April 24, 2010
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Isn’t It Beautiful? Now Available! $6
This is one hefty pile o’ strips for six bucks. It’s essentially one year of Manley Days (1/17-05 to 12/31/05) and having these all in one place does the whole thing a world of good. I wasn’t completely sold on it after the first mini collection (if that’s what you’d call it) but I am now. Yes, it does get a bit schmaltzy at times, or possibly I’m just too damned cynical and it’s really heartwarming. Either way, he really hits his stride somewhere towards the middle of the book and it just flies from there. My previous grammatical bitches are completely gone, and the only problem with the book aesthetically are the occasional smudged pages, but that’s rare and it’s a printing problem, not Jeffrey’s fault. If you bought the previous book this one does contain all of those strips, so there are repeats here, but I think it’s smart to have a whole year clumped together like this. A big part of it is dealing with a pregnant wife and new baby, and this diary strip is different from most others in that Jeffrey isn’t even in some of the strips, as he devotes plenty of time to his wife and kids. He obviously dotes on them, or at least doesn’t show us most of the bad stuff if he’s really a horrible father/husband although, having met him a few times, he sure hides that evil side well in person too. His website or the previous book will give you a taste of the strips if you’re not sure of it, but if you are sure this is a pretty good way to spend an hour or so on a lazy afternoon.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Manley Days
Hey look, it’s more diary strips! Not to belittle it or anything. Here you have the life story of Jeffery and his wife going through their days from 1/17 to 4/8 of this year (2005). Sometimes it gets more than a bit schmaltzy, but I think that’s allowed when you have a pregnant wife. If that’s not a time for some sentimentality then when is?You have some funny days in here, some busy days, some slow days, and some days that probably shouldn’t have been put in here at all, but that’s kind of the nature of the beast when you run a daily strip. Sometimes there’s absolutely nothing to say and (this goes for all the diary strips I know, I’m not just picking on Jeff here) it shows. Still, the whole picture here is what this is about more than a collection of parts. Subjects in here include poverty, pregnancy,Shaun of the Dead, meatloaf, Beck, smoking, farting a bit too hard, shaving, taxes, and too many more things here than I can mention.Hey, it’s a pretty big book for $3, what do you want from me? Anyway, mostly good stuff, although by now you probably know if you like the diary strip style, so make up your mind based on that. If you like it you won’t be disappointed, or at least I think you won’t, but I’m also a guy who reads way too many comics to be taken seriously. This is also available in the online store and it’s $3…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Small Press Parody
Well, if you don’t know who Tony Consiglio, Andrew Robinson, Mike Dawson, Chris Radtke and Donovan Cater are, chances are this book won’t do much for you. If you do, however, I think Jeffery pretty much nails everybody in here. It’s a tiny book, only about 8 pages, but it’s a nice tribute to Mad Magazine and all the artists in here. Worth a look if you know the people involved in here. Oh, and I think Jesus is in here too, but don’t quote me on that…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Punked Now Available! $1
Ah, the 24 hour comic. The quality of these rare creatures varies wildly, as sometimes it’s a freeing exercise for an artist, not letting them dwell too much on making everything just right, which can lead to some profound insight. Sometimes it’s just a total rush job, something for an artist to do to say “look everybody, I did a 24 hour comic!”. Jeffery manages the former, even if he is a bit ham-handed at times getting there. This is the story of a young man trying to relate to his father. He takes advice from his evil side, chats with his other siblings, and finally everything works out OK (spoiler alert) with one of the creepier endings I’ve seen, or at least one of the creepier ones where it’s supposed to be sweetness and light. I was impressed by the art here though, as if he can make it look this good while rushing through a comic (and this was done in 2004), he should have a vast library of work available by now. For some reason Jeffery decided to alternate the page colors, which is a bit disconcerting, if only a minor gripe. As far as the story goes, it’s a bit simplistic, sure, but the bit of misdirection with the trash bag was a nice touch, and it’s too damned heartwarming to say much bad about it. If you like his other work this is definitely worth checking out, unless you’re too cynical to accept anything with some sort of a happy ending. $1
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Joplin, Wyoming: Volume One
