New review today for Applewood Canyon #1 by Brian Canini, and yes, that’s another brand new series from the man. If anybody is wondering why I don’t give his comics the weekly review treatment like I’ve been doing for Meeting Comics lately, it’s because I’m terrified that Brian would actually be able to keep up with that schedule. The man’s prolific!
Canini, Brian – Applewood Canyon #1
March 22, 2022
Here’s another intriguing start to a series from Brian, the Cal Ripken of comics! Uh-oh, an extremely dated reference. See kids, Cal Ripken is famous mostly for his streak of consecutive baseball games played in a row, which I think was way over 2,000. Google has just told me 2,632, which is insane. Anyway, my point is that Brian has been making comics for a whole lot of years, and in that time he has produced a whole lot of comics. OK fine, so it’s a flawed analogy! I was shooting for a compliment. This follows Brian’s usual (?) format of an eight page mini, and as a first issue the whole point is to get the reader hooked on what might happen next. He succeeded on that front, as I’m very curious. This issue is done like an olde timey tourist commercial for why somebody should visit a town, but it’s peppered with imagery that adeptly disrupts any sense of comfort you might have with this seemingly quaint little burb. As it’s a shortie, it’s tough to say much about it without ruining something for the reader, but putting a panel of a 30 foot high wall (with “expertly equipped guard towers”) in between a panel showing quaint stone walkways and a serene dog park was an excellent way to bat away any expectations I already had going for how the series might develop. This “commercial” ran for the whole comic, so we got to meet a few characters and even learned about a rival town, so I think everything is set up quite nicely for future issues. Brian being Brian, he already sent me the first 5 issues of the series, so I’ll be able to check for myself very soon. And I still have to go back to Plastic People and see how that’s going, but that’s more a note for myself than part of the review, so please ignore this last sentence if you’re not me. Check it out, get in on the ground floor! $2
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/17/22
March 17, 2022New review for Meeting Comics #17 by Andrew Neal, and there are only a few more of these suckers left for weekly reviews. In case anybody was wondering.
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Meeting Comics #17
March 17, 2022
It’s impressive (especially in hindsight) how on track Andrew was able to keep his series during the pandemic. It also caused a few great issues dealing with some of the funnier bits of it, but with this issue covid has gone into the background and he’s back focusing on his people. I’m assuming covid pops up again, what with knowing that these strips were produced right before the 2020 presidential election and the covid surge after it, but this is as close to “back to normal” as this comic has been lately. Of course, that still means that lots of thing are batshit insane, but that’s just Meeting Comics for you. Tina and Ellie’s affair does get discovered, in absolutely hilarious fashion, but the response from Kevin and Thomas is still being worked out. I was also surprised that it was an ongoing thing and not just a “victory lap” after they solved their case, so we’ll see later how that affects things. The Dark Lord gets more screen time here than usual, but right now he’s not having a huge impact on the story. Kevin has his own secret, which may or may not come up later. Job offerings are hitting the gang, and a good chunk of them have decided to work for their budding porn empire. Andrew also includes The Last Garbageman on Earth, which I’m assuming was its own mini, and the title kind of says it all. He does manage to include the (at the time) upcoming presidential election in the discussion, and if only fixing that problem was as easy as he depicts it here! My apologies if this has gotten boring for the reader, but yes, this is another solid issue, and yes, you should really be giving this series a chance. Before it would mostly apply to people with horrible office jobs, but at this point it’s covering so much ground that it’s damned near for everybody. Well, except the prudes. I’m guessing all the casual sex and working for a porn startup wouldn’t meet with too much approval in that joyless crowd… $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/15/22
March 15, 2022New review today for Nugget #2 by Tony DiPasquale, which is one of those comics that’s difficult to adequately explain, but I give it my best shot.
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Posted by Kevin
DiPasquale, Tony – Nugget #2
March 15, 2022
Nugget #2
What a spectacularly unnerving comic. I mean that in the best possible way, of course! Otherwise I’d be curled up in a ball in a corner, too traumatized to even write a review. Apparently I missed making this comparison the first time around, but his work does remind me a little of Jim Woodring’s Frank. Outwardly cute protagonist, silently wandering around a world that’s trying to kill him in all sorts of creative and disturbing ways. Still, that’s where the similarity ends, and it’s possible that Tony never read Jim’s comics. Anyway! This is another collection of a few short pieces, and I’m not going to try quite as hard to avoid spoilers this time around, so look out! First up is Dogs, about our hero (I’m just going to assume his name is Nugget) narrowly avoiding being eaten by a monster at sea. He heads home for a peaceful nights sleep, which may or may not be what he ends up getting. Next up is Cake, which is too horrific for me to talk about. I’m still getting chills when I think about that one. Mother is up next, which is only marginally less disturbing, and even then it’s an obvious matter of opinion. Nugget does end up meeting his mother, or maybe he does. But, like everything else that happens to him in an average day, he’d probably have been better off never leaving the house. Finally there’s Bubbles, which is the sample image I used below. Balls of goo dropping from the sky interrupt Nugget’s card game, and they have a profoundly negative effect on his friend. He and his other friend make a run for it, but how do you fight black goo balls falling from the sky? If anybody is looking for a quote to sum up my thoughts, how about “adorably nightmarish”? That seems to be the long and short of it, which is one of those phrases I’ve never fully understood, but I’m still sticking with it. Once again I should point out his spectacular cover, and once again I hope that convinced some people seeing it at comic shops. Check it out, unless you demand happy endings in your comics.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/11/22
March 11, 2022New review today for a returning favorite: Andros #9 by Max Clotfelter. Happy weekend everybody!
