April 24, 2010
Listing of all his comics
A Dame to Kill For: A Tale from Sin City
The best limited series in the Sin City line, bar none. It’s a more complex work than most of the other books in the series, and that’s not to say that the other ones are simple, because they’re pretty far from it. If I had one complaint about this series, it’s that the protagonist almost dies in every series. Shot to pieces, no way that he could be alive, but hate always keeps him going. It’s not a bad trick, but it would be nice if Miller didn’t use it in every series. Anyway, this one has it all: Dwight (the only character featured three times), Miho (I’ve already mentioned that she’s my favorite character in the whole Sin City world), Manute, Marv… Listen, I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who haven’t read any of these series yet and don’t know where to start. I don’t know why you’d be reading just one review, but if you’re reading this one, this book is the one to get. Or Family Values, if you want to be a cheapskate about it.
What’s it about, you say? Well, Dwight apparently went through a lot of bad shit back in the day, so these days he’s living clean and not letting “the monster” inside out. A visit from a past lover (Ava) has him rethink this plan, and finding out that she’s in trouble only makes him more convinced. After all, she tells him that she still loves him, and he never got over her. It’s one giant book of twists and turns after that, so I’m not going to spoil anything for you. One thing I really like about all these series is that there isn’t just a simple formula that Miller follows. I mean, you could read the greats of noir (like Raymond Chandler, Jim Thompson, James Cain and Dashiell Hammett) and, for all their brilliance, some of them got a little lazy. There would, more often than not, be a easily identifiable part of the story where you could see a plot twist coming a mile away, and that just isn’t the case with this guy. Not that I’m elevating him to their level, at least not yet. The greats of noir got to where they are in history (or at least for the people who still read books) by being prolific geniuses whose work has stood up to the test of time. It’s yet to be determined if the same can be said for this stuff, but it’s sure great to be along for the ride trying to figure it out.
Comments Off on Miller, Frank – A Dame to Kill For: A Tale From Sin City | 
Reviews | Tagged: A Dame to Kill For, Frank Miller, Sin City | 
Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Listing of all his comics
Sin City
Frank Miller reviews are the easiest thing in the world to write. You either love him or you hate him, and nothing anybody says is going to change that. I happen to think the guy’s a genius. If you know the names Cain, Chandler and Jim Thompson, you’ll love this series. Comic noir at its best. This is the first one in the series and is the story of Marv, a pathetic character who falls in love with a woman who is trying to get him to protect her. He gets too drunk and she is killed while she’s sleeping next to him before he even knows he’s supposed to protect her and is framed for the murder, and that’s where the fun begins. The rest of the book is him trying to find the killer and the men responsible for it. One thing I don’t get, and I didn’t notice this the first time I read it: why was the girl, Goldie, killed? Was it just a matter of getting mixed up with the wrong crowd? Maybe I missed it, and I guess it isn’t a crucial element, but it seems like a plot point that should have been mentioned somewhere along the way. One possible knock on this series is that the main characters in a lot of the books are really similar. They’re all strong, imposing types who kick everybody’s ass while they’re doing whatever it is they’re doing in the series. I don’t think that’s true of the guy from A Dame To Kill For, but I’ll have to read them all again to let you know.
So do I think you should buy this book? If you like Frank Miller, yes. He’s at his best when he’s writing and drawing, and that’s what he’s doing on this series. I don’t know if he’s just taking a break from this to do the Batman book or if he’s done with this series. There’s only so many stories he can tell about this city before it gets boring, so I kind of hope that he moves on. I should also mention, without giving anything away, that this book has one of the best finales ever.