You guys know that I like Jeff, right? I’ve made that pretty clear with a bunch of other reviews on this page, I think. So, I did like this book, but I have more than a few criticisms about it. First off, for those of you who don’t want to scroll up a bit, this is the story of Jeffery (I mean “Miner”) meeting and courting his current wife Alexis and dealing with the opinions of her family members. It’s a touching story at times, and I still think that his artwork gets better every time I see it. And I didn’t even notice too many things grammatically wrong with it, which was a pleasant surprise. BUT (you knew it was coming)… it had a few problems. For one thing, the story was all over the place. First he has a big argument with Alexis about God, then suddenly (although years have passed chronologically) he’s praising God himself. Then they’re married and slightly bored with the routine, which makes the ending kind of anti-climatic. Not sure how I would have changed it to make it more clear, and it did help to break up a story that’s basically just about two people, but it seemed kind of messy so far. That’s the key part of this. the “so far” bit. He plans on doing at least a few more of these, and it’s entirely possible that he has a grand master plan and this review is going to look pretty stupid in a few years. Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time. Also, some of the shading looks crappy, and that’s not something that I usually notice. Looks like he’s inking in things with a marker that’s almost out, which would be fine for a mini, but this is a graphic novel for Christ sakes, so take your time! I also really thought that there would be more with Alexis’s family from the preview mini, but they were barely in here at all. Anyway, it’s still a great book overall, I just have a few minor problems with it. It’s only $6 for a pretty big book, and there are more coming, so check it out!
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Jeffery J. Manley’s Tour Guide of Joplin, Wyoming Now Available! $1
There’s not a whole lot to be said for your average graphic novel preview, as it’s only going to be a tiny fraction of the story. This one is about Miner’s girlfriend accepting the wrath of her parents and staying out late with him, Miner’s new haircut and his girlfriend’s reaction to it, and the neighbor’s reaction to Miner’s penis. It did look good and I’m intrigued by the thought of a huge book with these characters, so I guess the preview did a good job. If I can make one request though: PLEASE get an editor for a graphic novel. Have a couple of friends read it or something, just to get rid of the obvious spelling mistakes if nothing else, “truely”. Although I seem to remember him saying that he did that on purpose, I’m pretty sure most other people don’t get the joke and it just doesn’t look good. It’s $1 and it has me wondering. And, as the book won’t come out for another year or so, this might be the only look you get at his stuff for another year. Contact info is up there, check it out!
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Miner Distractions #1
One of the most gratifying things about this “job” is watching comics creators develop. I’d say this issue is the biggest single leap for Jeffrey since… well, since I’ve been reading his stuff anyway. That being said, you might find it hard to believe me when I tell you that the whole issue is about dog poop, but it’s true. The cast has been trimmed considerably, down to Lexi (his wife, basically), Miner 59er (himself, basically), Kiwi and Bat, which makes for a much simpler book. Or maybe it’s simpler because it’s all about crap? Well, whatever the case, his art continues to improve by leaps and bounds (and it wasn’t bad to begin with), and he manages to throw in cameos by all sorts of comics folks, as is explained by Tony Danza at the back of the book. Hey, I’m not making this up. The crap in question is being left by a neighbor’s dog, which leads to the conflict in the story. Good stuff, funny ending, the only thing I could suggest improving about it would maybe be to put a little sound effect in at the end. I’m not going to say what kind of sound effect, as that would give away the ending, but I know that some greeting cards use the technology, and in my opinion it would have made the comic one of the best things ever. Still, even without sound effects, this is well worth a look. It’s $2, I’m sure contact info is somewhere on this page, as it’s sure not in the book…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Stories of Kiwi Strips #3
Looks like Jeffery has given up on the whole “diary strips” idea, as this one is basically some of his cast-off characters asking people if they think they should still be around. So does this mean he’s going to focus on autobio? Has he given up on comics altogether? Or is this just, what do you call it, a story in a comic book? Time will tell the answer to that one. In the meantime, this is $.50 and has a few laughs in it here and there. To prove it, here’s Jeffrey making fun of those wackos who think that the President should have a reason and, I don’t know, proof before he goes to war. Communists!
