Reader alert: I’m doing that thing where I review a few books for the week all at once, but I’m also doing that while recovering from one humdinger of a cold (not covid, I’ve taken three covid tests in the last five days and they were all negative). Meaning that I’m probably meandering even more than usual, which should be a terrifying prospect for regular readers. New readers, I’m usually at least slightly more coherent than this. New review today for Town and County #1 by Alex Nall!
Nall, Alex – Town & County #1
May 30, 2022
Here’s a good rule of thumb, for any l’il potential comic reviewers out there: if, after reading a new comic from an artist you’re already very familiar with, you’re convinced that the latest book is the best thing they’ve ever done, but then have to go back mentally through all the OTHER times you’ve said that about their previous books… chances are that you’re dealing with a pretty solid artist. Have I mentioned that I’m writing this in the middle of a nasty cold, and that I’m both pumped full of drugs and have slept more in the last three days than I had in the previous week? I mention this because I just reread the first sentence of this review, and want to give everybody full warning that this is going to be one of those “it’s the thought that counts” kind of reviews. Because the thought is clear enough, right? Garbled though that sentence might be, my point was that Alex keeps surpassing himself, and going off in unexpected directions where it would be just as easy for him to fall flat on his face. But he keeps nailing it, and it leaves me in a state of being perpetually impressed. Should I maybe talk about the comic for a bit? That seems like a thing that usually happens. This is a collection of short fictional pieces about the residents of a small town in Illinois. As I was born and raised in a small Illinois town, does that make me biased? Eh, maybe. The first third (ish) of the comic are “pages” from Don’s diary, as he details his dreams, life, history, family and potential future. That’s selling it a bit short, as each of the 12 pages has something thought-provoking, heartfelt or at least a little bit sad, but you’re getting no spoilers from me at all on that part. Especially because it’s listed as a “part one,” meaning he’s maybe planning on putting together a graphic novel of that section specifically, which sounds like a great idea to me. Other stories include the things that a cleaning woman sees and how she unwinds, the most effortlessly successful and popular guy in high school and what might have happened to him afterwards (with a spectacularly misleading title), a revisiting of the cleaning woman from earlier at a party, and a glimpse into the life of the woman whose house was being cleaned (which cleared up a whole lot about her personality). I wasn’t expecting the whole thing to flow together, but it did so quite nicely. If you’ve been reading these reviews for years and still somehow haven’t picked up any of Alex’s comics, this would be an excellent place to start. It’s a #1 and everything! $8
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/26/22
May 26, 2022New review today for Where the Rent Went by Andrew Neal, the Meeting Comics guy! Hey, wait a minute. Didn’t I say that I wasn’t going to do weekly reviews for his comics any more? Yes, and that’s a great point. See, my reasoning for that was simple. What I decided was
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Where the Rent Went
May 26, 2022
Finally, the issue the world has been waiting for! It’s (another fraction of) the origin story of Val! More importantly, it’s also the origin of the moment that Val, who wasn’t short on self-confidence already, figured out that damned near everybody she met wanted to have sex with her, leading to the creation of the Val that we see today. That’s getting ahead of things a bit, so let me back up. The issue starts off with Val arriving at home/the site of her upcoming show with her band, and she’s quickly confronted with the fact that the envelope holding the rent money has gone missing. Throughout the issue Val has to find the time to interview each of her roommates, sing in her punk show, and fend off the advances from every character who isn’t 100% gay. This is completely different from the usual Meeting Comics format (even if it is listed as Meeting Comics #21), as there’s no punchline at the end of most pages, just an ongoing and completely engaging story. Things even end in a bit of a mystery, but since it’s an origin comic it’s a mystery that may never be solved. Now that I’m thinking about it, this may be the issue that I’d recommend to people who want to check out the Meeting Comics world but are intimidated by those previous 20 issues. Sure, they wouldn’t get the same rapid fire jokes (although this one is plenty funny), but this is top notch Andrew working his craft, and anybody who started with this one would have a completely different impression of Val right from the start. Yeah, somebody should really do this. I’m curious how they’d react to the regular series after this. Why oh why won’t any billionaires fund me when I come up with bizarre comics experiments like this? Ah well. If it isn’t obvious by now, yes, you should very much check it out. The next issue is apparently a musical issue, which will be a real test for this reviewer. I generally don’t care for musical/poetry issues, but some of his musical strips have made me laugh before. Tune in next week (or the week after, or some time in the next month probably) for that review to find out! $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/24/22
May 24, 2022I tend to write the updates on the weekend these days, and I should be at SPACE (Columbus small press comics extravaganza) right now. But I either have a false negative for a covid test or a fairly nasty cold, so either way I didn’t see any reason to expose anybody else to it. I’m basically writing all this to tell any regular readers who were also at SPACE: send me your review comics if you have any left after the show! I’m hoping to do a belated SPACE week with a fraction of the comics I missed. One of them, according to the guest list, was Brian Canini, and the new review today is for his Applewood Canyon #3.
