New review for Robots Are People, Too #3 edited by Greg Vondruska, and yes, I am still pushing the August sale/anniversary celebration, widespread indifference be damned.
Update for 8/23/10
August 23, 2010
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Posted by Kevin
Vondruska, Greg – Robots Are People, Too #3
August 23, 2010
Robots Are People, Too #3
Here’s a useless fun fact to start off my ramble: I’ve been going through my old comics recently, trying to see what I can sell or otherwise get rid of, when I came across my sole copy of Heavy Metal. Oddly, the cover did not have giant robotic breasts on it, which I thought was a requirement for that magazine. This comic has one giant cyborg breast, so I guess it’s not the same thing, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Greg Vondruska is all over the place in this one, to the point where it will be easier for me to point out the stories that Greg doesn’t take part in more than anything else. Stories in here include Flesh Or Me (Greg, Steven Mangold & Jim Fern’s tale of a robot trying to become human after humans have given up on themselves), Phobo Agogo (Frank DiBari’s piece on the universe expanding too much to keep up with), Face The World (Greg’s simple silent story of a robot trying to keep a brave face), The Whole World (Frank and Greg’s… I can’t say anything without giving away that great punch line), Facebots (Fran Matera and Greg with a silent series of robot faces), and The Helpers (Penny Clark and Greg’s piece explaining that cover image). There are also three Rodney strips (by Jason Franks, Greg and J. Marc Schmidt), , as Rodney joins a cult, goes on a date and gets a makeover. These pieces are quickly becoming a favorite of mine, as what’s not to love about a sentient computer trying to explain the flimsy differences between religion and cults, his trying to use logic to convince a woman that dating a computer would be a good thing, and his trying not to be vain for a makeover. Another solid issue, and I see no reason why there can’t be a million of these robot comics out there in the world. Greg might need to get the word out to more comics creators, assuming he hasn’t given up on this, so if you have a robot story up your sleeve, why not contact the man? $4
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/21/10
August 21, 2010New review for Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2 by E. J. Barnes. I’m still having my wildly unsuccessful August anniversary sale/comic giveaway, so keep those orders theoretically coming. There’s also another place to get a great deal, as the people who put out the comics anthologies Side A and Side B desperately need to clear room in their house and are offering these books for %50 off. What a steal!
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Posted by Kevin
Barnes, E.J. – Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2
August 21, 2010
Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2
I seem to have found another character that will always cause me to enjoy a comic: a very large living burrito that is set on revenge. Of course, as I’ll almost certainly never see that in another comic, it is a tough theory to prove. This is another collection of stories adapted from the tales of Blaster Al Ackerman, and once again it is a pile of thoroughly unique and bizarre tales. First up is The White Bat, in which a neighbor of the Ling Master (and please see older reviews for the story on that guy, or just read the comics) calls for help, as he’s being prevented from leaving his apartment or going to the fridge by what he thinks is a giant, man-shaped bat. The Ling Master, as always, puzzles out the possible solution to the problem, but not quite in time to prevent a murder. I’ll leave the identity of the murderer a secret, if that’s OK with you. The second story is called “I, The Stallion”, which I reviewed many years ago as a stand-alone mini. A man tries to convince a friend to break his arm, as he believes the only way to bring some magic back to the world is through being able to kiss his own elbow, and such a thing can’t be done without the arm being broken. Finally there’s “Miss Mantis”, in which a paranoid man seeks to get away from his bank and a female teller that he sees as secretly being a giant malicious mantis. The Ling Master, as always, is there to help/feed paranoia (depending on your perspective), and gives the man the advice to burn his large collection of dried turkey sphincters in a public place and to hump the firemen when they come to put it out. This works like a charm… at least briefly. Once again, I absolutely love the ambiguity in these stories. Is the Ling Master a crank, preying on irrational fears for money? Or does he actually offer useful information to people in their time of need (for money)? I have my theory, but yours may differ. Regardless, these are required reading for anybody who needs their entertainment just a little bit odd. $3
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/20/10
August 20, 2010New reviews today for 27 by Macedonio and Go Wildlife! by Gill Hatcher. Two completely different comics, worth reading for completely different reasons. That’ll wrap up the double reviews, but I should be able to get regular reviews up over the weekend. And order some damned comics! I have some unique artwork I’m just dying to give away with every nine comics a person orders, or I’ll just be forced to hoard it all for myself…
