LeVine, Jeff – Watching Days Become Years #1

April 24, 2010

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Watching Days Become Years #1 Now Available! $4.50

For anybody who’s not sure about how I feel about Jeff’s work, scroll down and read the other reviews. It was one of the first reviews I did for the page because I wanted to make sure that everybody who hadn’t heard of him would at least see him here. I think a bunch of these have been put up on his website over the last few years, so chances are you’ve seen some of them, if you visit his site on a regular basis. Trust me when I say that the whole is better than its parts. Not that the parts were bad at all, but there are also a few new strips in this. I’m of the opinion that Jeff can do no wrong, so if you’re looking for an unbiased review, you might want to stop reading now. Maybe his work will start sucking when he becomes fat and happy later in life, I don’t know, but for now he’s doing some of the best comics around. They’re all about simple things. Walking down a road, spending a day off of work doing nothing at all, sitting around feeling lonely, just little things. He has an amazing ability to slow everything down in his world and capture it on paper, which helps everybody reading to think about their own life and where it’s going. Turns out that it’s OK if it’s not really going anywhere, as long as you’re still able to stop and enjoy the little things. It’s great to see him getting published again and I think everybody should buy a copy of this. I have selfish reasons, of course, as I really want to see what kinds of comics he would do if he was rich and famous. This is $4.50 and worth every penny. I’ve already mentioned this, but a lot of these comics (and many others) are up on his website.


Leoncini, Mike – Crash of Metal #1

April 24, 2010

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Crash of Metal #1

OK, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure if this is #1 or just a preview of #1, but does it matter? Didn’t think so. Anyway, Mike seems to be looking for the most negative quote he can get from every review, so how about this: Even Jesus couldn’t love this abortion of a comic. That’s not how I actually feel about the book, but it’s a pretty good negative quote. More of the same misery here that you could see in #0. Ways that Mike could die, why girls don’t like him, why everything is so shitty… You know, I’d love to see him put together a happy-go-lucky story about moonbeams and unicorns. Sure it would probably suck, but a little bit of variety might help his growth as an artist. As for the content, it’s pretty good for what it is, although good luck reading this without finding something in it that’ll depress you. I chuckled once or twice, proving my morbid sense of humor, I guess. This is probably a buck or two (any more than that and you’re getting ripped off, there’s not much to it), contact info is up yonder…


Lee, Rainer – Super Whiz #1

April 24, 2010

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Super Whiz #1

It’s a damned shame about this book. I really, really wanted to like it. Rainer has a fairly unique take on the punchline, with it often blowing up into a grand spectacle in place of what would probably be a fairly cliched finale. The trouble is that it’s often the same punchline and/or joke: poop. Poop in various forms can be funny; everybody knows this by now. But when you feel the need to throw it in constantly, at some point I have to start thinking that Rainer doesn’t have much more than that to say. This is a collection of gags and short strips, the funniest being the adventures of Tuxedo Bandit, mostly because he does nothing but harass an evil professor. Even that degenerates into constant poop jokes after a few adventures though, sadly. If this comes across like I’m some puritan who can’t stand scatological humor, wander around the website a bit, it should be fairly obvious that that’s not always the case. And I did laugh out loud a few times while reading this, always the sign of a successful comic, or at least the sign that there’s some serious potential here. I guess what I’m trying to say is: try harder next time, dammit! $3


Lee, Rainer – Tuxedo Bandit #3

April 24, 2010

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Tuxedo Bandit #3

According to Rainer it’s been about a year since he sent the last issues of this series and, not to be mean about it or anything, but I can’t see any reason why this took so long.  The bulk of the book is just Tuxedo Bandit and Dr. Klaw talking; I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that Rainer has cut and pasted the images of their faces over and over again.  Then you throw in the couple of pages that are solid black (the power had gone out), and this is definitely the least visually interesting issue of the series.  Then again, the writing has certainly improved and he even manages to draw lips on a few occasions, so it looks like the art has gotten better as well.  It’s hard to be sure when these two are trapped in their apartment most of the time.  There’s a pile of stories in this one, but they’re mostly connected by a central idea: these two come up with increasingly ridiculous ideas and get increasingly large piles of money from Hollywood for them.  Other than that you have Bandit planning a surprise party for Dr. Klaw (with Klaw standing right there), Klaw denying his love for The Rock (the wrestler/actor, not the movie), the British Knights car, blind rowboating, 3-D potato chips, and Bandit finding a cat in the trash.  Still plenty of poop for you diehards (if there is such a thing as a poop diehard), and still plenty of funny bits.  A little more variety in the visuals would have been nice though.  Price is still a mystery, I’m sticking with $4.

