April 24, 2010
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Michael Neno’s Reactionary Tales #1
First review back, so I apologize to all of you if this doesn’t measure up to my usual incoherent, rambling self. Hm, that might be a good thing. Maybe this will seem more focused somehow. Anyway, how about that Michael Neno! I didn’t know a thing about this before I bought it, but anything that can make me laugh in this day and age (it’s September 21st, 2001as I’m writing this, so you know what I’m talking about) is much appreciated. He has a bizarre sense of humor that fits with me. It might not with you, but I guarantee you’ll either love it or hate it. A Kirby-esque cover and some definite mainstream influence. This Eternal Flaw (about a canine man and his troubles) is hilarious, even if I get the impression that he’s making it up as he goes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it can get ugly for continuing stories. As long as it stays this funny it probably won’t matter much. Larvae Boy was great too. Ack, I feel like Bob Odenkirk reading to the blind guy in the Mr. Show skit. “Man, I wish you could see this, it’s so funny!” If you guys are looking for a funny book that has nothing to do with the real world or current events, here you go. The main stories are about a depressed boy who controls the insect kingdom and a canine man who can’t stop throwing acid into the face of a superhero. Funny shit.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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The Toy Box
Believe it or not, this is actually one of those rare cases where the cover scan is slightly larger than the actual comic. The actual comic is almost too short to talk about it, as it details a young boy putting all his dolls into a box and then having the box stolen by another kid running by. It’s cute and there’s a good punchline, so yes, it is worth sending him that $.50 if you’re so inclined. That and I loved all of his other stuff, so there’s plenty of stuff worth getting. My problem with Michael is that he always has the same stuff for sale, year after year that I see him at SPACE (this one is from 2003, I just missed it, probably because it’s so tiny). A brief trip to his website shows that he’s been busy, he’s just been doing stuff for another company, which is probably why the new stuff is never displayed at his table. I’m grasping at straws here, but the only other explanation is that I’ve been missing his new stuff year after year when it was right in front of my nose while he was one of the main people I was checking into every year for new stuff. That would make me an idiot, and that couldn’t be, now could it? Anyway, this is worth checking out, at least after you check out his longer, better stuff first. $.50
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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The Signifiers #1
Jack Kirby, eat your heart out. That sampled page below, the cover, the first fantastic page of this book (a close-up of a screaming man, so close that you can make out his back teeth), everything you look at screams Kirby while still sticking to a very clear (if a little hazy to the reader) vision. There are three stories in this book, and I’m starting at the back for reasons that’ll be clear in a minute. Last up is the story of the heat-seeking dwarf (the sampled image), who is held captive by a mysterious group and eventually makes his way free to a hippie commune. In the middle of the comic is a tale of invasion, giant guns and sudden love, all told in a different format (panel-wise) than the other pieces, and it’s the only piece in here that can be read by itself with any hope of understanding fully what’s going on. Finally there’s the bulk of the comic, the main story of the Signifiers. It turns out this story started in Reactionary Tales #1, which Michael put out something like 5 years ago, so forgive me if I’m a little hazy on how that connects to this issue. This story is a mess, but that’s mostly because we’re still mostly without context in this first issue. He very clearly has a master plan here (he stops the story briefly to map out the important parties, something that may have made more sense at the start of the comic, but who am I to judge?), and I’m happy to be along for the ride. What we do see in this issue is a society of freaks, a peace rally (in which a young woman gets transformed into a dog creature), some thugs try to exert their will with varying degrees of success, a mysterious Voyst is referenced several times, and a mysterious man in bandages becomes real. Like I said, it was a bit tough to follow (although if I wasn’t still in moving transition and could locate that older issue it might help), but I could stare at this art for days, and as long as Michael knows what he’s doing a little confusion from the reader in the first issue isn’t the worst thing in the world. He also has a letter’s page where he addresses some of the more confusing elements and shows that he does have a plan, and has no intention of letting so much time lapse between issues this time around. Sounds good to me, but forgive me if I’ve gotten a bit cynical about that claim over the 8+ years I’ve been running this site… $4.95
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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The Dream Project Now Available! $2.95
And here I was thinking that my trolling the store to find comics that were never reviewed might have been a waste of time. If I hadn’t, when would I have ever finally read some of these comics that slipped through the cracks? The last of Kelli’s book I had to review (the phenomenal Horrifically Complete Non-Winner) was done over a year ago, and here this one sat. This is, as you might have been able to tell from the title, a dream comic, with brief bits at the end about the nature of dreams and a bit at the end about the best way to lower dream recall, which is an interesting change from people who want to remember absolutely everything about their dreams. This is damned near a pitch perfect representation of a dream. Kelli’s focus will shift to a light, which leads seamlessly to her staring at a clock. Figures will remain throughout the dream (but they’ll age several years through the course of the dream), Kelli knows instinctively who is evil and who she likes, regular events of the time will get thrown in along with absurdities that seem perfectly normal, like Kelli asking for the rest of the water from the pool of the INXS singer who killed himself. It’s silly to summarize the story, as it’s a dream comic, but this does manage to maintain the bizarre consistency of a dream, the sense that everything comes together at the end even though there’s no logical reason for it to do so. For those of you who may have forgotten about Kelli on this page, or for you new folks who have never seen her stuff, take a closer look. At this issue, sure, but there’s a whole pile of goodness on this page. $2.95