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Posted by Kevin
Macedonio – 27
August 20, 2010
27
I occasionally get actual letters with review comics, things that people have clearly put a lot of time and thought into. I rarely respond to these letters, partially out of some vague desire to keep the reviewer/reviewee separate (as if there’s a line in this business) and partially because they often say such nice things that I’m too embarrassed to answer. This time around Macedonio (that’s the name he gave me so that’s the name I’m using) took the time to relay a good chunk of his life’s story, how he was in prison from the late 70’s to early 80’s, and how he made comics while inside and got 5 pages published in Weirdo #5 (kids, if you don’t know what Weirdo was, you have no sense of comics history at all). He more or less stopped drawing when he got out and worked at a job that he loved for 25 years… until he got sick. You’d think a lengthy stay in prison would be the crappiest thing that happened to somebody in their life, but his illness took a toll on him. In the “silver lining” department, at least it got him back to drawing, and now he’s trying to get his name out there a bit again. This comic (and he sent a few more that I look forward to getting to in the coming weeks) deals with what he remembers of his time in prison 27 years ago. It opens up with a letter from the parole board back in the day, and it looks like he actually had his parole denied several times because he was making comics dealing at least partly with his life in prison. That’s some harsh, nonsensical shit right there. Anyway, his memories include a horse gnawing on him (with a guard on its back) as he was working outside, how stealing in prison is OK as long as you’re up front about it (it’s a dominance thing), the pitcher/catcher debate, and how time itself becomes irrelevant in jail. There’s more, but I think anybody reading this should think about supporting him by buying a few of his books. That linked website above is a collection of 84 pages (!) of pretty much all of his comics and well as some paintings, as it’s the easiest thing in the world to go there and kill 15 minutes looking at some really fantastic stuff. Seriously, go take a look, or bookmark the page for when you have some free time at work. No price listed, but I’m guessing this is a couple of bucks.
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Posted by Kevin
Hatcher, Gill – Go Wildlife!
August 20, 2010
Go Wildlife!
I’m a big fans of comics as entertainment, obviously, but I’m an even bigger fan of entertaining comics that also teach me something. This comic taught me plenty and was funny throughout, so I’d call that an unqualified success. Some of the best stories were done as two page spreads, otherwise picking the sample page out would have been a lot tougher. This is, as you probably guessed from that exuberant cover, a series of stories about animals. There are pieces about the junglefowl (a skinnier ancestor to chickens), pet robber crab (the largest land-living anthropod, and it turns out they’re strong enough to de-husk and open coconuts), puffin (and how they can carry so much fish in the corners of their beaks), kakapo (and how it was brought to Codfish Island), great auk (and the stupid, stupid manner in which they were driven extinct), red kite (and their propensity to steal clothes hanging outside), and moray firth bottlenose dolphin (and the theory that they may be able to actually transmit images to each other). Other, less fact-based pieces include an ongoing story of see otter revenge against humans (primarily for the Exxon Valdez mess), a series of rhymes for a series of animals, and a rather stupid lion. Gill also listed a series of sources for her facts, as this is clearly a subject she loves. I thought it was a fantastic comic and here’s hoping she makes a bunch more of these things, as there sure are a lot more animals out there that don’t get nearly enough attention… $4ish
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/19/10
August 19, 2010New reviews today for Yo! Burbalino #3 by Greg Farrell and The Experts #2 by Kenn Minter & Clarence Pruitt. Has anybody had problems with the store while trying to order for my current anniversary sale/celebration? It seems to be fixed, but you guys would tell me if you were having problems, right? OK, good…
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Posted by Kevin
Farrell, Greg – Yo! Burbalino #3
August 19, 2010
Yo! Burbalino #3
What we have here is the tale of two comics all wrapped up in. The first half of the comic is one story, dealing with our hero the chef , his wife, and his friend the squirrel. Chef Don has a romantic dinner planned with his wife for Valentine’s Day, while Earl Squirrel (I know, I know) has forgotten the holiday and is scrambling to make up for it. Earl steals the reservation for himself, panics when he sees Don, and mild hilarity ensues. Very mild. Still, what separates this from the rest of the book is the quality of the artwork, as it looks like Greg drew this while on a long, bumpy train ride. The rest of the book looks great, so I don’t get why you would rush the central piece of your mini, as he’s clearly capable of better work. The rest of the book has a remarkably disgusting while amusing piece on nose picking, the story of true love between a plate and spaghetti (really just an excuse for a recipe), some tips for bachelors, a smoker’s poem, and the highlight of the book: an extended revenge plot just to fire one squirrel. It’s an uneven issue, that’s for sure, and I’d definitely go with one of the other issues if you’re just looking to check out his work. He also sent along a fourth issue, so here’s hoping it’s more like the first two. This one did have a few moments, granted, but it’s clearly not his best work. $3
