Vonduskra, Greg – Tread #4

April 27, 2010

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Tread #4

It’s always a treat to get a new one from Greg in the mail. This one was mostly about his trip to India. A travel journal is kind of a different direction from him, but it was fascinating to read. He was traveling a few months after 9/11 and perceptions were (and maybe still are) different. His experiences around town are fascinating. It wouldn’t be a Tread comic without a few short strips though. You’ve got one in this book about the Smiths, one about him talking to Eddie Campbell, and a couple about robots. I think this is probably all around the best issue he’s done to date. Everything in here was interesting and well put-together, and I have a hard time asking for more from a comic. If this is my first review of mine of his work that you’re reading, well, I think he’s got all kinds of potential and you should be reading his stuff. You know, it actually sounds kind of bad to say “potential”, as that implies that he’s not doing great work now. He is and you should be reading it. Contact info is above, all you have to do is scroll up…


Vonduskra, Greg – Tread #3

April 27, 2010

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Tread #3

The latest from Greg Vondruska came today, and it’s a good one. He takes it in a slightly different direction with this one, veering a little bit from the introspection that was in the first couple of issues. Which is a good thing, as that can only last for so long and be entertaining. It’s good to see that he’s stretching. Lots of stuff about fish in this one, with one of the characters being swallowed by a fish and the other one meeting a school of talking fish underwater. Throw in a few stories about Peg Boy (not the band, and I wonder how many people out there will get that) and one about love after death and you have a pretty well-rounded book. It’s $3 and it looks nice. My opinion on this guy hasn’t changed, folks. He’s got some good stories in him and you should buy his stuff. Check the other issues for contact info, I’m too lazy to link everything again…


Vondruska, Greg – Tread #2

April 27, 2010

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Tread #2

#2 has plenty going for it too, don’t get me wrong. Manic Dreams, Sleepless Nights (about the protagonist’s intense paranoia of cops and his descent into temporary madness) is great, as are a few of the shorter pieces. Check out his website for more samples of his stuff. If you want to buy these, send money to Greg ($5 for #1, $2 for #2) to 16812 Landings Pte. Lne. #304 Tampa, FL 33624. Or e-mail him and ask what he’s up to. Basically, these were two thoroughly entertaining books, with #2 maybe being a little bit weaker because it’s shorter. Not much to complain about here, folks.


Vondruska, Greg – Tread #1

April 27, 2010

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Tread #1

One of the quotes on the back of #1 talked about the lyrical quality of his writing, and that sums it up as good as anything. He actually puts lyrics in #1, maybe he’s a musician, I don’t know. If he’s not he should think about writing songs. What about the comics? His strength lies in his longer stories, at least that’s what I’ve been able to tell from the stuff I’ve seen so far. A Token and Two Bucks (you can see half of it here, by the way) is fantastic, although it doesn’t come close to The Death of the Reader. Was that one ever nominated for anything? Anybody? I know it’s an older piece, but that should have been a comic exclamation point right there. It’s the story of a man who has given up on painting, which was the only thing he ever wanted to do, had a job that he hated and was recently divorced. Then he spots a mysterious book store that he had never noticed before and I kind of thought it was going to degenerate into a “mysterious shop” story. You know, the kind where the shop appears out of nowhere, our hero goes in and gets something, usually for free, and when he goes back to ask about this item he finds that the shop is gone. Not the case, as the shop owner charges a whole lot for the book that he gets, which has these strange symbols on every page… If you want to know more than that, buy the first issue. That’s the stronger of the two in my opinion, which almost isn’t fair because it’s so much bigger than #2.