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Invisible Momma Now Available! $1
Not sure how this one slipped through the cracks, as it was in the box of comics that Kelli sent me for the store months ago. it was kind of buried, I guess, but I think it means I’m just stupid for not seeing it. Oh well, now that I have seen it, how is it? Shockingly, as I seem to like most of her work, I like this one a whole lot too. This is the short story of the life of her mother, a life that Kelli hadn’t thought all that much about until she was out of college. This is set up like the sample, a panel per page with one drawing above it. If she hasn’t yet she should write some stories; she has a real gift for prose. This one is mostly a tale of regret about not getting to know her mother and confusion as to how to tell her about it, and at least a little bit of a sense of loss on what her mother had to give up to raise a family. Great stuff, probably her most powerful book outside of Three Questions For Daddy, and that’s other people giving quotes. $1
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Non-Winner #3 Now Available! $1
What do you like better out of a mini, one big story or a bunch of tiny, relatively random ones? Well, if it’s the latter, you’re in luck! And if it’s the former, well, expand your horizons a bit! This one is all over the place, and there are no handy little titles to let you know when the story is changing, so pay attention! In here she talks about her main memory of a dead Uncle, getting laid at least in part because of a dream involving Dragonball Z, her immediate reaction to the divorce of her parents, supporting the troops at Lowe’s, and still having regrets for tattling in the sixth grade. Oh, and more insecurity about having all of her good stories come from when she was in grade school and how her best years are behind her. I liked this one too, although probably not as much as the other two, if that means anything to you. Still very much worth a look, contact info is up there, this is $1 and it’s also available in the online store…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Non-Winner #2 Now Available! $1
Has everybody out there read Happy #2 by Josh Simmons? If not, you may be a bit lost on this one. In it, Josh has an extended rant about the state of autobiographical comics, from the quality of the art to the depth of the stories, to everything about them, really. I’d say check it out for yourself, even if you don’t agree with it there’s still the rest of an issue by Josh Simmons to enjoy. Anyway, this is mostly Kelli’s response to that rant, with all of her insecurities and fears about her own self-worth taking over. After that is a short story about the best response that I’ve ever heard to those annoying singing wall fish that were so popular a few years back. Great stuff again, although a much quicker read than the last one, not like that’s a big deal in any way. Contact info is up there, it’s $1, you can also find this in my online store…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Non-Winner #1 Now Available! $1
Blurb! That’s one problem I have with the fact that the online store shows a sentence or two, as now I’m apparently supposed to keep that in mind when I’m rambling and try to sum it all up in a brief soundbite, and I’m completely unable to do that. Sorry. I could just say “I loved this comic!”, which I did, by the way, and then go down from there, but that would indicate order of some kind, and I’m completely against that. Anyway, review, oh yeah. This is a dense collection of tales from Kelli’s life. The first half is about a summer vacation she took with her husband, then you have facts about her personal art history and going to art school, losing the Xeric Grant, being ugly (her words), and still being ashamed today of somethiing she said more than 12 years ago. Look, all I really want out of a mini that only costs a buck is that is be entertaining, and this has that, plus it takes a while to read (she uses a lot of text), PLUS it has a cover made out of what looks like coffee holder materials. Great stuff all around and cheap too, I only hope that the other issues of this are as good as the first one. Like I said, it’s $1, contact info is up there, or you can head on over to the store, where you can also buy it. You do get that I’d be saying all these nice things even if it wasn’t in the store, right? OK, good…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Three Questions About Daddy Now Available! $4
This is one of those times where a comic is a tactile experience, or at least the cover is. I really wish there was some way for you guys to feel and smell this cover. Scientists, get on it! The cover is made out of leather (or fake leather, I’m no expert) and this will remind plenty of people immediately of childhood and the wallet that your Dad always carried around. Kelli made this comic from the responses of 16 people to 3 questions: How would you describe your father, how would you describe your relationship with your father, and what’s your most outstanding memory of your father. Responses range from relatively flip to gut-wrenchingly honest, both positive and negative. I’ll be the first to admit to being prone to hyperbole with my reviews, but this is a fantastic comic about life, really, that’s not to be missed. Unless, of course, you’re one of those mythical people who has never had a single problem with your father and have no interest in people who have. This is $4 and is in my online store, or you could just click on the contact info up there and head to her website, where you could check that out and all kinds of other things.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Tomato Now Available! $1
Well, as you should be able to tell from that scan, this is a dream comic and, as such, might not make much sense in any kind of linear fashion. I think it would have been funnier if she had left out the fact that it’s a dream comic and let people try to figure it out for themselves, but I’m sadistic that way. This is about a young girl who goes to join a school for girls. Whether she’s a teacher or a student isn’t exactly clear, but we do know that she’s younger than the other girls. Anyway, she hears some scandalous stuff at lunch, then is mistakenly thought to have made a racist comment, and I’m on the verge of telling you the entire comic here so I’ll just stop there. Dream comics are always interesting to me because it’s a little peek into the subconscious of the author, however unintentional. It’s a shortie, sure, but it’s a good little book. Contact info is up there, or you could just buy this in the store, if you were so inclined…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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When I Was Brave