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Posted by Kevin
Clotfelter, Max – Andros #9
March 11, 2022
Andros #9
Here’s a little bit of trivia for y’all who have stumbled across this website for the first time: way back in the day (and my memory is not specific, so please allow some leeway here), maybe in my third year of reviewing comics (so around 2003), I ran a review for the third issue of this series, and it looks like I was undecided at the time. It was an anthology back then too, which probably had something to do with it, but the years have made one thing clear: I’m a fan of Max’s work. Even when it’s stuff that I don’t get, there’s something so compellingly grimy about his art that it’s impossible to look away. And if you’re taking “grimy” to mean sloppy, just look at that sample and try that one again. There are several stories in this one, a few of which were already in various small press anthologies, so if you’re somebody who reads every single one of those, I guess you might have seen one or two of these before. For everybody else this will all be brand new, and even if you’ve seen those pieces there’s still plenty in here to recommend it to you. There’s a hilariously tragic story of the time he went to a seedy strip club with information that for $80 they would “do anything” to him. Not to spoil anything, but it didn’t end all that well. There’s another piece about how he slandered a girl when he was a kid with a story about how she had sex with the whole football team at a party (he wasn’t even at the party), which morphs into a tale of how he could protect himself from her irate brother. As always, there’s his centerfold, which should forever ruin any sexy connotations from that word usually being applied to Playboy and the like. The level of detail here is insane, and I don’t know if it’s a good or a terrifying sign that I understood the meaning behind it right away. There’s another story where he talks about a tape that he made in the early 90’s featuring his “burp solos,” and there’s still even a copy of it out in the world as of this writing. Finally there’s a longer strip that talks about his early troubles with panic attacks, a toxic relationship he lived through and even a small glimpse into the origin story of his long term relationship with Kelly Froh, who is also an incredible cartoonist and somebody whose work you should be seeking out. There are also a few single page strips with his redneck characters from past issues, sort of like if Hee Haw got run through a David Lynch filter. I’m clearly biased, but there’s some great stuff in this issue, and it’s only $1 more than the issue I reviewed way back in 2003. Check it out already! $3
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/9/22
March 9, 2022It’s time for the weekly Meeting Comics by Andrew Neal review, and this time it’s #16! The stack of these comics to review is getting thin over here, so you’d better hop on this train now.
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Meeting Comics #16
March 9, 2022
The pandemic continues, and the fallout from the last issue is hitting all kinds of people. You remember, that’s the issue that took place over one insane and ridiculous day? Of course you’ve already read it, what am I saying. There’s Kevin and Ellie trying to return home and being kicked out by everybody else, because their chances for covid are pretty high after that protest. There’s Val, maybe at her most Val, which is both saying something and a genuine joy. The Dark Lord is back, despite being mostly dead, and he’s taking some serious liberties. Kevin has some issues with his band being taken in a more corporate direction. The mystery of the bootleg Ribbon Cutter merchandise is revealed! Speaking of, the Ribbon Cutter is approached to do porn, which leads to an absolutely delightful duet with his nemesis. Once again, that’s not even half the stories, but things are moving right along, and they haven’t missed a beat after everybody got fired from their jobs. It’s almost like the comic was funny on its own, with or without making fun of corporate life! Also I’m just going to go out on a limb and say that if you haven’t read any issues up until now, this is as good a place as any to jump in. A few characters get new starts, and sure, you’ll still be missing some crucial context. But if you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to just buy the first collection of strips and/or read the many free sample strips on his website, maybe start with this one. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/7/22
March 7, 2022New review for Just Can’t Shake Your Memory by Rachel Scheer, and there will eventually be a quiz for the sample image I used in that review, so pay close attention…
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Posted by Kevin
Scheer, Rachel – Just Can’t Shake Your Memory
March 7, 2022
Generally speaking, I just plop the sample image below the review and don’t mention it. But today I really want you to check it out, because it’s absolutely fascinating to me, and Rachel leaves it a mystery (or maybe she never found out), but… what the heck was that teacher thinking? Was it some lesson about restraint, taught to children in kindergarten? I mean, it had to be a test of some sort, right? Maybe just a lesson in cruelty? Ack, I’m already sidetracked, so much so that I’m talking like Cathy over here. This is a collection of three stories, and Rachel’s first comic in a few years, what with a new baby and a teaching gig and all. One is about an ex of hers who wouldn’t shut up about HIS ex, and how she eventually met her. She wanted to be annoyed about it, but was too fascinated by the chance to match the person to the stories to make much of a fuss about it. Next is a story about a Leonardo DiCaprio look-a-like who worked at a local coffee shop (at the height of Leo’s fame) and the many plans to sneak a peek at the guy. Finally there’s the story about the teacher, and I do apologize for using one page out of a two page story for the sample image but, once again, I have so many questions about it that I just couldn’t resist. The other page deals with an important life lesson, and kudos to her mother for putting it so bluntly and succinctly. Rachel also included a newsletter where she mentions that she’s been teaching for the duration of the pandemic and is loaded with good material, but she’s not sure how she can “make it funny.” She’s already probably figured this out, but some unsolicited advice? Don’t. Don’t make it funny. I mean, it doesn’t have to be the most tragic thing we’ve ever read, and there are bound to be moments of humor in there, but teaching for going on three years during a once in a century pandemic? At its core, that’s a serious story. Meanwhile, this comic is another solid addition to her pile of minis, and as good a place as any to hop on if you haven’t read any of her comics yet. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/23/22
February 23, 2022New review today for Lemonade Tango #2 by Henry Uhrik, as he makes a fool out of me for suggesting that comics series sometimes don’t go past the first issue.
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Posted by Kevin
Uhrik, Henry – Lemonade Tango #2
February 23, 2022
Lemonade Tango #2
Everybody out there is familiar with confirmation bias, right? It’s how people who read horoscopes read them for weeks, thinking nothing of it, until finally they do meet a tall dark stranger, just like it said they would! Granted, it wasn’t correct for all those other weeks, but all of that time is instantly discounted because it finally hit on something that happened in their life. Well, I have a sneaking suspicion (especially after going back and reading my review for the previous issue) that Henry is maybe making a reference to me in the brilliant essay on the back cover. Why? Because I used this innocent cartoonist as a springboard to rant about how so many series don’t make it past the first issue, and he references how it would be a shame that the second issue would never come out before going into (in a funny, satirical kind of way) how this issue came about. Did he even read my previous review and, if he did, did he think about it for more than a few seconds? Eh, probably not. But he’s talking about the thing I was talking about, so I got all confirmation bias-y over here. See? That mess right there is why I’ll never be a teacher. Since there’s also a comic here to talk about, this one has a few stories in it, including the continuation (ending?) of the story from the previous issue. Joan lives next door to a brilliant cellist who practices at the same time every night, for what she calls her “private symphony.” When the police come around asking about a murder after an evening where there was no music, how’s she going to handle it? Rick is still trying to convince Martha to go to Paris with him, because to him there’s no better place in the world to propose to her. But Martha has her own plans, and they’re all mixed up in waiting for aliens to come after she finishes her tower. There are a couple of short pieces too, including one about whether or not spelling bees are sports, but I’ll leave that to all y’all. And yes, his afterwards are hilarious. Not better than the comics, just in case I am getting through to him and I came across that way the first time around. Really the whole previous review (and this one) could be summed up as “keep doing what you’re doing,” but if that was all I wrote for a review then I’d be out of a job. And all the sweet, sweet reviewer riches that come with it.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/21/22
February 21, 2022New review today for Meeting Comics #15, as why should I keep anybody in suspense from that kinda sorta cliffhanger last week? Oh, also I can see that I made a mistake in not writing a review for tomorrow, so here’s me writing 2/22/22 just because I can.
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Meeting Comics #15
February 21, 2022
And here I was thinking that Andrew would probably change his format to accommodate his teased storyline that covered a single day. Nope! Same four panel structure, but it all ended up coming together quite nicely. If anybody is coming into this review completely blind and is feeling a bit lost, well yeah, this is a review for the 15th issue of the series. I’m assuming you’re imaginary, but if you’re not, hop on that Meeting Comics train already! So what are the stakes this time around? Val has completely let herself go after finding out that her entire team has been laid off. Kevin has grown a pretty rough quarantine beard and enough time has finally passed for him to rejoin everybody else. The Ribbon Cutters find out about a bootleg mask operation that’s selling their likenesses as PPE for the covid. We find out that Mitch also has an old connection to Val. Tori finally goes off on her own. And since this issue was made during the summer of 2020, you know what that means! That’s right, protests. Not just protests, but the little things about them too, like how the cops used children for propaganda purposes (which I’ll be calling copaganda from now on, which I did not make up, since it sums up the idea in the name) and a Karen making everything about her. Throw all of those elements into a stew, and voila, you get a comic about a single day (that’s really about everything that happened while Andrew was making the comic about one day, but it still works). I guess if you’re an anti-masker and one of the dopes who think that BLM protestors burned down entire cities there won’t be a lot for you here, but if that’s the case I’m alarmed that you ever made it here to begin with. For the rest of us normal folks there’s a lot to love about this issue, just in case you thought he was going to fall on his face while attempting something new. Nope. Buy his comics, why don’t you? $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/17/22
February 17, 2022It’s weekly review time! New review today for Meeting Comics #14 by Andrew Neal.
