April 26, 2010
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Mint On Your Pillow #5
It’s been a long time between comics (at least the ones that I’ve seen), but Rebecca is still going strong. This is the most linear and coherent of the Mints yet, as it deals mostly with her time teaching art to small children of various ages and the hazards associated with it. Well, maybe not so much “hazards” as “shenanigans”. Those kids will eat anything. Also in here are stories about hanging out with her friends, drinking margueritas, making peanut butter cups, and some unfortunately tiny text here and there, but she says the pages are up on her website so don’t worry about it. One minor complaint: please make sure all the words fit on the page. I know this is almost impossible with some copiers (and/or the staff running the copiers), but I’m still not entirely sure what was said there on page 4. Something about watching cats. Regardless, good stuff again, and still delightfully cheap at $1.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Mint on Your Pillow #4 Now Available! $1
Hooray, I now have all of Rebecca Strom’s comics for sale! For anybody who’s interested, I said all those nice things about the other issues before they were for sale here, in case people think I’m just talking up the books that I sell. Just to clear up any confusion, however, all of the nice things I’m saying about future issues are going to be with the knowledge that I’m selling them. All clear? Good. Here’s another fine comic from this woman. About the only negative thing I can say about these is that they bear no resemblance to a coherent narrative, but that’s not the point (as far as I can see) anyway. Her books are a collection of thoughts and moments from her days, some memorable, some not so much. This one has snippets of waiting in line, wet socks, late night coffee, a fender bender, a bruised butt, the mob, changing the sheets after a breakup, and a few more things, but why spoil all the surprises? This one’s a buck, contact info is up there, unless, of course, you’d rather just buy some of her comics from me…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Mint on Your Pillow #3 Now Available! $1
Wow, if I had any doubts about whether or not my new scanner was worth the money, compare the samples to #3 for the rest of the issues on this page. Of course, the cover is really orange and not yellow, but I’ll take that over how bad the other samples look. I plan on re-scanning everything eventually, by the way, probably when I get my legs chopped off and I can sit around scanning stuff all day. Wasn’t I supposed to be reviewing something? Oh yeah. This is another solid issue of Rebecca’s book. She says in here that she thinks Jeff Brown is cute, so I think they should get married and have kids that do the best comics in the world. Hey. I’m thinking long term here. In here are stories about family, Halloween, Thanksgiving, writing letters, kitties, salt in coffee, and Elf World. I think her books manage to be insightful and adorable at times, which is an amazing balance in my book. I’m guessing this is still $1, and if you haven’t checked out anything from her yet, it looks like she’s committed (hey #3 of a series is impressive these days). She’s got some serious talent, so buy some of her comics!
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Mint on Your Pillow #2 Now Available! $1
It’s usually not a bad sign when the worst thing I can say about a book is that it’s too short. Well, I suppose I could also complain about the fact that it’s a bit hard to read in places but, as it’s a sketchbook at times (and obviously shrunk down for the format), that’s a minor thing. More of Rebecca’s musings and going about her day. In here she gets a new haircut, attends MOCCA in New York and takes an art history class. Again, these kinds of things might sound dull, but that’s just because I’m describing them. Give Rebecca a chance and you’ll see that’s not the case. The pages of this are yellow, in case you were wondering. I just decided that my scanner probably couldn’t handle it and you’d probably be able to see the sample better in black and white, so here you go. Everybody send her an e-mail, buy this and bug her to put out more comics!