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Stories of Kiwi Strips
Well, the good news is that James Kochalka has inspired a lot of people to do daily strips. The bad new is… that James Kochalka has inspired a lot of people to do daily strips. I kid! I kid because I love. Well, maybe not love, but I do like this book. 60 different strips about mostly different things, primarily responses to a question of silly gag strips. And there are the ones that make no sense to me at all. Not sure if those are supposed to be funny or not, but I’m going with “yes” and assuming that I just don’t have the right experiences to make it funny for me. That’s called “the benefit of the doubt”, in case this is the first review you’ve ever read. They aren’t all great, but there are enough good strips in this to make it worth a look. Go to his website, learn more!
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Stories of Kiwi #2
For those of you looking to order his books, I should just warn you that apparently he calls most of his series “Stories of Kiwi”, as this one isn’t the issue before the one that I had previously reviewed. I mostly picked this one for one to review for one reason:
There’s a quote, from me, covering his naked crotch. I’m not sure if I should be offended or overjoyed, so I think I’ll just go with “slightly creeped out” and leave it at that. This issue is about everyone at a comics convention. Yes, it’s been done a million times, but it’s always funny when the main guy gets beat with a bat in a bathroom. The art’s looking great, I still have a problem with his spelling and grammar, but such is life. He has a new e-mail address and I’m liking his comics more and more all the time, except for the “odds and ends” issue, of which I will speak no more.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Stories of Kiwi #3
This is kind of the adventures of a floating kiwi, except for the fact that it’s mostly the adventures of his friends. They’re all odd looking in some way or another, and that’s about all the information we get about them. This issue deals with one of the characters suddenly turning into a vampire and the complete lack of concern by his friends when he starts killing people. You’ve all read me complaining about grammar in these mini comics at some point, and you’ve all read about me bitching about the improper use of “you’re” and “your”, “there” and “their”, things like that. Well, in #0 (no, I’m not going to review all the issues. I didn’t think much of it, and it’s my discretion we’re going with here) he mentions that it’s done for the sake of an inside joke, which is all well and good, as mini comics are the most insider jokiningest things out there. Here’s the thing, and maybe there’s a nice way to put this… ah, screw being nice. It makes him look like a moron. That thought crosses my mind when it happens once or twice, when it’s constant I start to wonder if the guy has an education at all. All that wouldn’t make that much difference if the story was engaging or entertaining at all, and there wasn’t much to latch onto in the first few issues. Maybe I’m just in a pissy mood because I’ve had a cold for the better part of two months, but I really didn’t come away from this feeling like I’d gotten much out of it. E-mail him if you like or send him money at: 1092 E. U.S. 10 Scottville, MI 49454. I liked the art though…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Laundry Day
This year at SPACE I bailed out on my usual “der, which issue did I read last?” confusion and just went with a stand-alone issue. This one is about a man named Jordan having a hard time getting over the loss of his love, Elle. He’s able to see Elle (after a long journey) but resolving thing between them is a different matter. A good chunk of this is taken from the Orpheus myth, or is at least Justin’s interpretation of said myth. I mention this purely so I can sound more literate, of course. Also, I know it’s financially impossible for most people, but if you can ever get the money together to put out a book in full color, do so. This book is absolutely stunning, in no small part due to the coloring. $5 for a quick read might seem like a little much, but this is the kind of thing you’d want to leave out on a coffee table to show off. Well worth a look.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
The Waiting Sun