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Lee, Rainer – Tuxedo Bandit #2

April 24, 2010

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Tuxedo Bandit #2

It’s pretty much always a good sign when the second book in a series takes whatever criticism I may have had of it and disposes of it in the first story.  My complaint was “too much poo” for the first issue and, don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming that I had anything to do with this change, as these two issues came together and I really hope I don’t have that kind of power to influence the creative types anyway.  Ever, I mean.  I’m a guy with a website, people, let’s keep that in mind.  My only “qualification” to do this is the fact that I’ve been reading comics for 20 years or so, and good ones for about 12.  Clear?  OK, anyway, the first story in this issue deals with the fact that Tuxedo Bandit is constantly crapping on Dr. Klaw.  Dr. Klaw finally reaches his breaking point, a therapist is called in, and Rainer manages to hilariously dispose of all the crap jokes in one four page story.  All of the pieces are longer this time around, and Rainer manages to go for the cheap laughs all over the place, making this is a much better overall comic because of it.  There’s a story about the two of them trying to make some money selling an Alan Arkin autograph, Tuxedo Bandit going on a blind date after getting caught masturbating, Dr. Klaw getting fused with a suckling pig, and Tuxedo Bandit becoming a poet.  At the very end there’s also one last poop joke but, as it’s at the end of the book and not surrounded by a hundred other poop jokes, it’s pretty damned funny.  So overall I’d have to say to pick this one up over #1, as this one actually fleshes out the stories while maintaining the funny.  Of course, if all you’re looking for in a comic is nonstop poop jokes, chances are you’re going to feel like Rainer “sold out” a bit on this one and with that he would go back to his funnier stuff.  There’s just no pleasing some people.  Again with the no price tag, again I’m guessing $4.


Lee, Rainer – Tuxedo Bandit #1

April 24, 2010

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Tuxedo Bandit #1

Well, I said it in my earlier review of Rainer’s work: the bits with the Tuxedo Bandit were the funniest in the book. So how does as entire book of Bandit adventures hold up? Eh, maybe best left in smaller doses. I still think that Rainer has serious potential, and, as at least a few of the stories in here were also in Super Whiz #1, I still have a whole other issue in my comics pile to see more of his work. I love the completely random observations and the bits of pure meanness on display (like the page I sampled). The trouble is, well, every strip ends pretty much the same way. Tuxedo Bandit abuses Dr. Klaw, physically and mentally (honestly, maybe it would be better to read the whole book as a repressed gay love story), then either convinces or forces Dr. Klaw to eat his shit. Mildly funny once or twice, after that a new punch line is needed. Again, it’s the random observations that save this comic. The last strip of the book involves Dr. Klaw falling for a woman at a scientist convention, and Tuxedo Bandit has some priceless conversation with the woman before Rainer wraps things up (and four whole pages with no poo!). The best bits of this comic almost always involve them getting out of the house, as those are the stories where shit doesn’t have to be the fall back punchline. Still, the image of the Tuxedo Bandit showing up for dinner with Dr. Klaw holding flowers is pretty hard to top. As I seem to be going around in circles here, what’s the verdict? Plenty of funny here and it’s worth a look, but you’re likely to get a bit bored with the repetition before it’s all said and done. No price but that’s one fancy cover, so let’s spin the “guess the price” wheel… $4!