Comments Off on Miller, Frank – Sin City | Reviews | Tagged: Frank Miller, Sin City | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Listing of all his comics
That Yellow Bastard: A Tale from Sin City
It’s funny. I remember this as being possibly my favorite in the series, but after reading it again I’m going to have to take that judgment back. Too many near deaths for my liking. You just kind of stop buying it after a while, you know? I’m willing to let Mr. Miller take me on a ride, don’t get me wrong. My disbelief has been suspended many times by that guy and it probably will be again many times, but there are only so many times per series that the main guy can almost die. If you can get past that, this is still a good one, but it was impossible for me to get past it.
This is the story of the son of the most powerful businessman in town brutally raping and killing little girls and getting away with it because of his connections. One man stands up to him and is horribly punished for it. There’s a lot more to it than that, but the fun of these series is in being taken for a ride, so I’m not going to give anything away here. Lots of sex and mayhem and the story has enough twists and turns to keep me happy, it’s just the little things that bug me here. Maybe if the protagonist wasn’t around 60 years old when the series kicks off (and a lot older by the end), then I could buy this a little more. Miller just doesn’t seem to be able to draw anybody besides the same type of male that he always has, and this guy should look at least a little different from all those people. Possibly if the series was in color, but one of the things that makes Sin City work so well is the use of black and white and a whole ton of the solid blacks. In the end, this is an OK addition to the series but that’s about it. I guess the lesson here is to never trust my memory…
Comments Off on Miller, Frank – That Yellow Bastard: A Tale From Sin City | Reviews | Tagged: Frank Miller, Sin City, That Yellow Bastard | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Listing of all his comics
Sin City: Big Fat Kill
Dwight’s back at it again. He has a new girlfriend and the story starts off with his defending her honor the only way he knows how: by beating the crap out of everybody involved. I think Miller has a hard time drawing handsome male characters, because everybody in the book seems to think that Dwight is handsome as hell, but it’s kind of hard to tell when you look at him. Anyway, Dwight takes it upon himself to take care of the new problem that his girlfriend has, but she neglects to mention a vital fact about the guy who’s causing her all this trouble, a secret that could blow Sin City apart at the seams… don’t descriptions like that just bug the hell out of you? Anyway, it’s true, and it’s hard to think of anything destroying the “harmony” that prevails in Sin City more than the action in this volume.
It’s funny. This one has all the people that I loved in A Dame To Kill For and more. All kinds of action all over the place, Miho gets to really cut loose (although it could be argued that she gets to do that in Family Values), and it has probably the best ending of the series. What I can’t put my finger on is why this one isn’t my favorite of the bunch. It has all the ingredients, but it just didn’t completely blow me away in the way that some of the other volumes did. Which isn’t to say that it’s bad at all, as it’s a worthy edition to the Sin City story. It just seems like it could have been more. A couple of things bothered me, but they made sense in the story, I guess. Just kind of cliche when you look at the whole thing from the perspective of “all noir stories”. Saved from a bullet by a very obvious thing (not to give anything away) and the dead man having a conversation with him on a drive. I can’t see how the story would have progressed nearly as well without having the dead guy talk to him (it would have made for a dull car ride, that’s for sure), but… there’s just not anything in Dwight’s character so far to indicate that he would think he was talking to a dead man. It just didn’t ring true for some reason. All in all, a few minor quibbles keep this from being the best of the bunch. If you’re not as picky as I am (regarding what could be argued as a couple of very minor things to be picky about), then this could be the book that you like the best out of this series.
Comments Off on Miller, Frank – Sin City: Big Fat Kill | Reviews | Tagged: Big Fat Kill, Frank Miller, Sin City | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Listing of all his comics
Sin City: Hell and Back
Ah, the first computer revolt. I had this whole thing written, forgot to save it, and my computer locked up at some point after that when I was doing something else. Oh well. This volume is the story of a man who leaps off a cliff to save the life of a young woman trying to commit suicide and what happens to both of them after that. Wallace and Esther… not exactly names that inspire fear, but Wallace is probably the most capable of all the “heroes” in these books. It’s nice to see one of these books where the lead guy doesn’t almost die half a dozen times before the series is over with. This is also the largest of the series, clocking in at 9 issues (the longest one besides that was 6 issues, and this one also had one double-sized issue to boot). As for where this story fits in terms of quality with the rest of them, I’d have to say it’s right in the middle. For a lot of series that would be a bad thing, but there’s not a volume of this that’s anything less than slightly above average, so that still makes this a pretty damned good read.
