April 23, 2010
Website
Whisp #3
Maybe I should just come up with some kind of slogan for reading comics in yearly (or so) intervals and not remembering much of what I read last to make this easier. I mean, it must get annoying to read “yeah, this one is OK but I’m not altogether clear on what happened the last time around” over and over again for various people. It’s not even a matter of having a poor short term memory, as the fact that I read #2 of this about 2 years ago kind of keeps it outside of that time frame. Anyway, this is a pretty good issue, even if some of the specifics are hazy. There are a few things happening at once, and the panel layout makes you feel like you’re in a maelstrom of events with a bunch of different people all happening at once, but spread out over a pretty thick book. Kudos to Damian and Dann for pulling that off,it couldn’t have been easy. What you have here is an armed invasion of the rehab center, a mysterious enclave of folks who already know how it’s all going to turn out, more whisp and a new player or two thrown into the mix. Or, in other words, I’m too hazy about the past issues to make any concrete review at all here. Luckily for you they were supposed to put out a collection of the first three issues at the start of the year, so there should be an easily accessible collection out there. This is a measly $2 (no idea how they pull that off with the quality of the packaging here)…
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Whisp #2 Now Available! $2
You probably can’t tell at all by the scan, but the cover for this is slick. I mean that literally and figuratively, as there’s a different texture for the title and various other parts, and it’s just neat. Had to get that out there. Also, this is a full size book, and I think the story is even longer, although it’s been a while since I read #1, so I could be wrong. The art looks a LOT better in this large format, and the writing seems to have tightened up a bit too. My main problem with the book is that I have trouble getting what’s going on at times. It’s so dark that it’s occasionally hard to distinguish certain characters, and at least a few things happen that you’re just supposed to get without their describing it. There’s a new character in this, a man who’s worried about his nagging wife and trying to get the future out of one of the inmates. I did tell you that some of them could read the future when they’re on the drug, right? Anyway, I couldn’t tell at all what happened in the end (unless that’s intentional), but it’s a solid book all around. They seem to be keeping my complaints to a minimum, so that’s all I can ask for. Contact info is up there, and you can buy it here!
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Whisp #1
Before I start, I have to point out the fact that the contact info for these two (besides their e-mail addresses, which I’ll link to at the end of this) is 907 W. Stoughton, Apt. 103 Urbana, IL 61801. That’s a mere three blocks from my first home in Champaign/Urbana! Ah, hooray for things that are only meaningful to me. It’s good to see that are some talented comics folks (besides Layla Lawlor) in that area. This is a creepy, claustrophobic story about a junkie, surrounded by other junkies with the drug he’s craving, unable to get a fix. The drug, Whisp, gives certain gifted people glimpses of the future, but apparently gets them quickly addicted and helpless. Not much of the big picture is shown in this issue, as it primarily deals with the main character, Curt Blake, dealing with the despair of desperately needing a fix. At first I was slightly annoyed with how tiny and scrunched the panels were, then I slowly realized that it added plenty to the closed-in feel of the story, of this character trapped in the room with the other junkies. The art is solid, the panel spacing is tremendous and original, and the writer really has his shit together. Not sure what else you could ask for, but this one is definitely worth a look. It’s $2, contact the writer or the artist, or just go to the website.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Nowhere #1
I’m sorry, but this might be the ugliest comic I’ve ever seen. I’ve liked the work of hers that I’ve seen quite a bit and I was ready and willing to love this, but… well, here. This isn’t the norm for my reviews, but I have to show you what I’m talking about.