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Posted by Kevin
Canini, Brian – Applewood Canyon #3
May 24, 2022
One of these days I really need to tally up these reviews to see who I’ve reviewed the most over the 21 (!) years I’ve been at this. If Brian isn’t the winner, he’s got to be in the top 10. Of course, him putting out comics at a ridiculous pace like this doesn’t hurt his chances. It’s the middle issue of this series (assuming there aren’t more to come, but there haven’t been new issues since I started these series reviews), so this was bound to be when things got serious. I’m assuming you’re either caught up or aren’t going to get caught up on this series (which you should; some damned odd vibes in this one), but this one picks up right where the last issue left off, with the murder of the narrator after he stumbled across a grisly scene. How does a narrated comic continue after the murder of the narrator, you may wonder? The sample image will clear that one up for you. It also tells you exactly where this comic is headed, as Mr. Johnston and a reluctant Floyd try to come up with a good plan to get rid of the body. I’ve previously mentioned that these comics are shorties (8 pages each), so I can’t say much more without the dreaded spoilers showing up. I will say that it ends on another cliffhanger, so maybe I’ll give in to temptation and just review the final two issues next week. Or maybe I won’t. I’m mercurial! Anyway, I’m enjoying this series quite a bit, and unlike the saga that Plastic People is turning out to be, this one is a quick five issues. Much easier on the wallet, you cheapskates you (says the guy who usually gets free review copies). So yeah, check it out! $2
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/12/22
May 12, 2022New review today for Forever and Everything #8 by Kyle Bravo. Will I have time for reviews next week? Yeah, probably. You all know the drill by now, right? Even if I go away for a week or even two, I still come back, full of new comics to talk about.
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Posted by Kevin
Bravo, Kyle – Forever and Everything #8
May 12, 2022
It’s the further adventures of Kyle and his family! This time around he’s calling it the “hashtag dadlife” issue, and that makes sense. The bulk of the strips do deal with his family (or his brief, futile efforts to get some time to himself), and here I am using a sample image that’s him all by himself. Look, the rule around here for sample images is that same as it’s always been: did it make me laugh? If so, in it goes. If not, meh. Anyway, digression aside, what’s in this particular issue of the series? Kyle talks about ignoring longstanding problems, finding a rat outside, things going drastically wrong with the edge trimmer, that screen life, the most solid reason I’ve ever heard to be afraid of Scooby Doo, time with his therapist, that moment at the post office when he really should have checked the price of first class shipping, and the hunt for what’s making that beeping noise at work. If you can’t relate to that last one, congratulations on never working in an office environment! It’s another solid issue, with one slight caveat from me, that isn’t even necessarily a bad thing. Kyle starts his bio at the back of the book by saying that he’s tired, and that fact is evident throughout the comic: this man is exhausted. That’s not to say that there are no funny or insightful strips; several of both can be found in this issue. And who can blame the guy for being tired? He has two small children! EVERYBODY in that situation is tired, all the time. But the real theme for this issue is exhaustion. Here’s hoping he finds that mythical work/life balance, because he’s trying to get to work on two larger projects that both sound potentially fascinating. Give this one a shot, exhausted dads! Either you can get some pointers in here, or you can just commiserate with the man about the ongoing lack of sleep. $7
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/10/22
May 10, 2022Still scrambling a bit at work, but don’t fret, I still had time to get two reviews in the can for the week. Up today is Meditation Funnies #1 by M. Elias Hiebert!
