New review for Bad Day For Melvin by Aaron Zvi Felder. Hey, look at that, I’m more than halfway done with SPACE week! Maybe I’ll pull this one off after all…
Zvi Felder, Aaron – Bad Day For Melvin
May 29, 2024
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
Update for 5/28/24
May 28, 2024New review today for Cute Girl Magazine by Addi Kalmbach. Don’t be afraid of the title, you faux macho cowards!
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Posted by Kevin
Kalmback, Addi – Cute Girl Magazine
May 28, 2024
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
Update for 5/27/24
May 27, 2024I’m giving the “review a day” thing a shot this week, and I’m saying it right off the bat so I can’t weasel out of it later. Otherwise the website police would come after me. Right? New review today for Plastic People #10-12 by Brian Canini!
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Posted by Kevin
Canini, Brian – Plastic People #10-12
May 27, 2024
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
Update for 5/24/24
May 24, 2024New review today for Ol’ Man Maggot Sucks! by Tim Fuller and Basil Wolverton, although Basil has no idea. To find out how that’s possible, read the review!
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Posted by Kevin
Fuller, Tim & Wolverton, Basil – Ol’ Man Maggot Sucks!
May 24, 2024Website
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
Update for 5/22/24
May 22, 2024New review today for The Amazing Cynicalman #14 by Matt Feazell, yet another returning champion after an absence of many years. Because I missed the last several SPACE shows, not because he stopped making comics. Just to be clear.
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Posted by Kevin
Feazell, Matt – The Amazing Cynicalman #14
May 22, 2024
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
Update for 5/20/24
May 20, 2024New review today for Dutchy Digest #10 by Steven Hager and Bruce Rosenberger. This week is not going to be my hoped for “review a comic from SPACE a day” week, mostly because there’s an arts festival going on literally right outside my front door all weekend. I’m distracted!
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Posted by Kevin
Hager, Steven & Rosenberger, Bruce – Dutchy Digest #10
May 20, 2024
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
Update for 5/16/24
May 16, 2024New review today for Here and Now by Nick Stellanova, another new face from the SPACE pile.
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Posted by Kevin
Stellanova, Nick – Here and Now
May 16, 2024
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
Update for 5/24/24
May 14, 2024New review today for Cosmic Taco Zero by Joseph Morris, and it’s becoming very clear to me that I’m not going to be able to get through the SPACE pile in one month. Do I have an old timey Optical Sloth week in me, where I go back to my habits for the first decade or so of the website and do five reviews in a week? Ugh, maybe.
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Posted by Kevin
Morris, Joseph – Cosmic Taco Zero
May 14, 2024
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
Update for 5/10/24
May 10, 2024New review today for Noumenon by Maryanne Rose Papke, happy weekend y’all!
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Posted by Kevin
Papke, Maryanne Rose – Noumenon
May 10, 2024
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
Update for 5/8/24
May 8, 2024New review today for Confessions of a Craft Show Vendor by Andrew Mosher, and yes of course he was at SPACE. Not much reason to wonder about that for the rest of the month, unless otherwise mentioned…
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Posted by Kevin
Mosher, Andrew – Confessions of a Craft Show Vendor
May 8, 2024
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