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
Mint on Your Pillow #1 Now Available! $1
See? I told you I’d get around to this one sooner or later. Of course, you could probably find dozens of pages on here with some kind of a “I’ll review the rest of this stuff later, I promise” only to find that I’ve never updated it again. But enough about me and my laziness, this is about Rebecca’s other wonderful comic. I’m a sucker for the quiet ones, what can I say, and this one fits the bill. There’s a short story about letter boxing (just go here to find out what’s it about if you’re curious), plenty of stuff about how crappy work is and, boredom and random observations. She has an eye for noticing the simple and true things about the world and her comics are a perfect example of this. This one’s only a buck, I think you should get both of the comics she has available but, if you can only get one, get this one. Contact info is up there…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Becky in the Big Apple Now Available! $2
Stupid crappy scanner… There’s all kinds of autobio stories out there, and plenty of them are dull because they tell you way too much of a fairly dull life. Rebecca’s stories are remarkable because of what she leaves unsaid more than anything else. Her comics are a collection of flashes of her day. Just a little thing here or there and you don’t even realize the picture she’s painting until the book is done and you’re left with the much larger whole. The art is kind of scrunched in places, but that is my only very minor complaint with this. I thought this was an incredible book and I’m really hoping that she does more comics in the future. Here’s her website, check out some of her samples because I doubt if you can see much with my scan. Oh, and this one is $2, along with another one that’s $1 that I’ll get to one of these days…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website (where you can buy a few of these at least)
Bomb Time for Bonzo #5
The folks at Comixwerks sent me this last week, probably because they saw that I ran across the second issue of their series several months ago. I missed the ones in between so I’m not sure how much they improved in the other issues, but this one is significantly better than the second one. Layout, content, overall look… great stuff. Here’s a list of who’s in it and you can decide for yourself: Onsmith, Dylan Graham, Paul Hornschemeier, John Hankiewicz, Benjamin Chandler, Henry Ng, W. Lantz, and Matt Kapolczynski. As John Hankiewicz is my reigning favorite for the last few months, it follows that I’d have to love this book, right? Well, for once, yeah. There’s one page in the book that didn’t do much for me, but even that one was more of an “eh” reaction than anything actively negative. No, I’m not going to tell you which page. They still have at least a few more issues to go before they can challenge Toenail Clippings for best current anthology, but I can see how they could get there eventually. What are the stories about? Well, besides the samples, there’s not listening to your brain, dinosaurs sinning, a preacher, 9/11, and a living gingerbread man. It’s $2.50 and well worth a shot. Check out the website for ordering info. They’ve updated the site quite a bit lately, all kinds of samples and an interview with John Porcellino. What are you waiting for?
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website (where you can buy a few of these at least)
Bomb Time For Bonzo #4
Another theme issue, this one is all about Halloween. Onsmith does a great story about a couple of friends making fun of/admiring all the costumes they see. Henry Ng chronicles the adventure of Hate, Fear, Death, and Love all attending a party and failing miserably at their tasks. Jeff Stein does a mostly wordless little tale about the devil and love, and Benjamin Chandler retells an old folk tale. $2.50. so the price jumped drastically, but it’s regular mini comic size now instead of tiny. Another solid issue out of this crew. They’re breathing down the collective necks of the Toenail Clippings crew for best anthology in my book… Contact info is above and below.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website (where you can buy a few of these at least)
Bomb Time For Bonzo #3
It’s pretty easy to make fun of the daily comics the newspaper, granted, but that doesn’t make it any less funny when it’s done right. Benjamin Chandler, Henry Ng, Onsmith and Rachel Drew lampoon Mort Walker, Garfield, Dilbert and Cathy, respectively. Jeff Stein also does some “Love Is” stuff that isn’t familiar to me, but I stopped reading that crap years ago. It’s a buck and it’s funny. Do you need any other reason to check it out?
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website (where you can buy a few of these at least)
Bomb Time for Bonzo #2
Sometimes these little books are over with before you can form more than a vague impression about them. That’s the case with this book. I enjoyed it, but it was absolutely tiny. A story by Onsmith called What Porter Wanted, one by Henry Ng called Permanent Lesson (about a woman who thinks nobody likes her, my favorite in the book) and Is It Irony? by Benjamin Chandler. It’s only a buck, and that’s just right for something this small. Pick it up if you see it somewhere, otherwise you can order it on their website along with a number of other things, I’m sure. I just checked out the website and it has a fair amount of stuff on it, including samples of all of their work, if you’re curious. Kind of slow and not completed yet, but worth a look.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
The Bone Closet Now Available! $5
Hyberbole alert! This guy, after an admittedly short sample size, looks to me like a possible heir apparent to the legacy of Edward Gorey. If you don’t know who that is shame on you, as moody, atmospheric comics of all stripes owe a serious debt to the guy. Granted, Robert needs to beef up his shadows a whole bunch to match Gorey’s work, but luckily it’s already clear that he’s making his own mark on comics with these first two issues. There are three stories in here, all various degrees of perfection. First up is a tale about a young boy trying to deal with an infestation of zombies at his school, eventually finding out that carrying a creepy doll with a big head is the best way to keep the zombies away. Next up is the story of a young man getting told bedtime stories by his father, who has a disturbing secret. Any more than that and you’d probably figure out what that secret was, so let’s move on. Finally in this one is Russel, a story about a man who needs young women in love with him to voluntarily turn into trees so that he can live as a human. Really, this is a thoroughly enjoyable book for anybody who loves a good gothic tale, and even if that’s not your thing you might find yourself loving them after reading this one. $5
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
Herman Belquest Now Available! $5
Join Herman, if you will, on a mostly silent journey to the lowest place of his existence. The basic premise of this book is “Herman just lost [blank]”. The book goes through a steady progression of Herman losing his wife, job, and house, before things get a bit better before the end. In the meantime Herman deals with a cranky baby, a dishonest hobo, and a severely unsympathetic boss, among many other pitfalls. I loved how the only real dialogue was in Herman’s dream of a land of fudge, and even there he had to fight for his life. It’s a great comic from somebody entirely new to me, and it keeps the track record of the Short Pants books at an even 100% for sheer entertainment value. Well worth seeking out, and I have another of his books to put up here in the next few weeks for an even more informed opinion about the guy… $5
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
What Else?