Volozova, Olga – The Airy Tales

April 27, 2010

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The Airy Tales Now Available!  $15

If you were one of the 100% of people who saw that title and thought, “Huh, that sound like ‘fairy tales'”, give yourself a pat on the back.  This is essentially a book of fairy tales, but told in Olga’s unique, um, airy way.  It does too make sense!  Everybody and everything in these stories seems to float along, sometimes literally so.  This is broken down into chunks, and those chunks are broken down into smaller pieces that make up the chunk, but almost any short piece in here could be read all by itself and make perfect sense.  Stories in here include the only man who is able to see the strings guiding all our choices, a man who lives in and is made out of rain (and his meetings with various people who come to him for help), a small town that lives on giant leaves from a tree and how they rise or fall based on what’s on their leaf, a man who comes to town with only a rooster on display and the attempts of the townspeople to make sense of it, the birds that control the strings mentioned above (also what they’re made of and who’s in charge of them), a man made entirely out of ice cream and the reaction of his doctors, a sad man who finally gets a smile but has it worn down by people asking him why he’s so happy, the relationship between a crow and a lamp, a snow hat, a man who is always losing everything, and a series of one page pieces in the back that shall remain a mystery.  Briefly describing each of these stories doesn’t do a thing to convey the constant sense of wonder and innocence that pervades this book.  It really is a children’s book in the strictest sense of the term; I can picture kids being fascinated by the utter unreality of many of the stories in here and the breezy art that accompanies them.  That man made out of ice cream desperately trying to save himself from all the lickers, the way that the crow and the lamp are both determined to prove that they are more than a number, the sad man who is finally happy getting beaten down by society, there are some brilliant touches in here.  I was afraid after her other comic that this might be a meandering mess, but that’s far, far from the case.  It’s a damned near perfect book of modern fairy tales and is one of those rare “good for all ages” books.  $15

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Volozova, Olga & Juliacks – Rock That Never Sleeps

April 27, 2010

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Website for Juliacks

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Rock That Never Sleeps (with Juliacks) Now Available!  $6

Ah, interpretive comics.  The perfect chance for me to look like a complete doofus trying to interpret them.  There are two stories in this comic, and both of them deal with memory loss.  Olga is up first with the story of a town that is slowly losing its memory, the woman who put on the puppet shows in the town, and how said puppet makers go about trying to get their memory back.   Honestly, it’s less a comic than a children’s book, although the line is blurry.  I demand at least one word balloon to call it a comic, although I do realize that I’m alone on that one.  I do love her use of words, how phrases and concepts float through the panels, and the totally unique way that she draws throughout her text boxes.  Oh, and I just flipped through the story again and saw that there was one word balloon, so I’m happy to call this a comic and kill off this controversy that I started a few sentences ago.  The other story is by Juliacks, and it cycles into this story in an odd way.  This story happens in 2196, has flashbacks to slightly older times and is much more subjective than the previous story, meaning that I’m still having trouble unpacking the damned thing.  The art is much more open that Olga’s.  The pages just feel bigger somehow, even though that makes no sense at all.  Both stories obviously deal heavily in memory, what holds memories together and what makes them true, so if you’ve ever had any interest in the subjects (and who hasn’t?) you’ll probably find something thought-provoking in these pages.  $6

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Vigneault, Francois – Friends #3

April 27, 2010

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Friends #3 Now Available! $4

I may resort to gushing in this review, which I apologize for in advance, not because I’m sorry I like the comic so much, I’m just sorry about the gushing; it’s unseemly. This whole issue is dedicated to the story of the Jacks from the previous issue. They deal with crushes, friendship, reality and when exactly it’s time to leave a town. One of the Jack’s is set on leaving, while the other has known for a little while that he doesn’t want to go (mostly because of a crush on a girl) but hasn’t made that information known. Gah, every time I think of a point I want to make I realize that it’s ruining something about the comic, and I enjoyed this so thoroughly that everybody should be able to read it without much of a preconceived notion, or so the logic goes in my brain, anyway. Francois bemoans the fact in the back of this that it took almost a year to get this issue out, but sometimes that’s a good thing. There are layers and layers of meaning here and the art has made another leap forward. There’s also a pretty through synopsis to start things off, so it’s not the end of the world if you missed the last issue. Absolutely, positively essential reading. $4