This is half of a split book with Robyn Chapman, just so it’s clear. It’s the story of Kelli from her first year of Junior High School, back when she was 12. It’s short, sure, but it’s incredibly dense for being such a tiny thing. It’s basically all about an old teacher of hers, an elderly (and possibly drunk) old black man who had no control of his class and was walked all over consistently. Kelli decides to tell him the truth when the class has him convinced that a test is supposed to be open book, and the rest of the book is about the consequences of her doing the right thing. I liked it. Liked the blocky art and I liked the dilemna of doing the right thing when nobody wanted her to and it might end up getting her punished. This is tiny, sure, but it’s worth checking out. Go to the website or send her an e-mail, I think this was $2. Sorry about the crappy scan…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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The Horrifically Complete Non-Winner Now Available! $13
Here it is, the perfect book for anybody who has ever enjoyed a good journal comic. Well, almost anybody, as I guess if you hated Kelli’s work for some reason this wouldn’t be for you, but what’s not to like here? This is the complete (as that cover may suggest) collection of her Non-Winner strip, done from 2001 through 2005. I’d never seen plenty of these, as she did most of these online, and it’s taken me weeks to get through the whole thing, as I’ve been picking it up and reading bits of it at a time. If you’ve ever read a journal comic and thought “what the hell were they thinking with this one?” or “this week’s strip looks like a complete waste of time”, well, Kelli is kind/neurotic enough provide commentary for every single one of these, going into details about her fractured family life and other personal details. At times the quality of the strips aren’t the best, as these were taken from her computer and some of these were designed with color or odd little tricks, but it’s only noticable on a very few of these. Topics in here include pretty much everything in Kelli’s life for those 5 years: family, married life, video games, comic conventions, dealing with publishers, hating (then eventually loving) Joss Whedon, and just about everything else you could think of. As for the commentary, I thought it would get on my nerves, but it ended up being completely fascinating. She adds all sorts of tidbits to everything, taking full responsibility when the strips sucked (mostly the “throwaway” type strips that she had to do while under deadline for something else) and adding relevant information to everything, including the awkward fact that her family did read her strip although she really, really wished they wouldn’t. For anybody who has ever wondered exactly what goes into making a journal strip, this is the perfect book for you. Hell, even if you aren’t even a little bit curious, you can still just ignore the commentary and enoy the strips. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable book, and it’s a damned shame that she decided to (temporarily?) give these up. $13
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Rummblestrips #2
Before anybody gets offended by the cover for some reason, I should point out that Joanne looks an awful lot like the woman in the center, except she’s been dressed a little more conservatively when I’ve seen her at conventions. This issue is a lot like the first, with a whole lot of dialogue and backstory for what looks a lot like a possible epic. Crash, who is very much not a robot, is on the run from somebody, and Rummble is trying to make a living through her writing while keeping a job where her boss walks all over her. Throw in some wacky cats, the editor for a porn magazine and a moron in the street and you have another solid issue. Things have to start happening eventually in the story, granted, but I’ll stick with my earlier claim that she has an incredible ear for dialogue and that’ll carry her far. It doesn’t hurt that the art’s incredible too. Check out the website, and if you’re incredibly cheap you can just wait a couple of years until the collected edition comes out, as I get the impression that she’s not going to give up on comics any time soon…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Rummblestrips #1
Looks like I picked a good book to read first from the Mid-Ohio Con pile. I don’t really know what this book is about yet. Almost everything is left a mystery, with this book basically introducing the two main characters (I’m guessing here) with no real word of who they are, what they’re doing and what’s going on. And you know what? I loved it! The vast majority of the book was spent inside Rummble’s apartment with her talking with the other, um, “person” on the cover, Crash. I don’t know if she was kidding or not but she mentions on the back cover that she’s going to be doing this for #100 issues or so, and I’m fascinated so far. The dialogue is witty and real, the art is great, and I’m more than willing to take the long, slow journey to see what’s going on here. Although, honestly, I’d be happy just reading the characters talking. I read almost the entire thing thinking that there wasn’t any real background story and I was still happy. Visit her website, check out what there is to see.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Fade From Blue #7
The thrill seems to be gone for me. Maybe it’s just that I wasn’t in the mood to read this, but I read it twice to make sure, and it just didn’t do much for me. Nothing much of note happened this issue, and Christa, for whatever reason, is starting to get on my nerves. Love the little advice columns that “Christa” writes in the back of the books though, so figure that out. In this issue Christa bitches about her life, Iya decides that she misses life as a doormat, Marit trains for The Big Moment, and Elisa is just kind of there. I know I’m being too hard on this, but I haven’t read any other issues of this for months and one issue doesn’t seem to hold up well. This’ll probably look stupid when the trade comes out and I give it a glowing review, but I have to work with what’s here. It’s still only $1.50 though, and at that price I don’t mind a so-so issue or two. Contact info is in the heavens!