It’s a bit smaller than it should be because it’s color and I don’t have infinite space here, but if you can stand to look at those colors and enjoy the book, more power to you. I think this might be a case where my scanner actually made it look better. I felt like I needed 3D glasses to read the thing… Anyway, enough complaining about that, I just didn’t like it at all, OK? That being said, I don’t think the issue itself was bad at all and I might have been able to get over the color scheme if I had a whole collected edition to look at (that’s what Summer of Love is and the color scheme is different at least), but one issue alone didn’t give me that chance. Check out Daddy’s Girl, it’s a great, powerful book. If you like these colors give this book a chance, maybe it’s just me. What’s it about? A family has just moved and is trying to fit in. That’s the basic overview, I’m sure much more happens in the rest of the series. Click on the link to buy it or check out more samples.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Amazing Adult Fantasy #21
It’s always a bit odd to read these diary comics in anything other than sequential order. After all, you are reading about the lives of these people, and in this case things jump ahead 5 months. Oh well, it’s my own fault for getting a random selection of these from the cheapie Poopsheet sale. This time around Tim is running a comics shop, so there’s lots of inside info on that, and who among us who reads comics isn’t at least a little curious about the specifics behind the stores? Also included in this issue are strips about playing a gig alongside accidental hippies, talking to one friend on the phone when you think you’re talking to another friend of the same name, a text rant about how it’s impossible to be a good rich Christian, being too fat to fit in your good clothes, going on a diet, choking on broccoli, destroying a toilet, and offending Spielberg fans. There was also an annoying turn for the last third of the comic as Tim was starting up some sort of mystery project but was unable to talk about it, finally revealing towards the end that his comic store had taken over another store. Why the mystery? Were these things printed daily or something? Oh well, it did let him go nuts with the random imagery. He also announces in this issue that it’s only going up to #24, which he apparently stuck to. All told, it’s a fun series. A bit of a time capsule, granted, but it’s funny on occasion and insightful, which is all you can ask for from these things. Like I mentioned in the last review, these are $5 for collections of 6 issues, which would make on nice beefy comic.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Amazing Adult Fantasy #16
That there is an excellent title for a mostly mundane diary comic. Tim did this strip for two years, from 2001-2003, and put out 24 issues. These issues have been collected into larger books , which means they’re still available, which means I’m allowed to ramble about them here. Not that there would be anything stopping me otherwise. This issue details December of 2002, but Tim mostly does a good job of making it seem timeless, as he keeps the topical references to a minimum. I doubt if that was a conscious strategy to make the work more universal, but kudos to the guy either way. Every day is three panels and topics include trying to motivate himself to paint, drinking, going out to shows and movies, dealing with car insurance, getting his first credit card, stealing Mario, getting screwed (figuratively) at Kinko’s, and the usual general hanging out. Hey, it’s a diary strip, the format is pretty well established by now. Of course, the fact that he was doing this 8 years ago tells me that he may well have been at least mildly innovative with the format, it’s just been imitated since then. But wait, there’s more! Tim submitted a strip to Young American Comics for their Bizmar issue and he reprints it here after it was (probably rightly) rejected. Finally the book takes a sharply depressing turn as the last page is dedicated to stories of illegal abortions and their consequences from 1969-1970. Yeah, let’s outlaw that again, you conservative nutjobs.  My only complaint is that the print is occasionally smashed up a bit and/or a bit faint, but never really to the point where it’s completely illegible. It’s a pretty decent book overall and I do have at least one more issue to read, so that’ll give me a more thorough understanding of the guy. Meanwhile, these collections of this series are a measly $5 per 6 issue collection, which is a steal.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Goodbye Kitty
Hey look, it’s my first review from SPACE 2009… done while SPACE is still going on! Not that that’s going to do you a lot of good if you read this, say, 4 hours from now, but if you’re reading this RIGHT NOW and live in Columbus, you should probably head on over there. And as for recommendations, yes, you should check this one. This is a 24 hour (not mentioned in the comic, but Ryan mentioned it at the show) dealing with the relationship between a teddy bear and a kitty. The kitty in almost unbearably adorable, the teddy bear has been seeing a doll on the side and was talked into murdering the kitty. However, as any good student of Tales From the Crypt knows, these sorts of things never end well. In fact, they usually end with the zombified remains of the wrongly murdered party getting their revenge in bloody fashion. Well, there’s not a whole lot of blood in the average teddy bear, but you get the idea. The comic is a blast, it’s an idea that was executed damned near perfectly. It couldn’t have been easy to portray a teddy bear going through some serious emotional turmoil before and after the murder, but Ryan nails it here. This comic is also up for free on his website, so there’s no need to take my word for it. No price but let’s say $2, and this one is well worth seeking out. Oh, and the biggest concern for the 24 hour books is usually “how bad is the artwork?”, but there are no problems on that front either. The characters are meant to be a bit simple, so you barely notice the speedy drawing. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
L’il Buddha Loves You
I absolutely love the adorable, round and happy Buddha on the cover right above the disclaimer that this might not suitable for kids. I don’t know why but it just tickles me. This is a collection of Buddha strips that Ryan has apparently done for his website over the years, so the story doesn’t exactly follow a straight line. Then again, what good are straight lines in the quest for enlightenment? L’il Buddha gently cajoles Ryan (I’m assuming it’s him in these comics and not a nameless lead character) into meditating more often, gets Ryan to admit to an embarrassing personal story (which is smartly interrupted from our perspective by an ad for Tofu Buddha Dogs), makes jokes that fly right over Ryan’s head, transforms briefly into a business executive, helps Ryan feel OK with a general lack of direction (while advising him to strive for more), and explains how Ryan’s problems with women stem from him not wanting to admit to growing up. Of course, if this isn’t about Ryan then this review is damned near slander, but it’s still a good story even with a nameless main character. If you’re looking to understand Buddhism this doesn’t exactly dig deep, but there’s plenty of wisdom in this little package. It’s funny, smart and even informative. You could do a whole lot worse than this, and it’s one more thing that tells me that I should have picked up his graphic novel when I had the chance. Sigh, maybe next year. No price, but let’s say $2.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