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Posted by Kevin
Hiebert, M. Elias – Meditation Funnies #1
May 10, 2022
Meditation Funnies #1
Meditation! Who does it? Do you? I clearly don’t, as I’m already rambling at the start of this review, which can’t be the sign of a calm and collected mind. This comic, as you may have guessed from that title, is based on a meditation session. Or it’s fictional; no further clues are given past that title. In this meditation, our hero is constantly interrupted and harassed by a malevolent imp, although he seems to have enough trouble meditating even when he’s left completely alone. As you can see from the sample image, the art style screams “stuck in a work meeting, trying to look like you’re taking notes,” although maybe “minimalist” would be a nicer way to phrase it. Elias (or maybe he goes by M.?) sent along a gaggle of his mini comics, so I’ll get a more complete idea of his work over the coming weeks and months. Based on one issue? It’s… fine. A couple of funny bits, some interesting interpretations of the idea of meditation, and you’re done. Which is fine! It’s a shortie, and (as you can see on the cover), it’s free. So for the meditating people in the audience, give it a shot why don’t you? I’m assuming he’ll at least want you to cover postage, so if you’re interested check to see what the deal is.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 4/29/22
April 29, 2022It’s new King Cat day! New review for King Cat #81 yes that’s right #81 by John Porcellino. This will probably be it for reviews until after the election week, but here’s a little tip for you potential Ohio voters: turnout is WAY down this time around, probably having something to do with all the court challenges and the uncertainty of it all. So if you have an underdog you’d like to win a primary in this backwater state, get several of your friends together and vote! You’d have a real shot this time around.
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Posted by Kevin
Porcellino, John – King Cat #81
April 29, 2022
It’s a new issue of King Cat, which means most of this review is going to be me fighting with myself not to leave the review with that simple fact. What, you want more information other than the fact that there’s a new King Cat in the world? I mean, OK, but you and I both know that I’m never going to give a bad review to this man, unless his brain snaps and he goes full Trumper. And since he’s damned near the last person on Earth who that would ever happen to, there are no worries here. So what’s this particular issue about? There’s John’s intro, and life has gotten him down this time around, which I don’t like to see. I get it, what with [gestures arms wildly at the world in general], but John has a seemingly effortless ability to find joy and beauty in the little things, so I hope that’s getting him through. Stories in here deal with a few of those quiet, joyful moments, finding the beauty in his medicine cabinet of all things, some of the landmark groundhogs he found driving around in 2020, a few more simple moments, an absolutely adorable strip called “Where’s Miss Moo” in which we all try to spot his cat, and how sparrows handle rain. Among a few other things, because as always I’m not going to tell you every story. A couple of the highlights are the piece about how Saturdays have evolved for him over the years (starting as the best day of the week, to just another day once he entered retail work, and finally drifting back to the best day of the week) and a brief but hilarious history of his eyebrows. John’s in his early 50’s, and anybody around there will be able to relate with how eyebrows get absolutely ridiculously out of hand as you age. There’s also the usual text highlights of his comics: a list with brief descriptions of some of his more notable dreams, his top 40 list (that, as always, is as many actual numbers as he wants, which may or may not be 40) and his reader letters. It’s still one of the more complete mini comics around, he’s still putting them out, all these years later. Get it, think about life, and enjoy. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 4/27/22
April 27, 2022New review today for Meeting Comics #20 by Andrew Neal, and this is going to conclude my weekly Meeting Comics reviews (missed weeks due to work and/or life not included). Andrew was nice enough to send along the next few issues, and don’t you fret, I will be getting to them, but I’m letting other comics pile up over here. So when I saw that the rest of the issues have their own titles (although technically they’re part of Meeting Comics), I decided to take that very slight excuse and run with it. Don’t get me wrong, these have been an ongoing delight, and I’ll most likely have everything else reviewed in the next few months regardless. Just keeping y’all updated is all…