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Posted by Kevin
Minter, Kenn & Pruitt, Clarence – The Experts #2
August 19, 2010
The Experts #2
Is it insulting to call this smarter than it probably should be? Yes, that is almost certainly insulting. I only mean that if you’re one of those people who judge a book by its cover (and quit it if you do), you might not have high expectations for “Mad Motorcycle Mayhem!” Well, you’re only hurting yourself. I missed the first issue so I’m largely making this up, but this appears to be about the adventures of a team called The Experts (duh), and this issue focuses on a few of them specifically. There sure seems to be plenty more of this team, at least judging from the inside cover and next issue blurb, but this issue only deals with Ninja Witch, Frost Queen, and that woman driving the motorcycle on the cover. I don’t know if they ever mentioned her superhero name, but it’s a minor point. Things start off with Frost Queen telling the other two heroes all about the Silver Muse, a telepath who they’re going to have to stop. Her powers are strongest against men, which is probably why none of the men appear in this issue. The merchandising rights of their toy line is also mentioned, and the strong impression that their impending saving of the town is more about selling action figures than anything else. Anyway, the Silver Muse robs an art show (apparently she likes really stupid rock sculptures) by taking the men under her control and making the women sick. Ninja Witch resists, she grabs up her partner whats-her-name, and a merry chase ensues. I didn’t like this one as much as the other Minter/Pruiit book (It Sure Is A Super World!), but it’s hard to talk too much trash about a book that looks this good and manages to have at least one genuinely funny line per page. There are also two other short pieces in here, one was included in that other book I mentioned (“Z-Squad”) and the other appears to be a new shortie about their Thing substitute bemoaning the fact that nobody ever asked his opinion in the new tell-all books from his old team. I’d say start with the book I reviewed before if you’re interested, the maybe get the first issue of this series so you’re not trying to catch up like me. I’d say these two are people to watch, assuming they keep at it… $3
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/18/10
August 18, 2010New reviews for Everything Dies #2 by Box Brown and Crass Sophisticate #11 by Josh Reinwald, Brett Rosenberg & Justin Rosenberg. Comics! Sale! Anniversary! Freebies! Financial turmoil! Etc., etc., etc…
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Posted by Kevin
Brown, Box – Everything Dies #2
August 18, 2010
Everything Dies #2
If this series doesn’t win some small press comics award, I’m turning in my fake membership badge. He has apparently put out a few other comics, but I rarely see stuff this polished and this perfect. So what’s there to write about when I have no complaints? Well, how about the good stuff? Note: it helps if you read the first issue of this series (two of the pieces come directly from the first issue), but he still manages to make them self-contained. The second part of the modern re-telling of the Book of Job was again a thing of brilliance, as Job gets increasingly baffled by his continued problems, seeks advice and eventually meets God himself (and it never occurred to me how much of a let-down that conversation must have been for Job (if he had actually existed or talked to God (or if God existed))). Ah, my first triple parenthesis. I’m so proud. The other part of this book that puts all other comics to shame with its scope is the adaptation of how various religions view the end of the world. If you read the first issue you remember that he did this with how all religions view the beginning of the world, so it only made sense to go here. No matter how knowledgeable you are about all this, I guarantee that you will learn something new. Whether it’s the utter insanity of the Sunni Islam sect believing that Allah will kill all humans only to immediately bring them back to life to be judged, the Mormons believing that 1000 years of missionary work will follow the destruction of the wicked (who would they be preaching to exactly?), or the simple science of the Big Crunch, this is as close to flawless as a comics story gets. There are also two pieces about the monk and his pupil, but I’m leaving those stories (that would be the highlight of most other minis) to your imagination, as everybody should already buy this anyway. Yes, I know I say that often, but I mean the hell out of it this time. Trust me, you’ll be sorry when he’s famous in a few years and these minis are completely out of print… $5
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Posted by Kevin
Reinwald, Josh – Crass Sophisticate #11 (with Justin & Brett Rosenberg)
August 18, 2010
Crass Sophisticate #11