Vigneault, Francois – Friends #2

April 27, 2010

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Friends #2

Well, the second issue is usually the one that convinces me of a book, and I’m officailly won over with this one. It’s not a continuing story, by the way, so let’s establish that right now. The first story in here is about two guys named Jack who want to join a card counting scam in Vegas. One of the Jacks hates everybody and sees the value in keeping this information secret before they leave, the other one has different ideas. The second story (or really series of stories) is about some of the various crushes that Francois has. The fascinating thing about this, besides the fact that I love the hopeless crush stories anyway, is that the subjects here know that they’re going to be in a comic, and they know why. Or at least they do eventually, but I may have said too much already. There’s a bit of sloppiness in the early crush stories, but as they’re called “sketchbook confessions” I think that’s allowed. That’s as close as I come to criticism here. A thoroughly enjoyable comic, which is the reason I keep doing this website. $3


Vigneault, Francois – Friends #1: Speak Now, Or Forever

April 27, 2010

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Friends #1: Speak Now, Or Forever

Sometimes the simplest stories are also the most enjoyable. This is about a guy who meets a girl on a bus from Chicago to L.A. Sounds simple enough, or at least it probably does if you’ve never met a girl or a guy on a bus, train or other random place where you only had a finite amount of time to get to know them. The art is a bit raw here and there, and yes, that cover is off-center, but this is also his first comic (or at least I got that impression from the letter) and those kinds of things tend to work themselves out after a few issues. The important thing is that the man can write, as it would have been really easy for this to slip into silly melodrama or “woe is me” stuff. Never happens, and it’s a pretty damned good story because of it. This is the first in a series; no idea yet if it’s one big story or just little ones under the same title. I should have the second issue up here in a few weeks, which should clear that mystery up. Until then check out the website, unless you don’t like comics. $4


Riverwurst Anthologies – Riverwurst #5

April 27, 2010

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Riverwurst #5

OK, there are two possible ways for me to review this book. One is to treat it as just another anthology, and on that front it’s not bad at all. Fairly typical, actually. A few great good stories, a couple of crappers, and a whole bunch somewhere in the middle. The other way I could review this, however, would be to see it as a piece of political protest, an informed piece of dissent, and on that front it pretty much sucks. Is there a single good political comic being done out there? I don’t mean the newspaper stuff, I mean a regular, independently published small press comic. There’s nothing new in here about George W. Bush, and most of criticisms are simple, easy jabs about him choking on a pretzel or being a small man with a huge ego. That’s great, but I’ve seen it done a hundred times, and most of the book has nothing to do with GW. So why the cover? Were they just trying to cash in on the flood of anti-GW books out there? If so, kudos to them, but you should at least make the entire book about the guy and his administration, and do some research! I know it might be a bit boring, but there’s plenty to nail the guy on that doesn’t involve just calling him names. Most of the usual suspects are here from the last two issues, which automatically means that a lot of talent was involved, and I have to repeat that this is far from a bad anthology. It’s just that one look at that cover gives you an entirely different impression of what you’re going to get on the inside, and it’s hard to consider that anything other than a disappointment. Contact info is up there, this is $3, check out #4 if you want to see what this crew is capable of when at their best, and I’m perfectly willing to accept the hypothesis that I didn’t like this book all that much because the artists didn’t tear GW apart nearly as much as I would have liked to have seen, especially after the election…


