Pohl, Martin – Sportsbar, NY Part V

June 3, 2025

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Sportsbar, NY Part V

I mentioned last time around that #4 was a good issue for new readers to jump in, but after reading this one it sure looks like Martin is wrapping this series up and moving on to something else. Or not! There’s not really a big overarching story to wrap up, but that was just the sense I got by the end of it. And boy howdy, have I ever been wrong about this sort of thing plenty of times. Anyway! This is a mammoth 60 pages, so if you’re a fan of Martin’s work, you’re probably never going to get more of it in one chunk like this. Unless there’s an eventual collected edition, I guess. The through line, as you might have guessed from that cover, is that there’s a sheep out there with a gun killing people (and animals). He starts off with a frog that’s just trying to count sheep to get to sleep, goes on more than a bit of a killing spree from there, and then gets his storyline wrapped up by the end of the comic. What else is happening in here? It starts off with a recap that has nothing to do with what’s come before which, in the absence a real recap (an impossibility for this series, honestly), is my favorite kind of “recap”. From there we get a wide range of conversations with a cat and a mouse, the new show that’s sweeping the nation (“Two Suicidal Frogs”), a few brief appearances by the rabbits, back to the pigeons, a kid with an unconvincing case to be turned into a cyborg, an encounter with a killer dog (and Depression Wolf), a beaver at an office job, several strips about library patrons that sure feel like they’re inspired by real events, and all of our heroes coming together by the end, with several of them ending up dead (which is why I think the series might be over). Oh, and there’s also a back page with nothing to do with the comic, and Martin explains the reasoning behind that in hilarious fashion. It’s a behemoth of a book, and probably overall the best work he’s done so far. $10


Update for 5/30/25

May 30, 2025

New review today for Transition Hacks For Ye Old Mascs by Leo Covault! That’s it for SPACE month, although if you think that’s the end of the SPACE comics you are completely wrong. But now I’ll also be mixing in other comics for review, which has also made me realize that I’m pretty low on other comics to review. Now’s the perfect time to send me some comics, as the line for reviews is currently very short. Happy weekend y’all!


Covault, Leo – Transition Hacks For Ye Old Mascs

May 30, 2025

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Transition Hacks For Ye Old Mascs

Please know that it is practically causing me physical pain to not be typing “ye olde” every time. No, I don’t know why I’m like this either. Leo had several zines at SPACE that looked interesting, but since they were a bit on the pricey side and since I got to his table late, I was only able to get one of them. Still, there’s a lot to love about this one. As the title implies, it has a couple of stories that involve hacks for people going through transition, with the slight practical problem being that they’re both older fairy tales. One is from 14th century Portugal, and the other is from a Romanian folk tale. The first story deals with a young woman who’s promised to a pagan king, so she… well, look at the sample image below. She’s given a beard, which gives her a striking resemblance to another religious figure, and her father takes the likeness maybe a bit too far. The second story deals with the daughter of an emperor who has disguised herself as a man to become a warrior. The king sent her on three missions, and she had no trouble with the first two. But the last mission involved stealing holy water from nuns that never slept, so once they found out what this warrior had done they put a curse on her. Little did they know that that curse was exactly what that warrior wanted, but hey, no spoilers (although you might be able to figure it out by the general theme of the comic). Funny, informative and with the some striking black and white art, it’s well worth checking out. Next time I’m going to try to find his table earlier, because my life will not be complete until I get his comic “Women Be Shopping.” $10


Update for 5/29/25

May 29, 2025

New review today for S. Padre Island from whoever makes the comics at Turtle House Comics. Their name, sadly, has been lost to history (when I went to SPACE last month).


Turtle House Comics – S. Padre Island

May 29, 2025

Website

S. Padre Island

There came a point in my search to find the creator of this comic where I had to just assume that they wanted to remain anonymous. I bought two of their comics at SPACE, and only this one had any kind of clue as to where to search online to find any more information. None of the websites I found with their comics for sale had names attached to it. So if that was your intention, mysterious creator, congratulations! You are anonymous. If not, then this is where I once again leave this lesson for comics creators: always make it easy for people who stumble across your books to find you online. The books are easy enough to find, so kudos for that, anyway. I’m rambling, but it’s yet another unasked for peek behind the curtain here at the reviewing factory. The comic itself is basic, but adorable (at least if you like dogs): a couple is on a road trip with their dog Derrick and they make it to Texas. I genuinely think the couple talk more to the dog than they do to each other, so dog lovers are going to find all kinds of stuff here to relate to. Sleepy dog, barking dog, swimming dog, exploring dog, rolling around in filth dog, you’ve pretty much got the whole spectrum of dog behaviors covered. I also learned on the website that they also put out the Dick Blaster comics, which couldn’t be any more different than this, so at least it’s clear that that company has range. But yeah, this is a cute little mini about a playful dog. If you’re looking for that, you’ve found it! $2