One thing I can’t get enough of is when new comics creators, when they’re starting out, decide to tackle multiple genres. Whether it’s working out the kinks of just seeing which one they’d like to do the most, the results are pretty much always interested to folks like me who read a ton of these things. With this one Craig decided to tell the story of his Grandfather, from an independent young man to an old man who is fighting to keep his life. It’s a fascinating story, which I won’t go into here (why ruin it?), but one of the main pitfalls for a book like this is getting overly sentimental, which I’m happy to report wasn’t the case at all. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there’s emotion and sentiment here, as they should be. But it never gets to be overpowering, and you’re left with a fairly honest tribute to a man who definitely had a few failings. I also loved how the narration for this is told over a kitchen table, with different memories of how things really were thrown in whenever somebody brought it up. This is easily Craig’s best serious book to date, and it’s great to see him getting better and better each time out. Seriously, check out some of these minis before one of the independent publishers wises up and starts putting these things out. $2.50
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
Monsters Unleashed! #1
Man am I glad that there’s a “#1” next to that title. That means that there are going to be more of these! Or at least there will be if the unverse loves me. This is VERY much in the style of the old Tales From the Crypt books, which is great by me. Honestly, this is going to be a very biased review because I thnk that even if this book was blank, after a cover that touted “Zuto the Mighty” I was pretty much bound to love it. The stories in here include the real reason why a cheap and effective carburetor never got made, the debut of Zuto the Mighty, and, of course, Kahalith, Demon From the Nether Darkness. And I won’t ruin a single thing about any one of them, as they all have one of those endings that the EC comics were so famous for. I will say that this is now my favorite of his books, if that tells you anything. It’s $2.50 and it looks like there are even Zuto t-shirts at his website…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
Blue Collar #2
Well, any ambivalence I had about this guy has vanished after this issue. The bulk of the book is the Negotiator storyline, and while I’m still not sure where it’s ending up, it’s looking like the ride is going to be fascinating. Before that you had a wonderful “what if” kind of conversation about what would have happened in the Lord of the Rings world if the wraiths had found the ring before Frodo had even gotten started and how Orc society might have developed. Also in here is a short story about leaving the art room a mess and making excuses for it (the weakest of the bunch, mostly because it went nowhere, but still not bad), the sample and a different interpretation of The Scream by Munch. Good stuff all around, there’s some real potential here and I’m really curious to see where this whole Negotiators thing is going. $3 is maybe a buck too much for your standard black and white mini, but it’s a minor quibble. Contact info is up there!
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
Blue Collar #1
Ah, another #1 from somebody I’ve never heard of. Actually, Craig has a strip in the back of the book where he mentions that this is his first comic, so that helps explain why I’ve never heard of him. As for the comic, for a first effort, it’s pretty good. The dialogue was a bit too “comic-booky” at times (a quick definition of that, for those of you who think I’m just making stuff up, is dialogue that sounds like it would never come out of the mouth of a real human being), but that’s a minor complaint and usually something that gets worked out in a few issues. He sent me #2 with this and says that #3 is on the way, so chances are he’s already worked through that. Stories in here include a mooching roomate, Mean Muggin’, a tramp breaking up a band, the supervillain known as the Old Geezer, and the Negotiators. That last one was a pretty innovative story, all about a class of people whose sole purpose is to, of all things, negotiate their way out of trouble. One of them decides, after everything is pretty much settled on his world, to go somewhere else and see if he can help some other people. I’m curious to see where he’s headed with this, as this continues in the next issue and has some potential. Overall, some interesting concepts and a pretty good looking book. Here’s a website, this one is $3.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website
Neptune Now Available! $14
Hey look, it’s another fine example of that rarest of comics: a kid’s book that’s also fun for adults. OK, I have no idea if this was technically meant as a children’s book, but as it’s the story of a fifth grade girl, her third grade brother and their newly-found dog, what else would you call it? It’s not like Aron made it all dark and gritty to appeal to cynics like me, and it’s occasionally damned near adorable. And that “damned” is as close as you’re going to get to adult themes. Things start off with the fifth grader (Erika) being introduced to her new class, as her family has recently moved. Aron does a stellar job of drawing out the awkwardness of being introduced to a class of strangers and being asked to “tell us a little bit about yourself”, lingering on a few mostly silent pages of confusion. Erika decides to tell the story of how she and her brother (Patrick) got expelled from their last school, and here’s the traditional point in a review when I start wondering how much I should give away, as I’ve always thought that most of the joy in reading comics was being taken for a ride. Um, I don’t mean that in the “cheated” sense, I mean it in the “sit back and enjoy” sense.  