts of folks.  They’re also holding a fundraiser to put the next issue out and, as of right now, are $530 away from their goal with 18 days to go.  Even if you’re not one to give money away on even a worthwhile project like this, you should know that donations = goods from them.  I recommend the $5 option where you get three issues of comics from William Cardini; that’s a freaking steal right there.  I’m not familiar with a lot of the other comics, but the point is that you get comics back for your money and you’re doing a good deed for the comic’s world by helping but another issue out.  If I had $50 free bucks to my name I’d love to get the Pat Aulisio original custom drawing, that’s for sure…

New review for Blammo #6 by Noah Van Sciver, and I have the store back up and running.  Prices show and everything!  Granted, it looks ugly as hell at the moment, but it does work if you want some comics for your oily beach experience this summer.

New review for Radio Free Gahanna #1 by James Moore & Joel Jackson, and please bear with us while we try to fix a few broken things on the site.  Needless to say, if you try to order comics and don’t hear back from me in 24 hours, feel free to check in to make sure something didn’t get screwed up along the way…

New review for Piecemeal by Nate Beaty, and I may or may not be around for the rest of the holiday weekend, but don’t be shocked to see me vanish for a day or two.  Shouldn’t you be out blowing things up instead of sitting in front of a computer anyway?

New review today for Lackluster World #6 by Eric Adams.  One holdover I have from my days of buying piles of Marvel comics as a kid is that I still occasionally put the comics I most look forward to reading at the bottom of a (usually metaphorical) pile.  I do so love it when that added anticipation is rewarded with a really excellent comic.