Update for 5/28/25

May 28, 2025

Like I’m going to go the entirety of SPACE month without reviewing a Brian Canini comic. New review today for Airbag #0! Also I finally did a control+f search for Brian’s name under the “review by authors” tab (highly recommended for finding comics you’ve never heard of, since the reviews start 24 years ago) and I do think he’s the overall winner of most comics reviewed, as this is #54, and it’s also not even including any anthology he’s in. Even John Porcellino barely cracked 30! So, congrats to Brian, I guess?


Canini, Brian – Airbag #0

May 28, 2025

Website

Airbag #0

How obsessively have you been following Brian’s career over the years? If your answer is not “just short of camping outside of his house (or apartment or whatever) to get the new comics as soon as possible,” then read on! This one collects four minis of his that are all out of print: Two Stories, Two More Stories, Three Stories and Four Stories. See the links on two of those comics? I already wrote reviews for those books, so I won’t be mentioning the stories in this review. But I thoroughly enjoyed most of them, so read the reviews if you’re curious. He was also nice enough to make those stories cover exactly the first half of this comic, which keeps me from having to do too much work keeping the stories straight. Especially since a couple of the other ones seemed familiar, which means I might have read one or both of those other minis and just not reviewed them? Madness. Anyway, first up is the tale of an overheard conversation on the school bus when Brian was a child (or he made the story up). It’s a ridiculously trivial thing for him to remember, but remember it he did, and he’s right: now it’s in my memory too. Next up is a young couple having a conversation about their relationship, which honestly wasn’t doing all that much for me until he really nailed the ending and made me think about the whole strip in a different way. Then there’s what I can only describe as a melancholic tale about a man attending the funeral of his mother and using that time to think about what it all means and if it’s all worth it, ending with a mundane scene at his job that feels like it’s answering the question for him. Finally there’s a scene set in the future (only noticeable because of the floating cars; I enjoyed the audacity of it) about a woman finally going to see her estranged mother while her mother is dying, with her daughters in the car peppering her with questions about the whole thing. Finally there’s a new strip on the back that I thoroughly enjoyed, and yes, I’m aware that I’m short a story in my previous descriptions. Think Pringles, and I shall say no more about it. I’m glad Brian put all of these stories in one place, as several of these were way too good to fall out of print. I’m thinking about his comic musing on the reason why he still makes comics in particular, but there’s more than that. Check it out, several of these stories are almost certainly new to you. $8


Update for 5/27/25

May 27, 2025

New review today for Crime and Punishment by M.S. Harkness! No, she wasn’t at SPACE, but I managed to get her latest comics while in Columbus anyway.


Harkness, M.S. – Crime and Punishment

May 27, 2025

Website

Crime and Punishment

Here I was thinking that M.S. was probably working on another graphic novel after the revelation that was Time and Tension, but my visit to Columbus for SPACE proved me wrong, because The Laughing Ogre had both a collection of six new mini comics of hers along with this single mini. She’s a comics making machine, and the comics world is better for it. This one is basically a travel comic, as M.S. was invited to the Angouleme comic show in France and took Emi Gennis along with her. So half travelogue comic and half buddy comic? Roughly, yes. If you’ve read this website for any length of time you already know my thought about Emi’s work, and if you’re new here I’ll make it simple and just say to buy some of her comics immediately. Anyway, this one starts off with M.S. in a good place; she’s recently engaged and is enjoying life in Columbus. They get to France and immediately check out the work of Julie Doucet, which is pretty much exactly what I would have done if given the opportunity. From there the two of them see the sights, M.S. tries to get one of her minis into a french shop (a saga in and of itself that I don’t want to say much about, but man what a satisfying conclusion to it), debated going to the Louvre, hit up a day spa, and of course went to the catacombs of France. You know, the ones that are full of stacked bones and I have to keep reminding myself that they’re real whenever I read about them or see them. I’d recommend this comic for the conversation between Emi and M.S. alone, but I also learned a few things about France and its architecture, so if you could even put this into an educational comics pile if you were so inclined. Anyway, read this and all of her other comics why don’t you? $6


Update for 5/26/25

May 26, 2025

Somehow last week got away from me, so I’ll end SPACE week how it began: with a review every day of the week, just like old times when I was still young and full of enough energy to do such a thing. New review today for Not What I Ordered by Matthew Northrup!


