April 27, 2010
Website
Vaudeville Comics
Is it OK for me to ask for more slapstick in something called “Vaudeville Comics”, or are vaudeville and slapstick mutually exclusive? I always thought they went together, but that front cover has the most physical action in the book. Anyway, this book is OK. There’s a tribute to Julius Schwartz, a great story about why he doesn’t do autobio comics, five four panel strips without a punchline for various reasons, and this odd little bouncing ball that’s on a couple of pages. Not sure what was up with that, as if everything in the world needs a massive reason for existing or something. I liked this one a bit more than the last one of his I reviewed, which I suppose is saying something. It’s only $1, contact info is up there.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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Ray-TV #2
You know, I’m getting more and more comics these days where my only reaction is “eh”. Not great, not terrible, just sort of there. Maybe I’m running out of things to say after writing a few hundred of these reviews, but I like to think that I have something to say for the really good stuff. This one was pretty dull at times and OK at others. Ray explains why his “publishing company” is called SRD Studios, has a time travel story with Ben Franklin, explains the difference between graphic novels and trade paperbacks for the people who actually spend precious moments of their life worrying about such things, and has some one page newspaper style strips. I read the first issue of this series and it didn’t do much for me either, but this guy has apparently been around a while and might have done some stuff that’s better than this, I don’t know. Not a particularly thrilling read for me, obviously, but I’m just a guy with a website. They’re $1 each and there are two issues out so far, send money to: 4050 N. High St. #33 Columbus, OH 43214. Or just e-mail him if you’re curious to see what else he’s done…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Wasted Potential
How exactly does Ray keep track of his comics? It seems like he has a new sampler out just about every year at SPACE, but as this one just has the name of his weekly comic strip as the title, us obsessive types get easily confused. This is a collection of some of his recent stuff (and you can see all kinds of it at his website) and, as is often the case with samplers, it has some decent stuff and some that’s not all that funny. Well, at least it’s not to somebody like me with a known aversion to most strip comics. Topics in here include freaking out a kid, trying not to think about monkeys, artistic expression, meandering, Thanksgiving dinner, and celebrating the new year. OK fine, it’s mostly funny stuff, the only one that didn’t at least make me smile was the one with the kid. You guys know the drill by now: check out his stuff for free on his site, if you like it see if you can send him some money and get some minis. This, I believe, was free at SPACE, so if you’re a cheapskate like me you can also always just wait to see him at a convention…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Empty Life #15
You guys were probably starting to wonder if I liked everything Mike sent me. Well, no, not exactly. This is a wordless story about camping and alien abduction. I was liking this a lot right up until the point where the alien ship took him away, then it just kind of fell apart for me. It’s part one of a story, so it’s possible that the next part could change my mind about this one, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to be doing another one any time soon. That’s what the website tells me, anyway. Like I said, it might change if it’s all one story, but right now… ah, you know what? I think Mike has earned the benefit of the doubt. I loved his story in Castration, I’ve never seen anything like #14 that wasn’t terrible (and that was far from terrible), so I’m going to let him finish this story before I talk shit about it. Does that mean I’m fired from my job as reviewer? Look upon my wishy-washiness, oh people, and despair! $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Empty Life #14
Mike has created a new form of comics called Hypotheticomics (which is a fucking fantastic name, by the way). He basically wrote the captions in what he calls a “free associative blitz”, then drew the pictures the same way, and he had his comic. It’s completely impossible to review something like this in any kind of conventional sense, so I’ll just tell you that I liked it. If I get the scanner I’m bidding on now I’ll have some panels up soon so you guys can see what I’m talking about. Right now all I can say is that this is unlike anything you’ve seen. Well, anything I’ve seen, anyway. There are a couple of tiny stories at the end too, but by then you’ll already either by won over or you’ll have thrown the book across the room. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Castration
Well, it looks like I can officially retire. Mike Tolento sent me some free comics to review. What’s better than getting free comics in the mail? And to have them be comics worth reading too, well, that was almost too much for me. I was having the hardest time writing this too because I went to his site (www.emptylife.com) to get cover pictures and spent about a half hour there and could have spent a lot longer. I got caught on this page that was all e-mails sent to his friend Paul from crazy ex-girlfriends and it was one of the better things I’ve ever seen. Anybody who has ever had a crazy girlfriend can relate to that shit.