I’d like to start this review off with a little rant to people that probably only exist in my head. Hey you! Yes, you, the person who is going to skip this review because they’re offended by the cover, or simply think that it means this comic is going to juvenile and stupid. Well, you’re wrong. You know what? While the Crass Sophisticate crew is often, well, crass, they do manage to put out an entertaining issue each time, often something that makes me feel like I learned something. Very few series can say that, and very few series get their title so right. If you have no complaints about that cover, please ignore that rant, but I felt the need to make it clear that these guys are amassing quite a pile of crassly sophisticated work and should be credited as such. This issue, as you can tell, is about masturbation. I’m really hoping the story told in the first part is fictional, as it deals with a young boy who, after first learning what masturbating is, enjoys it a little too much and eventually sees blood in his urine. The doctor announces this fact to the mother of the child, which would be OK if it wasn’t for the fact that the boy’s brother was there as well. The Dad only cares that he is thinking of girls while the Mom wants to take him to a shrink. This all comes to a head as the boy draws a science project partner who is remarkably well-endowed for her age, his brother tells some friends that he was called a chronic masturbator, and his science partner hears the story. Again, I can only hope that this wasn’t true, as it would certainly mess a guy up for life. The second part of the book deals with the early days of porn, when our author (or his fictional stand-in) would go to a local newsstand once a week to get a copy of High Society. This practice was done happily for years, until a chance encounter with an older woman did him some serious damage. I’m not sure who did what this time around so I’m just throwing all the names up there and hoping for the best. Sure, there are still some unerased pencil lines, but the quality of the stories has officially surpassed my annoyance at such things. Buy some of these and be cured of a bit of your indie snootiness!
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/17/10
August 17, 2010New reviews for Schmuck #14 – Blue Plate Special by Mark Sahagian and The Fifty-Flip Experiment #11 by Dan Hill. Have you bought your August celebratory comics from me yet? If not, why not? It’s too hot to go outside anyway, why not stay inside and read comics?
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Posted by Kevin
Sahagian, Mark – Schmuck #14 – Blue Plate Special
August 17, 2010
Schmuck #14 – Blue Plate Special
Oh makers of small press comics, will you never learn? How do you expect to sell your comics if you don’t list them on your website? Granted, Mark does have a nice site with all kinds of samples (including the first half of this book, if you’re curious),. but how are you supposed to get a copy of this, or anything else he’s done? How are you even supposed to know WHAT he’s done? It’s baffling to me. And really, I just pulled that title from the slew of words on the cover and hope that I put them in something approximating the correct order. I wasn’t a fan of the other comic of his I got at SPACE (listed as a #3, meaning that there are theoretically plenty of issues that are nowhere to be found), but this one had its moments. It’s an 8 page shortie dealing with the wonders of working in a fast food restaurant. Is “restaurant” too strong a word? Probably. Anyway, the experience is as bad as you think, unless you’ve worked at one yourself, in which case you already know all about it. Highlights include Melvin getting his good mood crushed right out of him, giving the customer the receipt, the internal dialogue while talking to customers, the “joy” of the day being over, and trying to figure out what it all means. This might have been a series of one page strips, as there’s no real linear flow of a coherent story going on, but the tenuous connection is enough. Here’s hoping that more of his comics are like this one than #3, but judging from this and the samples on his site I’m going to have to revise my opinion of the man upward. Now if there was only some way for you to order his comics without just sending him an e-mail and seeing what he has laying around…
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Posted by Kevin
Hill, Dan – The Fifty-Flip Experiment #11
August 17, 2010
The Fifty-Flip Experiment #11
In case you’re curious, yes, the back cover does show the end result from the pose depicted on the front cover. No, I am not going to show it to you. Buy the damned book! Although at the moment Dan’s website appears to be down, and this has also followed a prolonged period of inactivity for the man, so the signs are ominous. Still, I heard it from the man himself that he will put out another issue, so that’s settled, and I’m sure the site will be up and humming again soon, along with all of humanity learning to love each other. In “I have to complain at least a little bit” news, the unerased pencil lines are fewer this time around, but the copy smudges and dark spots more than make up for it. Nothing to be done about it now, so on to the content! Stories in here include a running fake newscast gag (involving the horrors of kids reading “e-texts” that are meant for adults and a commercial for a slinky de-tangler), sorting out some angst, the dangers of Garden State addiction, getting a body mod for the kermit face, and a series of strips with the same punchline that somehow got funnier each time, leading up to a grotesquery of funny.  And here’s a fun fact for your Optical Sloth trivia game: I bought a bookcase off Craigslist from Dan Hill. If you live in town and find something he’s willing to sell, he may even drive it to your house. I’m mentioning this to point out what a swell guy he is and that maybe you should buy his comics. Just as soon as he gets his website up and running again…