Northrup, Matthew – Not What I Ordered

May 26, 2025

Website

Not What I Ordered

Programming note: I couldn’t find a link to purchase this comic, so instead I’m linking to Matthew’s Kickstarter for a graphic novel he’s putting together, even though he seems to have hit his goal and then some. But hey, maybe it’s a good way to contact him about this comic too! Either that or through his Instagram page (also linked above), because this is a heck of a comic, especially if you’re either in Columbus or familiar with the area. It starts off with a dude name Robbie talking about his job of delivering food during the night shift, basically between midnight and 5am. As somebody who previously worked nights I’m a little jealous; it was fascinating enough to see who came into a hotel over the night shift, being able to see all of Columbus over those hours every night would be amazing. From there we have several full page images accompanied by text walls, and this is where the Columbus angle of things will hit you. The Short North, Cosi, even buckeyes get new context and a creepy backstory. Finally the back end of the mini shifts back to full comics, as we see somebody working the night shift at a bakery and finally a couple making it into their hotel room after a long day. There’s even a spectacularly creepy and completely unexplained ending, not that I’m going to touch it here. There’s a whole lot happening here and yes, I’d recommend checking it out. No price, so I’ll go with my default for unknown minis: $5.


Update for 5/15/25

May 15, 2025

New review today for The Light Outside the Window by Ben Wright-Neuman. Also sure, I may review the same names a lot (because they make so many comics), but both reviews this week were for brand new artists to the website, and three out of the five reviews last week were also for brand new people. So hey, I’m still trying to keep things interesting!


Wright-Heuman, Ben – The Light Outside the Window

May 15, 2025

Website

The Light Outside the Window

SPACE is a weird time to try to evaluate comic artists, because I might be getting their first comic, I might be getting something they’ve spent years working on, or a 24 hour comic, or anything in between all of that. Well, this particular comic is from 2015, and if I have Ben’s timeline right, he was still in school at the Center for Cartoon Studies at the time. So what, did I end up with somebody’s only comic again? Dear reader, I did not. He’s been putting out comics regularly since, to the extent that “minicomics” are just one category on his website. There’s a (pretty funny, from what I read) online strip dealing mostly with cons, a graphic novel, anthologies… the man is clearly putting in the work. But hey, we’re here to talk about this one! So since this is an early comic, is it a little rough around the edges? You know, not really. Maybe the line on his artwork has tightened up a bit since, but it’s not exactly terrible here. This is the story of a young woman who’s moving into her college dorm. She’s nervous, things are a little awkward, and eventually her first day ends and she goes to bed. It’s then that she’s woken up by a noise outside of her window, which turns out to be a restless ghost. She runs out of her room to get some answers and learns the whole story of how the previous building burned down and how her room was the only one that coincided with one of the rooms from the previous building. Well, her window, specifically. After getting the whole story (including what happened to a previous resident who tried to help the ghost) she’s left with the choice of what to do about it. Which is the conflict for the rest of the comic, so I won’t spoil any of it, but that last page is too perfect for somebody who was still in school at the time. It’s a really solid mini, so check it out why don’t you? Or if ghost stories aren’t your thing, the man clearly has a lot of comics to choose from. $5


Update for 5/13/25

May 13, 2025

New review today for Dirt #2 by Ethan Best, as it’s still all SPACE all the time at this here website.


Best, Ethan – Dirt #2

May 13, 2025

Website

Dirt #2

So I’m going on my memory of SPACE (2025, future readers) and I think that I mostly bought this book because Ethan had the worst table in the house and I almost missed seeing it on my way out of the con. I think! As has been established here several times, my memory is crap, so I could be getting him mixed up with somebody else. But if I’m not (and this was my original point, almost completely lost by now), I’m glad I ran into the guy, because this was a really great comic. An old timey mini, with several unrelated short stories in one comic package. With a fancy color cover; bonus points for using that color for an additional color comic on the inside back cover. You can see the story subjects on the cover, but the one with the werewolf women veered off in a wonderfully unexpected direction, the one where a dude woke up one day as Richard Nixon was full of surprises (and had a terrifying ending), and what could have been a grim tale of a young woman finally moving out from under the thumb of her controlling father still had a few laughs in it. Why yes, I do put a lot of stock in being surprised by a story after all of these years, why do you ask? Other stories not mentioned on the cover deal with a woman getting flowers for her husband and coming home at what was clearly an unexpected time, and the secret of one particularly successful major league pitcher. No more details for either, as I’m leaving that to the reader. As far as criticism goes, and this always come from a place of love and hoping for a better comic, but some of the spelling was rough. It happens, sure, but misspelling a story title in particular just looks amateurish. But hey, it seems like he’s really just getting started, so check out his stuff why don’t you? He also has an issue after this one, so he’s moving right along. $8