LeCrone, Dean – Explode

April 24, 2010

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Explode

Who loves gag books? Well, if you don’t, this is going to be kind of anti-climactic. If you do love them, this book is for you! It’s teeming with gags, and while some of it may seem a bit dated (Jar Jar Binks being brutally murdered in many different ways, the trials and tribulations of Hanson), it’s mostly a pretty funny collection. In here you have the longest strip ever made about the quest of a young child to have a cookie before dinner. Well, if not the longest strip, definitely the most violent. There are also comics about a vanity ass, the biggest zit in the world, letting the terrorists win, an old woman trapped in a car, Insane Joe, wacky old people, all of the ways that television has affected us throughout history, and a 63 year old pregnant lady. Oh, and it’s all completely disgusting. Seriously, there’s all kinds of nasty crap in here, so don’t blame me if your kid sees this laying around and ends up scarred for life. Keep this stuff away from the kids! What kind of parent are you? Anyway, it’s funny, it’s jam-packed full of stuff, and it’s $3. Contact info is up there, what are you waiting for?


LeCrone, Dean – Doc Smith #1

April 24, 2010

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Doc Smith #1

This one is a whole lot better than the book of gag strips. It’s mostly about a clueless dork, which maybe isn’t the most original thing in the world, but it’s done really well. It’s an incredibly wordy book, as it took me about 20 minutes to read it (it’s 37 pages), so it’s up to you if you like that sort of thing. His art is solid and Dean’s a pretty funny guy at times. The story here is basically a wandering mess, but that’s OK. It starts with Doc being abducted by aliens, who release him because he has too many keys. Then he gets home to find that cockroaches have taped Howard Stern over his Battlestar Gallactica tape, then he spends the rest of the issue going on about his trouble with women. Who would have guessed that a stereotypical dork would have trouble with women, eh? Anyway, this is a dense tome, worth the effort if you’re you like books that are mostly funny with some groaners thrown in. Contact info is up there, and if you’re going to check this guy I’d recommend this one. $2 maybe? No price listed…


LeCrone, Dean – Tacklebear and Barko the Stickdog #1

April 24, 2010

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Tacklebear and Barko the Stickdog #1

Here’s a book of mostly one page gag strips with a few longer stories thrown in. It often follows the standard gag strip formula of setting something up for the sake of a mostly lame punchline, but it does veer into more entertaining territory here and there. It’s the story of a bear and his guard dog (and yes, he does deal with why a bear would want a guard dog) as they deal with rain, ghost stories, a malfunctioning magician’s hat, “Footbig”, and the “stop hitting yourself” game (come on, you all played it when you were kids). The book suffers from a lack of timing, as a lot of longer stories go on too long and some of the shorter ones could have used a bit more. Still, there are some funny moments here and there and, despite the simplicity of the characters and the general lack of backgrounds, you can tell that Dean has some artistic talent when he uses it. He sent another book along with this that I’ll get to probably in a month or so. I’ll have a more complete idea of his work then. Until then, this has a few moments wrapped around a bunch of so-so stuff. Send him an e-mail or send him $3 if you want to check it out at: Dean LeCrone C/o Sourdirt Comics P.O. Box 502074 San Diego, CA 92150-2074.


Lay, Carol – Strip Joint

April 24, 2010

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Strip Joint

To be totally honest, I pretty much only read political strips. I don’t know why I have the prejudice, as I read pretty much everything under the sun when it comes to regular comics, but with weekly strips I stick to stuff that has a current political message. That’s why this book comes as such a great surprise. There’s all kind of relevance here, it’s just not the kind that comes from yelling a viewpoint from a soapbox. The premise here is simple, and obvious to everybody who’s been reading this for years, but bear with me: Carol sets up a premise every week, makes a story out of it and brings that story to a conclusion, usually in 12 panels. The stories are about all sorts of things, but the one thing that brings them all together is that things are always brought out to their logical conclusion, even when that conclusion isn’t very nice. Overpopulation, good, evil and love are some of the more consistent themes. The best part about this strip is that she avoids ever being preachy, which is a difficult thing with her wide range of topics. Looks like I have another strip to read every week on Salon, which brings my total up to three out of five. Maybe I should give the other two a chance, as they seem to have pretty good taste. Check out her website, all kinds of strips to convince you with there…