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Fade From Blue #6
Was that me complaining about this story not developing quickly enough. Boy, is my face red. What you have in this issue is a whole bunch of things happening at once, some of which are still barely explained at all. The only problem with this issue is that it had too MUCH story at once and it took away from some of the wonderful dialogue we’ve been treated to in the first 5 issues. Looks like there’s no way I’m going to be happy with this series, huh? No, it’s just another example of how wishy-washy I am. I try to find something remotely negative to say about these guys because I feel like I’m being overly nice about them, then find something so minor that it later turns out that I didn’t care about it at all. Welcome to the world of my reviewing logic! Anyway, this is going to be a hit in a few years (assuming there are still comics in a few years), so check it out now while all the back issues are still cover price. Contact info is up there, of course…
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
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Fade From Blue #5
Maybe it’s a bit self-indulgent to review the next issue so soon after I reviewed the rest of the series, but I finally found this and was dying to read it, so self-indulgence wins again! My complaint about the story developing slowly was reinforced in this issue, but I’m starting to think that that’s not a bad thing. The art is gorgeous, the writing just feels real and it’s a witty, funny book. As long as they keep putting out an issue every three months or so they could keep dragging the story along until issue #100 or so and I’d still be along for the ride. The issue deals with the continuing problems of basically all of the women. Iya is practically suicidal, Marit is fighting the legal system and Christa has, uh, STD issues to deal with. If and when a big book of this is published, buy it and be amazed. If it’s not, seek out the back issues, as they’re all in print and all cheap at $1.50. Contact info is above, seek them out!
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Fade From Blue #4
What a great series! Sorry, that probably ruins the suspense of whether or not I liked the book. It's the story of 4 half-sisters, joined together when their 4 mothers all die under mysterious circumstances. I wouldn't even know this if I didn't read the synopsis at the start of the book, as it hasn't been mentioned much at all in the series yet. That's my only complaint about the book, coincidentally enough. I'm all for letting a story build up momentum slowly, but I read the first four issues all at once and it seemed like there's still a LONG way to go until a lot of major things are addressed. Hey, as long as they keep a consistent schedule (and it's looking bi-monthly to me right now), I'll have the patience to trust in their master plan. And did I mention how cheap these are? How many comics do you see with a color cover for $1.50? I'm not sure where a good starting point is... you might be better off waiting for the first collection to come out, whenever that is, and then pick up the issues from there. But what you have here are four distinctly different, vibrant personalities all trying to do their own thing, and the book is enthralling because of it. Check out the website, it's well worth the effort to spend a few books and get caught up with what's going on here.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Catching the Moon
Say whatever you want about the price of these minis, but you’d be hard pressed to find more gorgeous books than this guy puts out. This one is about two people on a date, talking about catching the moon. Did I mention that this is a wordless mini? Well, it is. Anyway, they go over how they could possibly catch it, and have a whimsical imaginary journey before they realize… well, that would be telling. This is full color all the way though and is listed as $5 on his website, but it could be that I have an older copy of this, as he’s said that he redid it. Like my review for his other book, these are expensive books, but it’s obvious that a lot of love went into both of these.
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Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Why I Like Bugs
In a perfect world this would be passed out to grade schoolers. It’s a great, cute little book about bugs, just like it says, with a beautiful painted cover. The painted cover is, paradoxically, about the only reason not to get this book because it raises the price to $5 and it takes about a minute to read it. Still, like I said, it’s cute and quickly informative. Check out his website for ordering info and so you can read several comics that he has online. What, I have to have a long review for every comic?
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Posted by Kevin