E-mail
Racecar Comics #3
Huzzah, we have an e-mail! Send all mail up to that link at the top of the page, if you’re curious about this stuff. This issue is another full length tale, this time with various assorted beings taking a shot at becoming the next Mouse Skull star. It’s a parody of both American Idol and the old Legion of Super Heroes stories where the losers would try to join. In here you have Fluffy the Jungle Bunny, Mister Mann Who Wears Pants, Octo-Jesus (who brings down the wrath of Angry Jesus), Break Dancing Buddha, and Nebulous Man, among many, many others. There are more than a few funny moments in here, and some that fall flat, but it’s a fun little book for only a buck. I still prefer the shorter gag format for Matt, but oh well. Oh, and it still mostly looks like crap, in case you were somebody who only reads the gorgeous comics. $1
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
E-mail
Racecar Comics #2
How is it possible to put out two issues of a comic series and give no indication in either of any sort of contact information? Unless maybe these comics only exist at cons and it’s not possible to get them anyplace other than SPACE, or he doesn’t want anybody to read these. The second issue is a departure from the first, as this a cover-to-cover story, not a series of gags like last time. This one had its moments, but I honestly miss the gags. It’s the story of Iguana and Beer wandering around, dealing with the White Witch (of Narnia, and Matt’s hoping very much he doesn’t get sued), smoking some Narnia weed and ending up in hell. Oh, and starring in their own movie. It’s a convoluted tale, no doubt about it. Also more than occasionally amusing, like when the robber looked just like the guy from old Atari game Kaboom. This is definitely in the “low brow” scale of entertainment, but fun enough for what it is. It still looks like crap though, don’t be fooled there. Anyway, all of this is moot because this comic only exists on the computer screen you are currently viewing, as Matt Dow has no contact information. One of these days I’ll solve this mystery, until then you have to content yourselves with the sample.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
E-mail
Racecar Comics #1
Sketchbook funnies! There, that’s all a bunch of people are going to need to know about this one. It looks like crap (but well-intentioned crap), but it has a good number of funny strips. Matt started doing these at cons to sort of cover for his friend Kelly Howlett while she was doing serious sketches, they got a bit of a following and he decided to put them all in a book for a dollar. Topics include why he’s not an artist, animals, stuff he’ll probably get sued for (mostly parodies of trademarked comic book characters), musical strips, things sure to offend people, and completely random stuff. The musical stuff didn’t do much for me at all, everything else had at least a few funny strips, my favorite being the one about the hamburger. Also on the flip side is two of Matt’s characters (he has another comic coming soon), Iguana and Beer, stumbling across the corpse of Cerebus at the end of that series. He got Dave Sim to go along with it, but it’s a pointless little story. Still, what better place for a pointless little story about one of your favorite comic people than your very own mini comic? Can’t begrudge the man that, and it’s probably cute to the super duper Cerebus fans. Personally I still haven’t finished the series (I’m at about #275, not that that has anything to do with anything), but it was one of those formative things that led me into all these other small press comics, so there will always be more than a little love there for me. And what did that have to do with anything? Oh well. Matt also spent a fair amount of time in the back of the book trying to figure out what he forgot, and I figured it out: contact information! He left it for his friend Kelly Howlett (www.kellyhowlett.com) so just check out her stuff instead, I guess… $1
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Hectic Planet Book 3: The Young and the Reckless
Finally! A Hectic Planet book that reaches the level of his other work! We get absolute mayhem in the Vroom Socko: Paid in Full segment, mourning over lost girlfriends in the opening segment, and Halby punching a cop and getting away with it. Solid book, and the mark of a good book like this late in a series is that it makes me want to give the first parts a second chance. Now that the characters are fully developed and I know what he was doing all that time, maybe the first parts would come off better. Eh, maybe not. Whatever the case, this is still a great all around book.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Hectic Planet Book 2: Checkered Past
Better. Still not fantastic, but better. The characters got a lot more fleshed out and there were more genuinely funny scenes. Still perhaps not a necessity for anybody but the most diehard of Dorkin fans, but a good book.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Hectic Planet Volume 1: Dim Future
Man, I had high hopes for this book. As far as I know Evan has never done anything that I really hated. Dork and Milk and Cheese were two of the funniest books ever, but for some reason I had always avoided reading this series. Maybe it was the pirate idea, maybe it was science fiction aspect to the whole thing, or maybe it was because I had gotten the impression that he was taking the whole thing too seriously. Whatever the case, well, it looks like I was right to not jump right into this series with both feet. It’s the story of a ragtag (is there any other kind?) band of misfits trying to make some money in space, essentially. It’s not that it’s a bad book, because it’s not. I just didn’t think it lived up to the other, funnier stuff that he had done. Of course, this is his early work and maybe he just had to find his rhythm.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Fun With Milk and Cheese
Whenever I’m in a really crappy mood and it seems like nothing is ever going to get better, I turn to Milk and Cheese. Or Magic Whistle by Sam Henderson, if I’ve read Milk and Cheese already too recently. You’d have a hard time finding a funnier book than this… well, at least until the collected Dork comes out, which I’ve heard is going to be some time this year. Does it have a point, social commentary, anything like that? Not really. Maybe there are a couple of accidental statements about TV and Merv Griffin, but past that it’s pure, unadulterated mayhem. Brutal sometimes, too. If you ever feel low and those crappy feel-good Hollywood movies just aren’t doing it this time, you could do a lot worse than to get a copy of this.