The most disturbing thing about this volume, honestly, is all the talk that’s gone on about Frank Miller lately. I’ve heard for sure that he’s doing a Dark Knight sequel (and I mention my thoughts on it somewhere else on this page) and I’ve also heard that he’s doing more Daredevil stuff. That’s all well and good for Marvel and DC, but it sucks for anybody who’s a much bigger fan of his Sin City stuff than anything else he’s done. Sure, I liked the superhero stuff when I was younger, but I’ve outgrown almost all of that, mostly because a lot of it is just bad. Granted, this stuff will be better, but these are still guys running around in spandex. You kind of lose the ability to suspend disbelief about that sort of thing as you get older. It’s his life, and I’m sure the money is fantastic, but I think he’s making the wrong call. Unless he’s only doing this so he’ll be free to do whatever he wants with Sin City for the rest of his life, then I’ll be happy. Back to this volume. It’s always fascinating to see who you can recognize from previous Sin City volumes, and that’s certainly true for this book too. All kinds of familiar faces. There’s also a “trippy” segment that has to be seen to be believed. See if you can spot all the other characters he’s ever worked with, and it’s in color too. Like I said, not the best of these volumes, but any of them can be considered more than good enough to spend an afternoon reading.
Comments Off on Miller, Frank – Sin City: Hell and Back | Reviews | Tagged: Frank Miller, Hell and Back, Sin City | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Slab II
Oh glory be! I was afraid that John was just going to publish one issue of this, or at the very least that I would never see another copy, what with us being in different countries and all. Turns out that I had nothing to worry about, as Slab is back with a bigger issue this time. Three stories in this one. The first one is about Slab Rogers, Pilot of the Future. The second is another one that’s told entirely in symbols (about which I have to say that the man’s nothing short of a genius, if I’m allowed to call somebody that for using symbols instead of words). The last one is about Slab Marlowe in a parody of Humphrey Bogart and the old mystery movies. Honestly, I’m a huge fan of the middle story, which is basically the history of the world told in symbols. The other two have their moments (and are probably easier to write), but they just don’t have the same kick to me. Still and all, it’s a unique comic and well worth the $4 to check it out. Or if you’re in Chicago you can apparently find it at the good local stores (Quimby’s and Chicago Comics, along with others that I’m forgetting because I haven’t been to them). He has a new e-mail address, so send orders there, OK?
Comments Off on Miers, John – Slab II | Reviews | Tagged: John Miers, Slab | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Slab Comix #1
There’s something inherently beautiful about a comic done completely at work, using Microsoft’s Word and Paint programs and done with almost all “liberated” materials. That’s where this book came from. And there are times when that shows, when a book is crappy but it’s OK to like because it was done with so much spirit, but this book doesn’t have that problem. It’s the story of a, um, slab as he goes through his daily routine. As John says in his letter, it’s a tale of drudgery and failed romance. There were almost too many poop jokes, if that’s possible, but that’s the only mild complaint I have with the book. This is one of those where the word balloons are filled up with pictures, so no dialogue is ever actually spoken. It doesn’t matter, and honestly I can’t picture this story being told another way, so that’s a great compliment to John. This is well worth the $3 to check out. Here’s hoping he keeps that crappy job for a while so he can put out more comics! E-mail him for details or send money to: 66a Settles Street, London E1 1JP.