Riverwurst Anthologies – Riverwurst #4

April 27, 2010

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Riverwurst #4

It’s always great to see a good random anthology. Seems like these are a dime a dozen, but real quality books are always hard to come by. Here are some familiar names from this website, at least: Nick Jeffrey, Larned Justin, Jen Sorenson, and Jenny Gonzalez. All kinds of good strips in here from people that I’d never heard of too, and a former sex worker who had an essay about how great boobs are, Candye Kane. What’s the book about? Well, you can read the cover for a few themes (it’s magazine sized, I just shrunk it down), but it also has Pickle Dude by Ben Liesch, a story about the ironies of eating meat from Jeremy Kirk, tattoo revenge by Bill Krupinski, some old strips from Denis Kitchen (you know, the guy who ran Kitchen Sink Press), a couple of incredibly funny strips from Dug Belan, and a disturbing story about a young girl who wants to be a robot from Heather Shinn… and that’s only the the first half of the book. Great stuff all around, probably the best anthology I’ve seen so far this year… but it’s early yet. Here’s an e-mail address, #3 is available too, and this is a great way to spend $4 if you like comics.


Riverwurst Anthologies – Riverwurst #3

April 27, 2010

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Riverwurst #3

Man, I was expecting so much more from this one. I read #4 before #3, in case you were wondering, and this was an issue that was all about Halloween. I was really expecting great things from this one, and instead I got a mish-mash. Certain stories are pretty funny, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a lot more poetry in this one, and at least one of the poems looks like somebody had those poetry magnets and just threw it onto a page. Not that I’m an educated critic of poems or anything, but blech. A lot of the same people are in here that were in #4, but I’m much too lazy to type them all again, so scroll down there if you’re curious. All in all I’d say you should get #4, as that was a solid, thoroughly entertaining anthology, while this one was your typical anthology: a few good stories, a great one or two, but mostly it’s not worth the time or effort. Oh, stories in here include zombie love, old Denis Kitchen stuff, eggs from hell, a bad dream, demon night, aliens making fun of Earth, piercing humor, a punk rock zombie, and the true story of Satan. $3, contact info is down one title, and get #4 instead!


Panel Anthologies – Panel #11: Work

April 27, 2010

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Panel #11: Work

The Panel crew is at the point where they could coast. They have a solid, consistent group of contributors, a near-limitless capacity to come up with new subjects for the individual issues and (I would hope, anyway) a group of people who will check out any future issues. And still they manage to keep everything fresh, starting right away with the packaging. Yes, that is a plain old interoffice envelope, familiar to any of us who have spent any time in an office, signed apparently by all the creators. Inside of this envelope is a series of individual mini comics (and one printed on a large sheet of paper), meaning that they can all be sold by the creators individually at cons or whatnot. To top it all of is the “memo” inside, an introduction to the comics, using all the appropriate buzz words like proactive, impactful and synergistic. An instant work of art, and I haven’t even mentioned any of the comics. The big sheet of paper is Broken, a silent story by Brent Bowman of a repairman witnessing the end of a relationship. Next is All in a Night’s Work by Dara Naraghi & Matt Kish, another silent tale about a day in the life of a henpecked knight, and you know I’m going to love anything that gives Matt the chance to draw dragons and various odd creatures. Pyramid Scheme by Brent Bowman & Sean McGurr is a tale of a man trying to convince his friend of the validity of his pyramid scheme, and this comic is actually shaped like a pyramid, although this point I think they’re just flaunting their creative awesomeness. Craig Bogart is up next with A Strange Farewell to Reginald Everbest, in which the people of a town don’t show enough respect when the town mortician dies, leaving the dead to rise up and do it themselves. Molly Durst has Wink! Wink! An Interview Gone Wrong, in which the interviewee has a nervous twitch that makes him wink, but I’m not going to spoil the punchline. Finally there’s Goby by Steven Black & Tim McClurg, another silent piece, and the one that made the least sense to me. There’s a little fish, see, and it gets thrown back after getting caught by a fisherman. Then said fish is swallowed by an octopus, which gets captured and cut up, which reveals the fish, which then transforms into a mermaid, and then time moves forward about 50 years, bringing a snail onto the scene… Sorry, that one lost me. It looks gorgeous though, and that has to count for something. The fact that this is still going strong at #11 is impressive as hell to me, as is the fact that you can pick up just about any issue of this series at any given con and expect a quality anthology. $4 and worth every penny…