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website (?)
Trashola #3
What’s this? A good chunk of Trashola done by someone other than Josh Divine? Sure, it’s funny, and sure, it looks good, but I expect only Josh in my Trashola. Don’t challenge my rigid brain! Anyhow, the story in question is a story of a bunch of young kids finding a lot of beer and going on a rampage. If you like mayhem and destruction (and who doesn’t?), trust me, it’s funny. The main story in here from Josh is about Howdee Jones, a man who only cares about screwing random women and drinking as much as possible. One day he wanders into a fortune tellers shop, thinking that it’s a brothel, and trashes the place when he discovers that he’s not going to get laid. Things go downhill from there, but how much of this do you want me to tell you before I ruin it? After that there’s the page that’s sampled up there and a page of random gag strips, which were quite possibly the best thing in the book. More gag strips please! I don’t see a price anywhere, but let’s say that’s it’s the same as the last one, $.3.50, and leave it at that. Check out the website for many more samples if you’re still not convinced, but I’d recommend against doing it at wor, unless you work in a church or something…
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website (?)
Trashola #2
Sometimes I think it’s not even worth scanning stuff when the pictures turn out this crappy. Then I think I’m being paranoid and people have to know that the comics don’t actually look this shitty, right? Anyway, if anybody out there read the first issue of this and thought that it was OK but that this guy would disappear or start doing crappy comics, well, you were wrong. This one is probably better than the first. Somebody sign him up already! There aren’t enough funny book out there. The bulk of this issue is the story of a camping trip where all kinds of stuff goes wrong. Sorry, but any more info than that might ruin any one of a number of great surprises. Past that there are a bunch of short strips about thing ranging from swollen balls to Chandra Levy. No, the two have nothing to do with each other. Send him $3.50 and wait for the funny!
And here’s a random strip that Josh sent me. What, don’t you like funny?
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website (?)
Trashola #1
See, this is why I do this website. I didn’t really have anything to review for today (except for a bunch of stuff from Caesar Meadows, but I need to get a camera to show you just how cool his stuff is), but this comic was waiting for me when I got home. If anybody out there is keeping a mental list of comics that are genuinely funny, well, add this to it. He’s obviously been influenced by Johnny Ryan and Ivan Brunetti, but who cares? They’re two of the funniest people going and he puts his own spin on the stories. The comic looks great, the art is damn near professional, and did I mention that he’s funny? Really, this was exactly what I needed after a crappy day of work. Kudos to him, keep up the good work and keep them coming. Check out the website, all kinds of samples there and comics that aren’t in this one. Oh yeah, what’s in this? A story about a girl who has the power of the wind, one with a meteor with eyes, a talking penis, and all kinds of fun stuff. Just send him $3 already. You can say you were the first on your block to read it…
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
Others: Two Short Stories About the Disenchanted and Solitary
Here’s another mini from Will Dinski that defies scanning. I’m hoping that scan looks better on the website than it does on my preview page, but here’s an online edition of the first story of this mini, just in case. That tweed binding pretty much kills any attempt to scan the innards, sorry. As it says in the extended title, there are two stories here. The first is about a Pressman who works nights but, due to a disinterest in sleeping, takes his place as a regular nine to five worker, all the way down to sitting in rush hour traffic for no good reason. The second is told from the perspective of a bird but deals with crowds and the inevitablity of being drawn back into them whether you like it or not. It’s a surprisingly cheerful book for something that seemed so melancholy from the description. As always, the man has an amazing ability to pack some serious insights into a tiny thing. And you can even read the first half of it for free! $5
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Posted by Kevin
April 23, 2010
Website
An Endorsement of Smoking
Here’s a short mini from Will that unfortunately defies scanning. The cover looks like a pack of cigarettes (in case you can’t tell from the scan) and the comic folds open into essentially one big page. It really would give too much away if I were to scan a chunk of it, and you can see his artwork above anyway, so just look around. The story here is as it says, an endorsement of smoking. Will goes into the nature of addiction, the social stigma against it and gaining the ability to tell the difference between a need and a want. Yes, he really does do all that in one giant page. Another absolutely gorgeous book from Will, and I can’t think of a single bad thing to say about it. $5
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Posted by Kevin