Comments Off on Miers, John – Slab Comix #1 | Reviews | Tagged: John Miers, Slab Comix | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
E-mail
Napalm Pinata: The Lost Years
One thing you can say about “best of” comics is that if they suck, chances are nobody is going to buy other issues of your comic. Why should they? You just put out a collection of the strips that you think are the best and the issue is lame! Not that that’s what happened here, I just wanted to offer a word of caution to comics folks to make sure their best stuff really is in their “best of”s. Ahem. So what do we have here? Mostly comics from Napalm Pinata #1-3, with some other stories from anthologies and whatnot. That story I raved about from issue #3 is in here (go ahead and read that review, it’s right up there, if you’re curious), there’s Bumble Doug, crazy Virginia, an escape from a demon using word balloons as actual balloons (a funny idea that goes on for a few too many pages), rearranging a sleeping man’s dream for maximum creepiness, an impassioned plea to let comics be fun, the best stories from #3, a Rabie Babie, and mentioning imminent death. Oh, and the first strip he ever did on the back cover, to give you a bit of historical context. I think he’s gotten better with each issue that I’ve seen, and it’s reflected here with the later half of the issue getting better than the first half. Still, this is a good career retrospective, and if you don’t like at least half of the stories in here you’re probably not going to like any of his stuff. This is about 60 pages so I’m thinking it’s around $4, but why not send the man an e-mail and find out?
Comments Off on Meyer, Doug – Napalm Pinata: The Lost Years | Reviews | Tagged: Doug Meyer, Napalm Pinata, The Lost Years | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
E-mail
Napalm Pinata #4 Now Available! $2
You know what I hate? Reviewers who start off with something like “This issue/movie/book defies description!” then go on to describe the item. Well, this comic kind of falls into that category, but here I go, blathering on for a few more lines. This book, unlike #3, is mostly one complete story (except for a tiny wordless story at the end about a pregnant clown). It helps the book out in a big way. It’s all about a… hm. Here’s where the trouble begins. See, there’s this light bulb, and it gets blown up to about twice the size of your average beach ball. Then animals are dropped into it, one by one, with the insanity increasing with each addition, until things boil over. How do these animals get dropped through a solid surface? How do you blow a light bulb up anyway? Who cares? This book is hilarious and ridiculous, and I’m happy whenever I get that combination in a comic. It’s available in grey, purple or black and white cover, in case you were curious, and contact info is up there. Oh, and it’s the first of two parts, meaning that there is a cliffhanger that I’m not going to give away. Tough luck!
Comments Off on Meyer, Doug – Napalm Pinata #4 | Reviews | Tagged: Doug Meyer, Napalm Pinata | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
E-mail
Napalm Pinata #3
I’m not sure what to make of this one. I enjoyed most of the issue, as it’s all a very random collection of jokes and short stories, but it wasn’t something that I thought was all that great. Then somewhere in the middle is the story that I sampled, and if you think the part that you can see is odd, you have no idea how much stranger it gets after that. To give you a hint, it involves a cat, an octopus and a dog and it’s one of the funniest stories I’ve seen in a while. It’s worth getting for that alone, but what else is in here? Well, there’s a man belching up a baby, a chick that mysteriously turns into eggs, a robot who finally gets off the assembly line, a tiger who turns his friend into money so they can be better friends… and that’s all I’m going to give you. Doug uses a few different styles here, as it looks like he’s just trying stuff out, but a lot of it works and the story about the guy who gets his brain replaced with eggs is priceless. E-mail the man and demand that he make more comics, OK?