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Meeting Comics #20
April 27, 2022
It’s the final issue of Meeting Comics! … is what I thought before I hovered my cursor over the next few comics Andrew released, as all of them have their own distinct titles but are secretly also considered to be part of this ongoing story. Probably not an issue for anybody who isn’t a reviewer, but I run a full service rambling station here. So what’s going on this time around? We start off with two musical strips about the covid vaccine as sung by a clown doctor and yes, they’re as glorious as you might have guessed. Other stories include Don dealing with some money problems, Gil taking over the company, Val explaining the secret of her sexiness (it’s all about maximizing the hottest shape around), using their porn studio to film a breakup for the drama, Val trying to set up an NFT (that’s really just a setup for a really solid punchline), and Val finally finding her dream woman, among other strips that I’m not going to mention so as not to be a spoiling monster about it. We also finally get to see Thomas and Tina have a conversation, and no matter how awkward you think it’ll end up going, you can probably add a few more points of awkwardness onto that. Did I mention that both of them brought their current girlfriends to the meeting? Yep. Oh, and there’s also a Val centerfold by Adam Meuse, just in case there’s never enough Val in your life. It looks like the issues are getting a bit more self-contained after this, says the guy who’s over here judging books by their covers. Find out what happens along with me! Unless you’ve already bought all these issues, in which case read along with me to have your own opinions validated/get enraged by how thoroughly I’m missing the point! $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 4/25/22
April 25, 2022Yep, the election killed another week of reviews, sorry about that! It’s probably going to happen next week too, but at least I managed to get three reviews done this week. New review today for Sludgy #4 by Robb Mirsky!
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Posted by Kevin
Mirsky, Robb – Sludgy #4
April 25, 2022
Sludgy #4
It’s everybody’s favorite constantly melting creature who’s just trying to have a good time, Sludgy! Which, in case you’re new to this, is actually more than one creature, and they can make more Sludgys through various bodily excretions. Vomit, specifically, at least as far as this issue is concerned. This one has three stories in it, each showing off a different aspect of life as a Sludgy. First up are two Sludgy friends as they travel through the forest. They get hungry and end up eating some mushrooms that have pretty extreme hallucinogenic side effects. Remember, these creatures can make conscious, sentient duplicates out of themselves, which is problematic enough when you’re not tripping in the forest. As it is, there’s some serious questions about which Sludgy is which and what aspects of what they’re seeing are actually happening. Next up in the story of a Sludgy whose home is in danger of being flooded, and since water can dissolve a Sludgy things get tense in a hurry. Finally there’s the Sludgy who just wants to introduce himself to a pair of young lovers. He stops himself, realizing that his appearance might cause a panic, and thinks he’s come up with a better way to say hello. I’ll leave it to the reader to discover whether or not he was correct. These comics are a hoot, and seemingly every story raises more questions about what exactly is going on with these creatures, so I’m curious to see what happens next. Bring on the Sludgys! $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 4/15/22
April 15, 2022When last I talked about my weekly reviews for Meeting Comics, there was a bit of a cliffhanger in whether or not I’d be able to find my copy of #19 before I continued reviewing the series. Then I got busy at work and couldn’t post for a couple of weeks anyway. <cough> Um, anyway, Andrew was nice enough to send me another copy, so the mystery is resolved! Except that I still don’t know what happened to the original review copy he sent along, but that’s more of a cliffhanger for me, not you. New review today for Meeting Comics #19 by Andrew Neal!