Panel Anthologies – Panel X: Sex

April 27, 2010

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Panel X: Sex

Well, it’s about damned time they got to sex. I can see where they’d want to wait until #10 though, so I suppose it’s excused. My instant complaint: there’s surprisingly little nudity here. Except for a few stories, most of it is tastefully covered up. My opinion: if you’re going to have a book about sex you’re automatically going to offend people, so go for the gusto. Plenty of stories in here though. There’s Tony Goins & Steven Black with Dual Cultivation showing two blind people trying to reach a higher state of being through sex. Then there’s Dara Naraghi and Matt Kish Weird Sex Stories with probably the most graphic piece in the book, a foul thing involving alien porn that probably scarred me for life. Dirty Cop by Craig Bogart and Dara Naraghi has one of the funniest death scenes I’ve ever seen because really, why take it with you? Readers of this comic will get that and possibly guffaw, everybody else, well, maybe you should check it out for yourself. I’m still not completely sure what’s going on in Spent, the two page spread by Tom Williams, but I should probably still be offended. The After Kind by Dmitry Sharkov deals with love through assassination, maybe not the strongest piece in the book but not bad for a first contribution. Mr. Love by Tony Goins, Ellen Armstrong, Dan Barlow and Tony Goins (whew) have probably the strongest piece in here, dealing with various cupids trying to make love happen, how some people don’t know who they are yet and how love can actually hinder them from figuring that out. Sean McGurr & Tim McClurg have a short anecdote called Third Moon From Endor, only loosely related to sex but the punchline is worth the ride. Backstage Pass by Dara Naraghi & Andy Bennett deals with a succubus (sp?), but luckily she’s after an asshole, so all remains well with the world. Finally there’s The Garden by Brent Bowman, where all the crazy sex happens. It’s a brilliantly filthy retelling of the creation myth from the Bible, a story I thought was impossible to tell from a fresh perspective at this late date, and how the snake fucked it up for Adam and Eve because he wasn’t included in all the crazy sex. This is $5 and I think it was put out between SPACE conventions, meaning that there’s going to be yet another one when SPACE 2008 hits in a couple of weeks. Kudos to these people and their committment to quality work, I wish more anthologies were as consistently enjoyable as these.


Panel Anthologies – Panel #8: Travel

April 27, 2010

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Panel #8: Travel

Once again, nice work with the production value here. As the theme is travel, this is made up like a passport. The usual cast of suspects are brought together here again, which is quickly becoming a good thing in my book. First up, by Sean McGurr & Tim McClurg, is Good Humor, a shortie about a language barrier and ice cream. Next is Random Encounter by Tony Goins about a, well, you figure it out, at a rest stop in Ohio. Craig Bogart’s Fat Man Walking is a delightful story about losing hope in the people of this country, getting it back and then losing it again while trying to walk across the country. Matt Kish’s story is probably my favorite of the bunch (this is becoming a pattern), as he tells the story of a man who gets killed and all the crap he goes through before coming back in Round Trip. Uprooted is a sweet, melancholy little story by Matt Kish & Steve Black about all the places you once lived, who lives there now and what exactly is “home”. Bystander by Dara Naraghi & Andy Bennett is all about pictures of various places around the world that all have the same mysterious man staring at the author. Transcendence by Steve Black & Sean McGurr deals with wanting to leave the physical world and the dangers of doing so (although I have to admit the punch line was lost on me). A Day In West Virginia by Tony Goins & Dan Barlow is about a man who hangs out at a rest stop all day, watching the people, trying to figure out the concept of “home”. And finally there’s Tom Williams, who at this point is literally mailing it in, as most of his Vegass was done on the backs of postcards. Another solid anthology, and if I have to bitch about one thing it’s that some of the pages were awfully light. But that’s just if I HAVE to bitch about something…