Lay, Carol – The Big Skinny

April 24, 2010

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The Big Skinny

That’s right, I’m reviewing what is essentially a diet book.  I’ve come to terms with that, you should too.  Actually, Ms. Lay would probably have a problem with this being referred to as a “diet book”, as what it actually sets out to do is show how easy it to to lose weight and keep it off for years.  The intro to the book is excellent: Carol, at a dinner party, is asked by the hostess what her secret is for looking so good (Carol, by her own description, has been at least 30 pounds overweight for most of her life).  She replies honestly “I count calories and exercise every day”.  And, well, that’s really all there is to it.  The rest of the book is her proving that counting calories isn’t as difficult as most people think, how exercising can be incorporated into the schedule of even the busiest person, how you can do those exercises at home (more or less for free once you get a few basic things), and how the only way for this to work in the long term is a sincere desire to change.  She describes how people have to have a moment when they decide they’ve had enough: a certain photo mercilessly shows how you really look, a small child asks you why you’re so fat, some sort of trigger makes you want to change.  Roughly equivalent to an alcoholic hitting rock bottom, I suppose.  She also makes it clear that it is still possible to go nuts on rare occasions and eat things that aren’t justifiable under your new standards, as long as you take care to make up for it in the coming days.  I don’t want to give away all her secrets here, as anybody interested in this sort of thing (which, judging from the sales numbers of diet books, is just about everybody) should buy the book.  Speaking as somebody who is trying to eat healthier (I really mean it this time), this is a damned near perfect way to approach things, chock full of common sense, and it even has a series of recipes in the back along with links to calorie counting websites.  It really isn’t as hard as everybody makes it out to be, and there’s a very simple reason why people want to gum up the works as much as possible here: how else could they convince people to buy every book about the latest miracle diet plan to come along?  This is one of those rare books that actually could change your life, even if you only take some of the suggestions out of it.  Take all of them (and no, you don’t have to completely give up cheese), and you’d have a hard time not being a healthier, fitter person.  $18

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Lawless, Molly – Infandum #2

April 24, 2010

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Infandum #2 Now Available! $1

Humiliation! Now there’s a fun theme for a comic. First up is the delightful strip I sampled below, about how to deal with getting dumped by a guy. Not sure if it would work if the genders were reversed but ladies, this is perfect advice if you want to torment the dumper. Next up are a couple of stories about baseball players who are remembered, even after long, mostly successful careers, for one big play they botched. These stories are from 1908 and 1912 respectively, as Molly seems to have a fascination with this era. Fine by me, it’s something I’ve been curious about for years but never bothered to go back and research. The best of the bunch is next, a story about humiliation at grade school. Molly was something of a teacher’s pet back then, but decided to spice things up a bit by following the lead of a fictional idol of hers and puts on a pair of homemade rabbit ears for a few days. This, oddly, goes mostly unnoticed by the class… until her mom decides to come in wearing the same ears. I believe “scarred for life” fits here. Finally there’s the story of a Molly deciding to train for a marathon with a friend, who lives miles away. They were supposed to both be training at the same time, except for the minor fact that, months later, the long distance friend still hadn’t begun running, while Molly was hobbling herself on a constant basis trying to get in shape for a marathon. Great stuff all around here, it’s hard to get more quality material for a buck than you’ll find here. $1


Lawless, Molly – Infandum #1

April 24, 2010

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Infandum #1 Now Available! $1

Intoxication! Now there’s something we can all get behind. Or something that we’ve all worked towards at one time or another, in one form or another, and yes, I’m talking to you super religious types who “get high on Jesus” too, assuming you people would read a site like this. This is a very short comic, but it does have one essential story about a young man walking home with his laundry at night when he happens upon the town Jesus Van. Chances are you’ve seen something like this in your town, and he thinks it would be the best idea in the world to smoke a bowl in said van, and, well, there’s a lesson to be had somewhere in that. Also in here is a strip about the basics of Catholicism as told by a talking bird, the story of the death of a drunk baseball player over a hundred years ago, and a tale about the virtues of drinking heavily after an intense workout. Great stuff again, and don’t be too fooled by the size, as Molly has a tendency to draw tiny panels, so she still has space to pack in a good story…