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Meeting Comics #19
April 15, 2022
Before I get to the comics, I just wanted to commend Andrew for how he’s portraying the whole Tina and Ellie/Kevin and Ellie/Thomas and Tina romantic mess. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to turn it into a big old drama explosion, but he’s instead treating it like a group of adults who are confused by their new feelings but are all crystal clear that they don’t want to hurt anyone involved. It’s refreshing and realistic. Well, up until Tina and Ellie spend the bulk of the issue trying to exorcise the Dark Lord, anyway, but it’s not like he could leave that story thread just hanging out. So, what’s this issue about? The bit on the cover gives it away, and technically the back cover is even a bit of a spoiler. But you can’t see if here, so it’s still a mystery to you! Other stories include Thomas and Marisol being forced to quarantine together (and it’s a testament to Thomas’s restraint that it takes a few strips before they start going at it; that sexual tension has been flying off the page since they first met), Tina and Ellie trying to figure out their relationships, Gil’s secret twin brother Al, and Marisol taking a new job. Still, the bulk of the book is all about trying to get Gil free from the Dark Lord, and you’d better believe that that exorcism does not go exactly as planned. And you’d also better believe that I’m not giving away the ending here, as that’s been an underlying storyline for the bulk of the series run. This one may be a bit less laugh out loud funny than previous issues (although it still does have more than a few hilarious moments), but that’s only because there’s some unexpected heart here. It’s great, and a satisfying conclusion to that whole arc. It’s also apparently the first issue that Andrew didn’t post online for free, so if you’ve been mooching up until now, buy this one to see how the story ends! $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 4/13/22
April 13, 2022New review today for Trashcan Private Eye by Rob Jackson. Just to be clear, he LIVES in a trash can. It’s not like he IS a trash can.
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Posted by Kevin
Jackson, Rob – Trashcan Private Eye
April 13, 2022
I won’t tell you why, but I will tell you that this comic ends with a song. And still I somehow resisted the temptation to not use that final page as the sample image! Sometimes this reviewing thing is a sheer test of willpower. So what’s up with this one? It’s a sprawling conspiracy, all with our hero Trashcan P.I. at the center of everything. Things start off with our hero creepily sizing up a young lady who’s come by his office… er, trash can, trying to get help in locating her missing brother. This is where a traditional noir story would begin their romance, but this comic doesn’t go anywhere near that. Possibly because the dude lives in and conducts business out of a bin, which traditionally has been a bit of an impediment in the romance department. So our hero tracks down leads, gets knocked out (which I’m using as a sample image purely because I’ve also often wondered why it’s so accepted in movies to bludgeon people into unconsciousness), and generally spends the bulk of the comic trying to get to the bottom of things. It all spirals into a vast connected gaggle of characters, and you’d better believe that things end in mayhem. I recently watched The Maltese Falcon and was a bit surprised how many of those tropes made it into this issue. Of course, noirs all have at least similar events happening (femme fatale, double crosses, bad guys accidentally telling the detective too much, etc.), so it’s not like I’m assigning any nefarious intent. Besides, all of the ladies loved Sam Spade, so that’s a pretty substantial difference right off the bat. And since I’m not going to tell you all the bits leading up to the dramatic conclusion, I’ll have to content myself and you by revealing a few of the (fantastic) names that Rob has come up with. Wall Face! Big Orange! Smart Guy Eddie! Big Jim Tuckshop! OK, that last one doesn’t even have a cameo, but what a name to put on a mailbox. If you’re already a fan of Rob’s, of course you should give this one a shot. You probably knew that already, as it’s not like the guy makes a lot of stinkers. If you’re new to his work, I’d recommend one of the heftier titles, but if you’re also on a budget and love noirs, you could do a lot worse than this one. If my internal currency converter is even close to correct (it almost certainly is not), then this is roughly $6.
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Posted by Kevin