Comments Off on Meyer, Doug – Napalm Pinata #3 | Reviews | Tagged: Doug Meyer, Napalm Pinata | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Mean Zine Submarine
Yep, once again you’re reading that cover right: by Herbie Meyer. Herbie, in case you didn’t read the review above this one, is the son of Christoph and, at 5 years old, got bitten by the zine bug but good. The actually preceeds the popsicle book, and has Herbie talking about all sorts of things. It’s also critic-proof, because who on earth is going to have anything bad to say about a five year old doing his first zine? Luckily it’s completely adorable, so no conflict there. And this is coming from a guy who’s becoming more and more of a curmudgeon every year, with “harumph” likely becoming a regular part of my vocabulary very soon. Christoph typed up most of the text in here (as Herbie is 5 years old and, oddly, only has handwriting slightly less legible than mine), but other than that this is all the work of Herbie. In here he writes about pirates, fish, an airplace, The Fruit and Liquid Store, crazy hat day, the barn and the silo, an abandoned house, the first day of school, and the dentist. Herbie also sent a letter to Andy Runyon of Owly fame and got back a nice sketch, which is reprinted here. Absolutely adorable and one of those rare books that can be read by people of any age.
Comments Off on Meyer, Christoph – Mean Zine Submarine | Reviews | Tagged: Christoph Meyer, Mean Zine Submarine | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Molly the Popsicle (written by Herbie Meyer)
Yes, this really is as adorable as it looks. Herbie, just in case you can’t read that scan, is the 5 year old son of Christoph, and they join together to tell the story of the life and death of a popsicle. Molly is loving life in the freezer until she is taken out and left on the kitchen counter… and completely forgotten. What follows is a slow melting of Molly, with the finale of a picture actually drawn by Herbie. Or Christoph has significantly less artistic ability than I had given him credit for, but I don’t think that’s the case. Christoph finally gave in and got a website (but still no e-mail), so at least now you can check out his stuff more thoroughly online. Granted, this may not be a literary acheivement of any staggering significance, but it is a cute and funny story, especially if you have kids around who still like to read comics. $1.50
Comments Off on Meyer, Christoph – Molly the Popsicle (written by Herbie Meyer) | Reviews | Tagged: Christoph Meyer, Herbie Meyer, Molly the Popsicle | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
A Safety Lesson With Natural Gas Joe
At first glance, this is a pretty simple little educational book about the dangers of natural gas. Actually, that’s what it is on second glance too. What makes this so wonderful is the most simple thing in the world: scratch and sniff. Christoph received a pamplet with this stinky icon and immediately asked for hundreds more so he could make comics out of them. The bottom line is that this is cute, funny, and quite literally stinks. I wish the guy would get a website or e-mail address but I also applaud his restraint in sticking to the mailbox. $1.50
Comments Off on Meyer, Christoph – A Safety Lesson With Natural Gas Joe | Reviews | Tagged: A Safety Lesson With Natural Gas Joe, Christoph Meyer | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
The Heart Star
What a wonderfully crafted little book. I get the impression that Christoph might have trouble drawing a real person, but who cares? This book is about a woman who commits suicide after the man she loves leaving her. Her head is buried and her body is burned because of an old tradition that says that the spirit could only rest in peace if the heart was buried apart from the head. Her heart wanders around, trying to find peace, and that’s all you’ll get out of me. I say this is wonderfully crafted because of the sheer effort he takes with this. Where the heart should be in the ground, there’s a little heart-shaped hole cut out of the pages. The heart in the spirit was colored red, although he missed it on a few pages, but geez, there were 324 copies of this made. That’s some serious effort, and that’s some serious dedication to your craft. Add that to the fact that the story is haunting and incredibly well done and you have a great comic. It’s $1.50, no website but you can send him money at: P.O. Box 106 Danville, OH 43014.
Comments Off on Meyer, Christoph – The Heart Star | Reviews | Tagged: Christoph Meyer, The Heart Star | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
What God Has Revealed To Man
On to my rambles in a second, but first, a brief history of the origins of this comic. I know, actual useful information in a review. Who woulda thunk? Christoph got a pamphlet in the mail with the title of the strip. On the inside all the pages were blank, as it was sent out by an atheist group. He couldn’t stand all those blank pages, so he filled it in and liked the results, and so a comic was born! Neat, huh? Well, I thought so anyway. This book is about a stick figure man who confronts God and asks what it all means. No, I’m not going to tell you what the answer is, that would give it away. It’s a tiny thing but I liked it and, like with The Heart Star, Christoph took the time to color some stuff in and put a little smiley face for the face of God. Contact info is down there, I think all there is is that PO Box, and I’m guessing this is, oh, let’s say $1.