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Posted by Kevin
Neal, Andrew – Meeting Comics #14
February 17, 2022
The coronavirus cometh! Ugh, I already feel bad about writing that. But here I am, moving right along, leaving that terrible opening line up there for everybody to see. All I can do now is bury it under more words so that anybody who made it past that stomach punch of an opening line will eventually forget about it. So yeah, this one is all covid, all the time. Andrew mentioned in the afterward that he was annoyed about his storylines that had to get changed or abandoned because of the pandemic, but since the comic is supposed to reflect current events, he kind of had to. He did think it would be over sooner than it was, and keep in mind that this was in August 2020 and here in February 2022 the current covid wave is finally starting to ebb. Will that be the final variant? Eh, probably not, but who knows? In this issue, everybody is dealing with things in their own ways. Kevin’s house full of people is already basically isolating together, even the new addition of his ska band staying in the garage… until Kevin’s mother comes by unannounced, coughing, with some meatloaf for everybody. The Ribbon Cutters are compelled to go out because of the imitators, and they end up getting an offer they’d really prefer not to refuse. Rob is running errands for everybody and getting free rubdowns out of it. Val is holed up with Tori, who would very much like something to happen between the two of them, at least until something does actually happen. The Whole Foods detective ends up on the front lines, with everything that that entails. Gil has a meeting with a very sick Dark Lord. Don (along with his boyfriend Terry) pull his horrible mother out of the nursing home, and I’m just guessing that’ll be a larger story going forward. And the whole thing even ends on a cliffhanger, which clearly justifies the idea of my reviewing these weekly. Eh, like it’s a tough job or something. These are universally a treat, and watching him flip all these storylines on their heads without missing a beat is something to see. The next issue looks like it’s all about a single day, so a slight shift from the usual format. Um, just in case you needed any time to prepare, I guess. Anyway, now everybody reading this knows: if we get another variant and you’re trapped indoors again, the covid comics in this series start with #14. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/15/22
February 15, 2022New review today for The Haunted Hotel by Rob Jackson, and he’s clearly been busy during the pandemic, as he sent along two other new books as well. No weekly reviews for those suckers, as I tend to treat them like a fine wine that I’ll introduce sparingly, but they’ll still be reviewed in short order, don’t you fret.
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Posted by Kevin
Jackson, Rob – The Haunted Hotel
February 15, 2022
I tell you what, this Rob Jackson is one hell of a storyteller. Yes, if you’ve been around this website for a decade or so you already know that, or if you’ve just read his comics throughout the years. But I can’t think of another comic artist who has this wide of a range of the types of stories he puts out. He’s very high up on my own personal list of reasons why I really do have to organize these comics of mine at some point, as it would take me hours (honestly, probably days) to pull all his comics that I own together. Anyway! You’d think that the theme would be obvious from the title, and you’d be right, but only sort of. The hotel does play a role in things, but not until the very end, and it’s not like I’m going to talk about that. This is a collection of three stories that the concierge of the hotel tells as he tries to give some prospective guests fair warning about what they’re in for if they stay overnight. It’s more than that though, as all the stories come together to further contextualize the concierge, his family situation and how all the disparate threads come together. The first story deals with a group of previous guests, a rock band who’s touring in Venice. They’re a bit depressed by one bad review in the newspaper (well, the lead singer is anyway), and they find out that he’s also staying in Venice. This leads to the thought of a confrontation, and the drunk lead singer ends up in a mysterious bar drunkenly asking somebody to murder the reviewer. The second story concerns the lady who was asked to do the murdering and how she ended up in her situation, and the final story concerns the efforts to get her out of that service. The band story takes up the bulk of the comic, and it’s full of little personal touches that really flesh out the bandmates as characters. The concierge ends up being the star of the story, although it’s way too much of a stretch to refer to him as the hero. This is another worthy addition to the Rob Jackson library, so if you’re in the mood to be creeped out more than a little bit, give this one a shot.
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Posted by Kevin