OK, he wasn’t published by one of the “big” companies, but he finally put out a self-contained giant book. This one is a hefty 135 pages and doesn’t seem to have any binding problems, which is nice. It’s all about a couple, Matt and Jess, and their lives together and apart. Matt goes off to college and leaves Jess behind, but decides eventually that he needs to try and get her back. The rest of the issue is about how things are never quite what you’d expect, certain changes can’t be predicted and friendship is a damned important thing. Solid work all around, and it was nice to be able to read one of his books without being confused as to what had gone on before. There’s also a constant underlying problem with the sun, as it’s trapped in a state of eternal sunset, and it does play a role in the story eventually. I’m currently a sucker for all romance stories, so maybe I’m biased, and there probably was some hokey dialogue here and there if you’re as cynical as most people. Most of it rang true to me, and that’s all I can base these little rambles on. How he has time to keep his comic going on a regular basis and put out something like this is beyond me, but I think the comic world is a better place for it. Contact info is up there, but here’s an address if the website is down or something: 708 Birch Street Baraboo, WI 53913.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Happy Town #7
So there I was at SPACE, trying to remember which issues of this series I already had laying around. I panicked and just got the latest issue, knowing that I couldn’t have that one… but I missed a lot of the story that leads up to this. Not to worry, there’s a graphic novel coming out from Justin in the summer and I can only hope that everything gets collected in there. In this story the town has been in the middle of a blizzard for three days and tempers are getting frayed all over the place. People are floating for no reason, the flight to Saturn has been postponed and there are more characters than you can shake the proverbial stick at. I won’t try and pretend to understand most of what was going on, but the bits with making robots and their creator being recently out of prison were great. Phenomenal art and a story that’s quickly turning into a saga, this is a book to watch out for in the next couple of years. Mark my words, he will be published soon (assuming that his graphic novel isn’t published by someone other than him) and I’d recommend seeing what he’s all about here so you can see what there is to see. Contact info is above, check the descriptions of the issues so you don’t get the wrong ones and end up lost like me…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Happy Town #5
Uh…. oops. This is a story in the middle of a long story arc and, while the recap at the start was helpful, the truth of the matter is that I have very little idea of what’s going on here. There’s real life conversation over here, there’s a man with a metal arm chopping the head off a demon over there… What I can tell you is that I love the ear for dialogue that this guy has, and there’s something about the look of his characters that just makes them endearing. Don’t worry, when I get my next batch of USS Catastrophe stuff, I’ll get caught up on this series, and I’ll be able to tell you what’s up. Until then, try to start off with an earlier issue than this so you’re not as lost as I was, OK? Contact info is above, and you already know where the USS Catastrophe page is, don’t you? Oh, fine, it’s right here.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
World’s Greatest Dad: A Happy Town Tale
Anybody who picks this up thinking of the Mr. Show skits involving World’s Greatest Grandpa and expect to be laughing out loud at this has a big surprise in store. This is a genuinely moving tale of a father looking for his missing daughter years after he has given up hope of ever seeing her again. Justin does an incredible job of making you feel what the man is going through, and what he’s been going through in the years since her disappearance. It’s $2 and not on his website that I can see, but that’s probably because he hasn’t updated in a while. I’m sure if you e-mail him that he’ll scrounge up a copy. In the meantime, get some copies of his Happy Town books. I’ll probably get around to reviewing more of them one of these days when I’m not so lazy, but he really has a command of his craft that is rarely seen in minis these days. Might have something to do with the fact that he’s been doing this for years. Anyway, this story could ham it up or fail in several ways, and it’s rare to see something succeed this completely. Did I mention yet that you should buy it?