Comments Off on Meyer, Christoph – What God Has Revealed To Man | Reviews | Tagged: Christoph Meyer, What God Has Revealed To Man | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Sad Animals
If you’re looking for truth in advertising, you’ve come to the right place. This is a collection of, well, sad animals. Sometimes it’s the domesticated kind of animal, although you’ll also find a monkey, some insects, a jellyfish, a koala bear, an owl, a porcupine and an owl. This comic goes by in a flash, but if you’re a fan of hilariously depressed animals, good luck finding a better example of that than this comic. I liked it, but that’s possibly just due to the fact that I never expected anyone to be able to capture the sad face of so many differents kinds of creature. It’s a little steep at $4, but that’s my only complaint. As for the sample, I really could have gone with any of a number of panels, but hey, what’s wrong with a sad rabbit?
Comments Off on Meuse, Adam – Sad Animals | Reviews | Tagged: Adam Meuse, Sad Animals | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Social Insect
Sometimes this website serves as the corniest wish factory possible. I wish that I could see more from Adam than some (admittedly hilarious) single panels of sad animals and presto, anther book comes in the mail. I would also like to formally wish for a few million dollars so I can retire and spend the rest of my life hunting obscure mini comics around the globe. Ahem, just testing. This is a collection of mostly introspective and occasionally conceptual pieces. There are simple statements of fact (like the panel with a rhino, elephant and hippo called simply “The Gray Team”), philosophical puns, a list of the important things that happen in darkness, a series of cars who spout platitudes, the difference between soggy and crispy worms, and what separates us. The only big story of the book deals with an adorably cuddly bear whose eyes have become gigantic. His perspective is skewed, as he’s both able to see nothing and everything in the same plane. It’s an interesting books though, all sorts of thought-provoking stuff in here with a wide variety of pieces. Worth checking out, although if your thing is sad animals specifically I suggest you get both minis on this page. No price, so let’s call it $3.
Comments Off on Meuse, Adam – Social Insect | Reviews | Tagged: Adam Meuse, Social Insect | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Cicada
Everyone, please read my review of Broken Fender before you read this. Trust me, OK? Done? Now you know how much I was looking forward to this one. I’m still going to get the other Broken Fender stuff he’s done, and I’ll still pick up anything else I see from him because I think that he has truly great things in him. The problem is that he didn’t come anywhere near reaching those great things with this one. For one thing, a book that’s over 100 pages should take you longer than 10 minutes to read, unless maybe you’re James Kochalka. I still like his loose drawing style, don’t get me wrong, and I know that the main character was tortured. It was just one of many things that didn’t ring all that true for me and, as always, who the hell am I anyway? What other problems did I have? Most of the major plot points didn’t seem genuine, or they seemed like cliches. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to ruin it for anybody who might like it. All I can do is reiterate that I was really looking forward to this and I was really disappointed. Make up your own minds. And buy Broken Fender, for the love of Christ, and wonder with me why this wasn’t as good as that.