Update for 5/9/25

May 9, 2025

New review today for Blood Bowl by Lief Bennett! Would you believe that I had another comic all set to review (Save It For Later by Nate Powell), only to rediscover that I already wrote a lengthy review of it back in 2021. At least it was a library copy, so when I bought a copy from Nate at SPACE this year I didn’t end up with two copies on my shelves. Still, the ongoing replacement of my brain by this website continues. Happy weekend everybody!


Bennett, Lief – Blood Bowl

May 9, 2025

Website

Blood Bowl

Was this comic what I thought it would be based on that cover? Reader, it was not. I chatted with Lief a bit at SPACE, but as my memory continues to turn into pudding, the specifics of what Lief said to talk me into this specific comic are sadly lost to history. There were other comics at the table for sure, but here we are. This is actually based on a true story, sort of, as are most other “based on a true story” stories. There is a real storm sewer entrance in Columbus Ohio, but it’s called Gates of Hell on Google maps. A cooler name than “Blood Bowl”? Don’t make me choose, but Lief is nice enough to explain the reasoning behind the title in the afterward. Anyway, in theory a skaker died there in the 70’s (Lief could not find actual documentation of this), but this comic is more of a fictional cautionary tale. A group of kids decide to go exploring, then they’re given a choice as to which tunnel to explore, and I can’t say much more without spoilers. Except the whole “cautionary tale” part, I guess. It’s a fun story; my only minor complaint is that it ended kind of abruptly. Which, it could be easily argued, it kind of had to based on the premise. This is not specifically available through Lief’s website (which continues a rough reviewing trend for me this week), but I’ll bet if you asked for a copy that they’d do what they could to make that happen. I also think maybe I paid $5 for this but, again, brain bad. Give it a shot, learn a little about Columbus!


Update for 5/8/25

May 8, 2025

New review today for Mr. Rock and his Light Bulb Oven by Pam Bliss. Has she been making comics longer than anybody else at SPACE? She started in 1989, so you tell me, comics historians reading this that I just made up in my head!


Bliss, Pam – Mr. Rock and his Light Bulb Oven

May 8, 2025

Website

Mr. Rock and his Light Bulb Oven

What would a trip to SPACE be like without grabbing some of Pam’s new comics? As strange as not seeing Suzanne Baumann at one of these shows, but that’s another story and I’m guessing she’ll be back next year. This review is yet another chance for me to remind comics folks to make their comics as easy to purchase as humanly possible, but at least Pam does lay out on her website how to get her comics, general pricing guides, etc. I got two of her minis for $4 (well, $3, because I was down to three bucks at that point in the con, but I’ll pay her that dollar back next year), so I’m guessing you could probably get this one for $2. And if you’re at all a fan of the Food Network, there is probably a lot in here that you’ll find familiar. Not me though! I would basically only see that channel in waiting rooms. But a lot of personalities were named, so I’m guessing they’re real people, or slightly disguised versions of real people. This one starts out with the dialogue of a conversation between Pam and her husband (I’m assuming here, beware!) at a yard sale where he casually mentions that Mr. Rock definitely has an easy bake oven. And lo, a story is born! I’d completely forgotten that Mr. Rock was so tiny, so that was briefly shocking. The little man posts videos of him cooking things with this oven, eventually gets an offer from the Food Network, which leads to a whirlwind trip through some of the more embarrassing aspects of fame, all culminating in a food show fight. This mini is meaty, if that makes sense. Sometimes Pam’s books are quick stories, but there’s a whole lot going on here and, like I said, some familiar faces if you kept up with this sort of thing in real life. Check it out, send her some money! She’s only been making comics since 1989, so show some support already. $2(?)


Update for 5/7/25

May 7, 2025

New review today for Tongue-Tied by Chandu Tennety, as SPACE month (and also SPACE week specifically) continues!