Panel Anthologies – Panel #7: Luck

April 27, 2010

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Panel #7: Luck

Yes, I do intend to go back and fill in the Panel blanks, but this is the most recent issue, so why not review this one? Once again it’s a solid anthology, and I think three solid ones makes a pattern. Before I get to the comic, kudos on the production value and the intro and bio pages. It starts with a fake chain letter type thing, typos and all, and ends with astrology signs for all the creators that had me laughing out loud a few times, and you can’t beat that. I particularly recommend the Gemini entry about Craig Bogart, if you happen to have a copy in front of you. First up is Luck Pusher by Sean McGurr & Tim McClurg, about the dangers of trying to buy luck off the street from a dealer. Next up is The Ineffables: Dumb Luck by Craig Bogart, which contains the best argument I’ve heard yet against advanced humans from the future coming back and killing the asshole currently in the White House before he damages everything beyond repair. No Such Luck by Dan Barlow is a wordless tale about luck, crime and karma all in one. One In A Gazillion by the inimitable Matt Kish tells the story of the journey of a seed thoughout the universe and its chance of survival. The System by Tony Goins & Tom Williams is probably the strongest of a very strong bunch of stories, about a man in the future whose every move and thought is closely watched by the government and their futile attempts to bring him constant happiness. The Twilight Order: Thief Of Fortune is a futuristic story of drugs and luck, and the effect one has on the other. Seriously, for an anthology, there’s not a bad piece in here, and I continue to regret crapping on some of these people in earlier reviews as it sure seems like they have their collective acts together now. Oh, and it’s a measly $3, available up above or yearly at SPACE, which is one of the better cons in the country and something more people should consider attending…


Panel Anthologies – Panel #6: Music

April 27, 2010

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Panel #6: Music

Well, here it is, the last of the Panel books. For those of you who read webpages like normal people (i.e. down from the top), this obviously isn’t the last of the Panel books, just the last one that I’ve gotten to as the designated rambler about such things. So, no new Panel reviews until 2008, when there will be a new one (right guys?), loosely held together by another mystery topic. Once again, the presentation for the book is fantastic, as this one is packaged like a record (kids, ask your parents. They were kind of like a DVD, but bigger and more resistant to scratches). First up is Muted, a story by Tony Goins and Dan Barlow dealing with a young woman trying to get used to being suddenly deaf who gets a chance to try to physically see music. Next up is Effigy by Tom Williams (if my crappy memory is correct, I think he’s in all of these books), in which a young woman tries to come to terms with an old, lousy relationship with a musician. Andy Bennett has Jackie Plays Piano next, a piece about a blind woman who plays the piano to feel. Craig Bogart breaks up a book that’s starting to feel maudlin with the next story about homeland security trying to deal with a plane that’s sure to crash due to the excessive number of musicians onboard. Dara Naraghi has a piece with text and pictures next about an outdoor techno music festival, which sounds roughly like hell on earth to me, but Dara manages to make it seem fun. Finally Sean McGurr and Tim McClurg have Man In The Mirror, a cautionary tale about bringing dates back when you have to deal with a roommate. Overall I didn’t think it was the strongest Panel of the bunch, but it’s up against some pretty tough competition and there’s still plenty here to recommend it, particularly the first and last stories and the Craig Bogart piece. $3