Comments Off on Menjivar, Josue – Cicada | Reviews | Tagged: Cicada, Josue Menjivar | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Broken Fender #1
Can I just go out on a limb here and say that I like everything that Top Shelf puts out? Seriously, I’m having trouble thinking of anything from them that I didn’t enjoy thoroughly. This one is no exception, It’s an old issue, I know, and another case of me finding out about somebody well after everybody else has already told all their friends about him. Still, for those of you who missed him (and he’s still putting stuff out, I just bought an older issue), you’re in for a treat. You can read this thing pretty quickly if you want to, but I felt like I should take a break a few times while I was going through it. The sheer emotion on the pages was incredible. It wasn’t easy going from short story to short story when I was getting kicked in the teeth after half of them. He experiments a lot with his art too, radically changing his style for some stories. The tales in here are mostly about loneliness and desperation, which can become cliche pretty quick if they aren’t done well. No worries there. He was apparently good friends with Matt Madden, so he had a great teacher (Matt’s page will be up soon, I swear. The problem is that I only have REALLY old minis from him and I’m waiting until I get some stuff that’s actually still in print). Maybe he doesn’t know how to write a happy ending, but he honestly crams more feeling and heartbreak in every page than anybody else I’ve seen, possibly ever. I’m getting the rest of these from Top Shelf when I order more stuff, and I can’t imagine any of the other ones are worse than his first issue, so you can pretty much pick up any of them and hit the ground running. He apparently wants correspondence to go to Top Shelf (remember, this is from ’97, way back when not everybody in the world had an e-mail address and a web page), and you can order stuff there too. A couple of pictures this time, to show you how much I liked it.
Comments Off on Menjivar, Josue – Broken Fender #1 | Reviews | Tagged: Broken Fender, Josue Menjivar | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
April 24, 2010
Website
Monsters
Herpes! Did I scare any of you away? If so, it’s OK, you can’t get herpes from reading this review. Well, I guess it would technically be possible if you’re reading this at a public library, and a guy with herpes put his infected dick on the keyboard before you walked in and, after typing for a bit, you put your fingers on that cut you got on your lip the other night. Then you might get herpes. Herpes remains a shockingly awful disease in the eyes of a good number of people, as it’s incurable and can pop up at any time once you contract it. This graphic novel is Ken’s tale of going from a guy who made fun of people with herpes to a guy with herpes, and the transition is about as smooth as you’d expect. It starts off with cold sores and moves down to the vagina of his girlfriend, as you’d probably have to expect. Their life is turned upside down, as how do you react to something like that? Every sex act became a question and a hassle. The relationship quickly crumbled, or “quickly”, as it did take both of them a while to get over the fear that nobody else would ever love either of them again so they’d probably better stay together. They were quickly given proof that they were contagious (his ex gave it to her new partner), and Ken’s real life of shame began. He thought that he was utterly unworthy of love, a monster that existed solely to infect other people, and everything became a question. Should he even share a bottle with somebody without telling them? What about kissing? What if somebody snuck a kiss in before he had a chance to tell them? The guy tortured himself about it for years before finally digging into the scientific literature, and at that point it gets a whole lot less terrifying. A few numbers for you, oh readers, just in case you don’t buy this book for some ungodly reason. 75% of American adults have HSV (herpes), and 70% of new cases are acquired during asymptomatic shedding, meaning that the person has no visible signs of the virus. The main STD test available doesn’t even test for herpes because it’s so common. But hey, you may be thinking, I’ve never shown a symptom of any kind, and neither have the bulk of my friends, so that 75% is ludicrous. Actually, most of the people who get the virus don’t show any outward signs, often for their entire lives. You could get married and grow old without showing a single sign, then have an affair at 60 and pass it on to your new (though old, technically) lover. When it comes to herpes we’re all doomed. So fine, but isn’t there a comic in here to talk about? Yes, there is. Ken gets more than a little maudlin at times (hey, wouldn’t you if you thought your sex life was forever over?), but this book is packed with facts and sources for those facts. And did I mention that it’s funny? He’s self-effacing where needed, and it’s rare that you see such an honest journey of self-discovery without it being a TV movie. It’s never overbearing or preachy, and I just flat out learned a lot from this book while being thoroughly entertained. That’s a hard line to walk. As Jeffrey Brown says on the back cover, this book is required reading for anybody who has had sex, is going to have sex or wants to have sex. It’s just a fantastic book in every way I know how to judge ’em. $18
Comments Off on Dahl, Ken – Monsters | Reviews | Tagged: Ken Dahl, Monsters | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