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/16/10
August 16, 2010New review for Asbestos Wick by Eamon Espey and Pork Belly #2 edited by Dan W. Taylor. Hey, I said I’d do double reviews this week unless I had a job, and I don’t have a job. I am still looking for people to buy 9 comics this month to help celebrate the site anniversary though, and nothing is sadder than sitting all by yourself at a celebration…
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Posted by Kevin
Espey, Eamon – Asbestos Wick
August 16, 2010
Asbestos Wick
I have no idea what the fuck is going on in this comic. There, I said it. Anything that I say from this point on will be babble, my attempt to make sense out of something that is most likely not in any way meant to be taken literally. First, let’s get one thing out of the way: my “not getting” a comic is in no way meant to imply that the comic is bad or in any way not worth reading. On the contrary, there are several pages of this book (picking just one sample was difficult) that will haunt my dreams, and that has to be considered a good thing. It’s just that a silent comic where most of the pages resemble that sampled page below and rarely have any of the same characters sticking around for more than a page or two is going to be immune to any kind of conventional analysis. Look, Eamon has been around for a bit now, and I’m guessing the smarter and more refined among you have already checked out his Wormdye series or graphic novel. If you already know his name, good news! He has a couple of new books out. If not, OK fine, I’ll try to make some sense of this. Things start off with a creature with the giant head of an owl sitting atop something that looks like a house of worship. Standing outside is a creature with a baboon head, a creepy smiling face throwing up what appears to be spaghetti for a body, and fat old man legs that are naked except for shoes and socks. This creature is holding a woman (who is terrified) over its head, and somehow the woman has her breasts clearly visible even though she seems to be wearing a t-shirt. On the next page the woman has had her head torn off by the baboon creature, and what appears to be an assembly line is picking out a new head for the woman. Or it is pulling all the possible heads out of her body. On the third page the head of the woman seems to be shooting energy beams from its eyes, with a snake crawling through its ears, as it is either vomiting fire onto worried people or helping them out through vomit. Shall I go on? Things eventually make more sense, then they don’t, then they do again, but it might all be a lie. Check out the samples on his website or other reviews on this site, that should give you a clear idea of what you’re dealing with. If you prefer your comics simple, go elsewhere. If you like a challenge that is at the very least visually rewarding, read Eamon Espey! $4
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Posted by Kevin
Taylor, Dan W. (editor) – Pork Belly #2
August 16, 2010
Pork Belly #2
Ah, another tiny comic where I try to make it seem like I have something relevant away. Oops, gave away the game there. I may be able to squeeze a few good points out of this review, but no promises here. That has nothing to do with the quality of the comic (which was excellent, for what it’s worth), more about my own shortcomings, and this review isn’t about me, is it? There are three stories in this mini, and I didn’t pick Dan’s because it was the only one page strip. No, it was because it took me until almost when I started writing this review to get the joke, and anything that gets an honest chuckle out of me is definitely worth a sample. The other stories are The End Of Me by Meeah D’zasteur (about a worm, its life and wonderings about the mysteries of the universe, followed quickly by a brutal death) and Obsessive Compulsive Order by Macedonio Garcia (four silent pages of the various household items that are needed to keep OCD in check). I think Meeah’s use of the number 4 on one page and 5 on the other, compromising the background behind the four panel pages as they were repeated enough to cover the whole page, was an interesting choice fora background. Maybe not a good thing, but for somebody like me who is always complaining about the lack of backgrounds in comics, at least some effort was made. Of course, I was talking about the backgrounds IN the panels and not behind them in general, but why quibble? It’s another solid mini edited by Dan, and his master plan to get as many artists as possible out there into the comics world is proceeding nicely.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 8/14/10
August 14, 2010New review for Cops and Crooks #1 by Brian John Mitchell, Eric Shonborn and Jason Young. Fundraiser/anniversary celebration still going on, all this month, where you get a free comic and a piece of original artwork with every nine comics you order. And did I mention that I’ll let you pick out the artist for the piece of artwork?
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Posted by Kevin