Panel Anthologies – Panel #5: Myth

April 27, 2010

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Panel #5: Myth

I don’t think a scanner can adequately convey how great that cover is. That rip you see is an actual rip in the cover, which leads me to believe that these were either a huge pain in the ass to produce or they’ve found some way to easily tear the covers of all the copies of this issue. Either way kudos, and we’re also treated to different interpretations of the cover inside by all the artists. This issue deals with something I spent a fair amount of time with in the ancient days when I was in school: mythology. Craig Bogart sets the bar pretty high with the first story, a whodunnit it involving Jesus, Hercules and Odin all as suspects as to who murdered a very annoying bird. Next up is The Sun-Mother’s Home by Dara Naraghi & Andy Bennett, detailing a journey by a group of people who have been cast out of their home and the legends they tell along the way about the origin of the earth. Tony Goins follows with a story called America, abiout our future wars, what we have to do to get out of them and how we’re doomed to repeat the same stupid mistakes we’ve been making for years. Glenn Brewer’s story about the origin of the seahorse is gorgeous, although a few of the finer points might have been lost on me (it was one of them there silent stories, all kinds of room for interpretation). Matt Kish has the visual highlight of the book next with what is essentially a series of giant trading cards with various characters from his own Spudd 64 mythology. Tom Williams is then kind enough to wrap thiings up with a story about a guessing game among the gods. Oh, and in case you can’t tell by the scan, this issue is huge, magazine-sized. All in all, once again they’ve put together a solid anthology on another interesting topic.


Panel Anthologies – Panel #4: Home

April 27, 2010

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Panel #4: Home

One of my favorite types of comic is the anthology, the problem being that’s it’s sp rarely done well. The average anthology has a few stories that you like (if you’re lucky), a few you don’t and a bunch somewhere in the middle. Panel, from what I’ve seen so far, is all about the stuff that you like. First up in this one is a wordless story about the average afternoon of a cat by Andy Bennett, which is wonderful unless you’re one of those weird “dog people” I keep hearing about. Next up is a story by Tim McClurg about Chubby, a horribly ugly new restaurant that must pay for existing, or at least it must pay if a bunch of drunk young men can manage it. Then there’s Matt Kish with a wordless tale about the last moments of a dying astronaut, done only as Matt Kish can (those of you who read Spudd 64 know what I mean). Craig Bogart, in probably the best piece of the book, confronts his wasted potential after reluctantly returning home after his father is murdered. Sean McGurr & Dan Barlow tell the story of Sean adopting a baby from China and the fears he has about her growing up, wondering which is her “home” country. Finally there’s Tom Williams, who seems to have too much talent for his own good, breaking up some of the more somber tones of the book with his tour of his apartment, MTV Cribs style, featuring a homeless Sebastian Bach and Tom desperately trying to kill squirrels. Great stuff again, and I have two more issues of this to come to test my theory that these people really have their act together with the concept of the anthology. $3, plus $1 for postage on any of these, but you can see that for yourself by clicking on that website up there…


Panel Anthologies – Panel #3: Space

April 27, 2010

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Panel #3: Space

That cover is a whole lot cooler if you can see the woman whose arms are wrapping around the cover, but what are you going to do? This is an anthology from creators in Columbus Ohio with a loose theme of “space”. That can be taken many different ways, and is in a wide variety of stories. Dara Naraghi & Tom Williams have a fantastic story of the juxtaposition between space exploration and war. Glenn Brewer has a good shortie about, um, well, read it for yourself. Sean McGurr & Steve Black take Zeno’s Dichotomy Paradox and run with it (literally). Tony Goins & Andy Bennett have the highlight of the book with a story about a random hookup at a party and what happens when you run into that person randomly the next day. Or at least what happened that time, but it’s just a frank and honest take on the whole thing that it became my favorite in this book. Craig Bogart has a giant smashy alien, and Dansen Stahl & Tim McClure have a wraparound for many pages about unintentionally interlocking conversations on a busy city street. Really the perfect anthology, as nothing was anything less than interesting, which leads to a great reading experience overall. Check it out, they have other anthologies from past years available too, and I’m curious about them now. I think I was kind of harsh on at least some of these people in their individual comic, but now I feel compelled to pick up some other issues and give them another chance (everybody should know by now that I’m always willing to read other issues from people I previously panned, as that’s the only way I’m going to have an informed opinion about anybody, as it’s impossible to discard someone based on one book). OK, ramble over, here’s the website, it’s $3, check it out!