I’m supposed to be talking about the comic here, aren’t I? Sorry. Castration is about women and , as the cover says, “why we love them and hate them”. One story by Mike Tolento and one by Sam Stern. Mike’s is called Artie’s Last Weekend and it’s all about a middle-aged man and his weekend. What he plans to do with it, what he ends up doing with it and how he deals with. Maybe my favorite of the books that he sent to me, although they’re all so different that it’s really hard to tell. The Sam Stern story (untitled, apparently) is about a man and his total bitch of a girlfriend. One of the better punchlines that I’ve seen lately at the end of it and a good short tale all around. It’s $1, just buy it and enjoy.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
The Pain Tree
“Angst-ridden” indeed. This is a collection of poems from teenagers, only one of them being Mark, about how bad everything is in the world and how man is destroying things. Which would be kind of dull after a while, frankly, without Mark’s drawing to liven things up a bit. Poems in here are about television, rain, pain, a polluted river, a fool, a mistake, and a savage beating, among other things. It’s worth the price just to see Mark’s interpretations, and there are some OK poems in here too, if that’s your thing. It’s $2, contact info is up there!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Things I Grew Up With in Vegas
Well, this might be the first comic I’ve ever seen where the title is longer than the actual comic. This is very very short, and the cover sample is only slightly longer than the actual cover. Like the title suggests this is a list of a few things he had growing up in Vegas. A fairly neat book, with some color on the inside. The problem is that there’s not much of a comic here, obviously, and if it’s too expensive you might not want it. If it’s cheap though, go for it. Contact info is up there, you should start with his book at the top and work your way down if you want to see what the man can do…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
35
So let’s say that you see a comic, with drawings of 35 different plants, with either a word of a phrase under each drawing that seems to be just the first thing Mark thought of when he saw said plant. Exactly how is the average reviewed supposed to comment on something like that? It was kind of interesting, I guess, but there’s nothing here remotely resembling a story, and that’s the kind of thing that I’m usually shooting for. Still, if you like plants, you could do worse than to check this out. It’s not actively bad or anything, it’s just hard for me to get too interested in this one way or the other. Contact info up there, $4!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Troy #2
I’m guessing this “#2” business just means that it’s the second in an ongoing series of profiles of people that Mark has known in his life, and I may even be right, but who knows? More importantly, who cares? This one is about Troy, a young metalhead Mark knew as a kid who loved to shoot things, drive erratically and play pranks on whoever they could find. Everybody knew somebody like Troy growing up (hell, I have a cousin Troy who bears more than a superficial resemblance to the guy portrayed here), or at least you probably did if you grew up in a small town. So, for everybody who fits that description, this comic is going to feel like a trip down memory lane. For everybody else, it’s the fascinating story of somebody who’s not quite a loser, but also still pretty far from being one of the “cool kids”. Great stuff, as has been everything I’ve seen from Mark so far. It’s… oh, let’s say $2, and contact info is up there. He has piles of stuff that you can order, just piles!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Malcolm #3
This comic is about Mark’s Dad and a variety of stories about him and his (Mark’s, mostly) family life. Stories in here include a fugitive hamster, suntan lotion in the eyeball, a u-turn on the freeway, a pus-filled welt, Rod Stewart, a dead parrot, being drunk with the wrong socks, Dean Martin and Bob the Slob. Interesting stuff, and I’m happy to see that there’s 2 other issues of this floating around at least. I’ve been nothing but impressed with this guy so far, and he sent me a pile of comics, so I should have an ample opportunity to check out a whole smorgasboard of his stuff. Contact info up there, or here, an e-mail!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
The Incredible F-Man! #1
One of the best superhero comics I’ve ever seen! Not to spoil my review in the first sentence, but there you go. For one thing, my god, that costume… he’s literally wearing underwear outside of his costume, has blocky knee-pads, flippers on his hands and feet, and a lazy eye. Can you come up with a better superhero? I didn’t think so. In this issue F-Man foils an evil plot that involves his double, saves Dionne Warwick and beats up a lot of people who never see him coming. Also, the sound effect “Smoosh” to indicate flying is nothing short of brilliant. I haven’t even mentioned the dialogue yet, mostly because I feel like I should leave something out of this wonderful thing to be discovered by you guys, who are going to buy a copy of this ($2) right now. No website or e-mail address that I can see, which is a shame, but here’s his contact info: 325 N. Adams St. Sierra Madre, CA 91024, phone number: (626) 836-2210. Wah!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Flip-Tard (with Esther Pearl Watson) Now Available! $6
Have you ever wanted to see Skeletor wearing a bikini? Or perhaps Michael Jackson with a robot body? Your dream has come true. Here’s the basic premise of this book: there are four panels on each “page”, cut separately. There’s artwork on the front and back of each panel, with all sorts of different people, animals and things involved. It goes about the way you would expect, with a head up top, a torso below that, legs below that, and ending with some variation of feet. And yes, there’s even text here and there, just in case you need that for this to qualify as a “comic”. This either sounds like a blast to you or it doesn’t, probably depending on your opinion of the previous work of Mark and Esther, but I liked it. It’s on that short list of comics that would be good to have hanging around your apartment if you were hosting a party, as drunks could have hours of fun with this thing. $6