I’ll just say that Erika’s story involved waking up to find a new dog in their kitchen (and being unsure if it came from their parents or just wandered in), reluctantly walking to school (as slowly as they can) after missing the bus, and being joined by their new dog on the road. THEN things get interesting. Aron does a great job of capturing both the conversation of children and their unwavering belief in things that are easily proven false, and then there’s that art. Just about every page has the same level of detail as the cover (minus the color, of course), and the occasional silent bits are allowed to stand out because of it. It really is that rarest of all things: fun for all ages. $14
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Big Plans #4
This one goes out to all the people who have ever had their laptops stolen, although I suppose it would work just as well for any old computer or easily identifiable item. This is the story of Aron’s girlfriend (?) getting her laptop stolen out of her house in 2006 and everything that came next. I love how Aron sets up his comics (well, the two that I’ve seen), as he really takes his time on the first few pages and really sets the scene. We see the cat wandering around an empty house and the already open door before the owner (Ariel) even walks in the door. It’s a little thing, granted, but attention to detail like that really goes a long way in my book. Ariel calls Aron, they make a police report but are under no illusions about actually getting it back. While looking around online a few days later Ariel notices what sure looks like her computer being listed for sale on Craig’s List, and the police are surprisingly willing to set up a sting to catch the guy. Well, it was surprising to me. I always assumed cops didn’t bother with stuff like stolen laptops, or at least not to the extent of dedicating half a dozen people to the operation. Anyway, a plan is laid out, a couple of undercover cops go into the meet in place of Aron and Ariel, and I’m confounded by not being able to give away the ending. We do get to see Aron and Ariel waiting in the back of the cop car as they hear what the cops are really thinking of the people walking by. Not unexpected, but stereotypes coming to life are always funny. It’s a good story. More than a little maddening for a number of reasons (related to the story itself, not the quality of the comic), but it was a real peek inside to this whole process. $5
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Zod #8
I’ve never bothered with any sort of formal ratings system on this site, mostly because I don’t think the vast majority of these comics can be boiled down as simply as “Great! 8 out of 10!”. That being said, if I had some sort of formal adorability rating, this one would have to be close to the top of the scale. It’s printed in full and vibrant color, which is rare enough in the mini comics world, and the drawings look at times like they were done by a small child with access to all the crayons in the world. I mean that in the best possible way, of course. Thanks to the handy recap at the start of the book (people doing serial comics, take note), we’re instantly up to speed on the fact that Odysseus is out exploring the universe with his assistant Lloyd, and Odysseus’s son Miles has gone out looking for his dad after being concerned with the wooing being done to Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, by penguins. This issue only deals with the men, as Miles falls in with a touring rock group who are also secretly super heroes on the side, and Odysseus and Lloyd confront a giant octopus who just so happens to be the son of Poseidon. A fun comic all around, this is also one that you could leave lying around for your hypothetical kids or younger relatives to read without a care in the world. That’s assuming that kids still read, and I have no information on that but let’s just say I’m not terribly optimistic. Anyway, it’s a fun read for those who aren’t in a completely cynical state of mind. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Zod #7
Boy, am I jaded. Whenever I see a comic as adorable as this (come on, just look at that cover) my immediate reaction is that it must be an ironically cute comic, not something that’s just what it is and not a parody of other cute comics. I have to say that I searched this for some trace of cynicism and I just couldn’t find it. This is the story of Odysseus and Lloyd exploring space, as well as Odysseus’s wife and teenage son, although we don’t see much of them in this chapter. I should point out too that despite the “#7” up there, this is the beginning of a new story arc, so new readers like me can jump right in. In this issue Lloyd takes a shortcut while Odysseus is asleep and they end up having to land on a strange planet. Luckily for them, this planet makes really great roast beef sandwiches, so there’s no immediate reason to leave. It’s a fairly tiny comic, but aside from the obvious cuteness, which manages to be cute without overwhelming any senses, it’s just a really gorgeous book. The inside is all in color, and it’s done exceptionally well. I don’t know where this story is going in the long term or if this style of art will wear on me (I doubt it from this issue), but this is fun little book, and it’s even something that you could leave around for whatever whippersnappers happen to be wandering around your house. $2
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Posted by Kevin