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Breathers #1
Cheers for a new series from Justin, one that I have a serious chance of keeping up with! Jeers for Justin also putting out a #0 of this series, meaning that this isn’t technically the first part of the series and, seeing as how I haven’t looked for #0 in a series since the early 90’s, I’m already behind. Ah well, it’s Happy Town all over again, although it looks like Justin is finally putting that story into collected editions, letting all of us absentminded types catch up on that saga. This first issue has all the makings of a story I can really get into: a vast array of characters, with more coming next issue, all with their own problems, all put together in one as yet vaguely defined situation. In this case it’s a town of people living in a world (or maybe just a town) where a breather is required for walking around outside, as apparently the air is fatal to anybody who breathes it unassisted. There’s a single mother who’s desperate to get the money she needs to take care of her little girl, the little girl who has an imaginary pet dragon, a crooked detective who’s busting the local drug dealer (who puts the drugs in the breathers) just to take his drugs, a shy guy at a coffee shop who is able to get a phone number, and a young woman who can, mysteriously, breathe outside without the aid of a breather. Justin clearly knows a thing or two about pacing and setting up a story, and I’m hooked already after one issue. This time around I’ll keep better track of this, maybe even pick up some issues outside of SPACE. It’s $5 but it’s a hefty book, well worth a look.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Ochre Ellipse #3
Can we get those “science fiction” stickers for all comics? That and “auto-bio”, “western”, etc. For me, the raygun on the cover gives it away, but I like the idea. This is, after a couple of issues of bits of randomness and things that were open to interpretation, a pretty simple story. There’s a solitary and unhappy adult who remembers his childhood fondly, as then he was solitary and happy. Determined to find out where he went wrong, he signs up for a time travel trip, goes back to his childhood (where he is invisible and intangible so as not to mess up the time stream) and discovers something important: he used to rule a vast imaginary kingdom and would have all sorts of adventures. The adult quickly becomes obsessed with this “kingdom” and repeatedly visits the same time period, silently playing along with the boy and slowly building up the number of invisible and intangible duplicates that are all in the same time/spot. We see the humdrum of his daily life and take an extended trip into his childhood fantasy life, but never get a lot of specifics. They’re not really needed, as any adult can relate to happier times as children, but few can really pinpoint why that was the case. It’s a genuinely inspired story, told without casting judgment either way. He’s three for three on these little mini books, although I have to imagine most of you are already aware of that fact by now. Check it out already. $4
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Ochre Ellipse #2
Is it wrong that I get the impression that Jonas is just toying with us? After reading the first couple of issues of this series I get the impression that he has a ridiculously firm handle on the “rules” of making comics and is trying to nudge those rules in subtle but different directions. This comic starts off with a young man who goes into a grocery store on a regular basis (but never actually buys anything) because he’s obsessed with the clerk. He has her schedule figured out, but has never worked up the nerve to talk about her, preferring to imagine the things she could be doing instead. Jonas then uses a concept that I first saw in a Concrete story but that’s still visually striking: the idea that a person leaves a trail, a collection of images of themselves in motion, wherever they’ve been. This is the first half of the comic, the second is when things start to wander a bit. We see our hero from the last issue (regular size, and he sure seems to be a stand-in for Jonas) entering the same grocery store and chatting with the clerk. He winds up on a bus with our hero from the first half of this book, chatting about the story so far and moving on to a theory of evolution. Not THE theory, but it’s too complicated to get into here. Read Stephen Jay Gould, that’ll help it make sense. This returns us to the clerk, who has to decide whether or not to find out some potentially troubling genetic information. All this leads to a sweet and open-ended finale, which I won’t ruin here. As a reader, I’m a big fan of endings where we don’t know exactly what happened next. Well, generally speaking, anyway. My reasoning is complicated and probably contradictory, which means that it must be right. This was up for a couple of awards (and won one of them), and deservedly so. $4
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Ochre Ellipse #1
First issues are generally a time to work the bugs out, to get everything in their proper order for better future issues. Jonas gets right out of the gate with a fantastic first issue, and it sounds like #2 was nominated for all sorts of awards, so it only gets better from here. Theoretically, anyway, as it’s possible that the Ignatz people suddenly lost all taste in comics. This mini has a few different stories that could all be distinct, but Jonas ties almost everything in nicely. Things start off with a man talking about the migratory habits of birds and moving on to a race of tiny men and their tiny horses. The next story only has a tangential connection to that, as it’s about a bird-like human who grows out of his apartment and keeps right on uncontrollably growing. This is the heart of the book and it’s the human touch that sells it. The bird man doesn’t know what’s happening and awkwardly tries to navigate through these changes, with mixed results. This leads to another young bird creature (normal size this time) riding an airplane and fantasizing about riding his bike along the clouds. The clouds feel the need to chat with this young boy about this theory, which is great fun for the other passengers. Finally there’s a text story called Lorbrulgrud, an excellent capper to the comic, as it starts with a few people trying to hide from a giant peering down at them. We gradually learn more about them, but less about how exactly they got in their situation. It’s an excellent comic, and I’d be saying that even if I didn’t know that there was more (and quite possibly better) comics to come. $3
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Posted by Kevin