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Comic Characters! Now Available! $5
Were you (or are you, I suppose) one of those kids who made up their own cast of heroes and villains while in school? Usually it would happen in lulls in class while you were supposed to be doing something else, or at least that’s how it worked for me and my friends in school. Chances are those notebooks are now long gone, but lucky for you Mark Todd seems to have not thrown anything away from when he was a kid. This is a fat book of poorly drawn oddballs, with a few thrown in here and there that still manage to be awesome. Giraffey, Splopy, Wobbler, Trylox and Sloth are some of the many highlights, but the stats accompanying all the characters are the real prize. Who are their friends and enemies? What are their special powers? How about their overall rating and strength level? If you’re looking for a coherent story, obviously this isn’t the place to go. If you’re looking to kick back with a bit of nostalgia and/or have kids, this book is a blast. $5
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Gringo
Damn my keyboard for not having the upside down exclamation mark! This is a huge telling of Nick’s trip through Mexico, stopping at all kinds of little cities (and places that aren’t even cities) along the way. He was nice enough to provide a map on the inside front cover, so I won’t list a bunch of them pretending that I have any idea where he was. Mostly there’s a lot of introspection, some meditation, a bit of intimidation here and there, and an almost complete loss of understanding of the “civilized” world, whicih is exactly what Nick seemed to be shooting for. These “travel diary” style comics are a tough thing to get exactly right (see Peter Kuper and Justin Hall for examples of just that), as people tend to either be too wordy or too sparse in the details of their trip, and Nick threads that needle beautifully. I love his complete lack of word balloons, how all of his thoughts are wrapped up inside of the images of his trip. Great, beautiful stuff, that artwork won me over in the last issue and kept right on going in this one. There’s also a funny Leonard Cohen story from an airport, just to name drop a little for the man. It’s $7.50, which may seem a bit hefty, but this is a hefty book, something that shouldn’t be missed by people who enjoy travelling vicariously through people like Nick.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Conversation #1 (with James Kochalka)
Blech. Sorry, did I give away my reaction too quickly? Let me set the stage for you: this is a comic with James and Craig, both drawing and lettering their own parts, talking about why they make art, the universe, and the necessity of restraining your imagination in art. That all sounds well and good, if full of the possibility of being deadly dull. But it’s not like the point of this book is to see how many things they can get to explode, so that’s OK. My problem with this was all the little cute characters, birds and turtles and whatnot, that they had littered throughout this book, I guess as a way to liven up the conversation. The problem with that, to me, is that they were incredibly annoying all the way through and most anybody who bought this already knew that this was going to be a conversation between these two and they didn’t really need the annoying sidekicks. I like both of these guys quite a bit, and this isn’t a bad concept at all, but they didn’t pull it off very well here. $4.95, it’s on the Top Shelf website if you want to see for yourself.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Bible Doodles
had no idea what to expect with this one. Sure, Chunky Rice looked like it would be a happy, funny comic (just going by the art, that is), but it was a lot more serious than I had anticipated. This one is Bible stories and it’s… funny. Go figure. It’s a funny, informative book. Honestly, I can’t wait to see anything else this guy does. He’s at the top of my list for cartoonists at the moment even if he hasn’t put out anything new in quite a while. Hey, I just read this one, it’s new to me. Here’s a website!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Good-Bye, Chunky Rice
This guy has to put out another book soon. This was the best thing I read last year and, judging from some of the “best of” lists that I saw, I wasn’t alone. It’s the story of Chunky Rice leaving his best friend to go on a journey that he can’t explain. Every character is wonderfully realized: the “girlfriend” he leaves behind who puts messages in bottles in the hope that they’ll reach him at sea, the man who befriends an injured bird to make up for his dog Chomper, even the sea captain who gave up on people long ago. I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s the kind of book that you can give to people who don’t read comics and have them accept it readily.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Amour #1 (art by Ezequiel Pineda)
Who likes love stories? Well, modern day love stories anyway, none of that courtship and romance crap. Or maybe I’m just projecting due to my own crappy love life? Drat, I’ve said too much. There are three stories in here, all about the very beginning of a potential relationship. First up is a young woman who’s trying to decide whether or not to meet an online acquaintance, somebody who has been sending her poetry and telling her about his day (and asking about hers) for months. Of course, who knows what you’re getting with an internet romance? Next is the story of romance at a loud concert, which limits the dialogue more than a little, as large chunks of story are taken up by people trying to “make some noise”. Damn kids with their loud music! Finally you have the story of two people, meeting by chance at a diner, who just happen to be competing for the same slot with a comic company. She’s cynical, he’s charming, how will it turn out� Overall this whole thing was a little too heartwarming for my taste, but feel free to attribute most of that to my mood. It would have been nice to have a bit of variation in the type of woman represented here as well (it turns out that women and men of all shapes and sizes fall in love), but all told it’s a pretty decent romance comic, if that’s your sort of thing. $3.50
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Posted by Kevin