Lawless, Molly – Great Moments in Baseball #1

April 24, 2010

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Great Moments In Baseball #1 Now Available! $1

Molly does the impossible here: she makes me care about baseball players from around the turn of the century who are, in most cases, long dead. Who knew that Ty Cobb was a nutcase who quite possibly killed a guy? Some of the other stories have been scattered around her other comics, but they’re all in one volume here for people who are interested. There’s the story of the last day of the Washington Senators (in 1971), Big Ed Delahanty’s mysterious death, how the “best” double play combo in history got into the Hall of Fame, and how a respected manager was ruined after catching a grapefruit dropped from a plane. If you’re curious about that last one, well, lucky you, as that’s the sampled page. It leaves out the fact that this manager was trying to beat a player who had caught a ball that was dropped out of the Washington Monument, as apparently balls falling a long distance was a big thing back then. I think this is fascinating stuff even for people who don’t care about baseball, although I have my doubts that anybody who hates the sport is going to pick up something called “Great Moments in Baseball”. Then again, what do I know? $1


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #10

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #10

Did I say last issue that the conflict between Jained and Jemer was resolved? OK, that was completely wrong. This issue deals with the consequences of Jained “killing” his sister in #9 and a bit more of the politics at play in the whole general scheme of things. I still think it’s pretty close to impossible to review what it essentially a chapter of a long book, but here I am, trying anyway. This story is really shaping up and I’ll bet there’s a second graphic novel out by now, or if there isn’t there will be soon, so you can be totally caught up. It’s $2, try and find the contact info, I dare you…


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #9

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #9

Anybody out there who’s been reading this series on a regular basis knows of the ongoing conflict between Jained and Jemer. If you haven’t been reading this series regularly, then why are reading a review for #9 anyway? In any case, this issue looks to resolve that conflict, and it does it in a pretty interesting way. Not much more I can say about that without giving a bunch away, but take my word for it. As for the series as a whole, I’ll get caught up with where it is one of these days. It has to be on at least #13 by now, as I got this and #10 at SPX ’03, and it’s the kind of thing that is definitely best read in chunks. The art’s looking better than ever and the story is completely engaging. Check it out. Seriously now, there’s a graphic novel and everything, you’ve run out of excuses. $2! Oh, and for once it’s not my scanner screwing up the sample, it’s just that the panels for the page I wanted to use drift over to the next page. It’s a nice effect, it just doesn’t translate well for a sample. Maybe I shouldn’t have used it then? Logic has no place here!


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #8

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #8

This is kind of like a review for the last three issues (6-8), so bear with me. This universe of hers is really starting to come together. The only real problem I had before was that some of the characters kind of ran together in my head, probably because I read the issues as they came out and there wasn’t enough space to properly give them each their own identity yet. These three solve that problem nicely, as chunks of time are given to a lot of the characters and I’m finally starting to get a real feel (I think) for what’s going on. A complaint, or suggestion maybe, would be to not put different storylines on the same page. #7 had a chunk where the top part would be dialogue between two characters, establishing motivation for both, while the bottom part would be two completely different characters and what they were up to. It was a bit disconcerting and I just read one bit and then the other after a while, but maybe my short attention span is the problem here and nothing else. This story takes patience, there’s no doubt about that, but the rewards for that patience are already starting to come. It’s not like I read a lot of fantasy comics regularly, but this is the best one I know of currently going. Check out her website to see what her schedule is like and get the first book to see if this is for you.


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children: Shadow of the Snow Fox Part One

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children: Shadow of the Snow Fox Part One

I already reviewed most of these issues separately (though in my usual rambling, barely-even-mention-what-the-plot-is kind of way), so I’m not going to get into too many specifics here. You already know that I like this series and, as this was the first time that I’ve sat down and read a chunk of them in a row, I have to say that I was impressed. It was obvious from the beginning that she had things planned well in advance, so it wasn’t that shocking to see how well little things fit together, or how throw-away lines were actually completely thought out and planned (the appendix to this book is a tremendous help, but not essential if you’re just looking for the surface story). What really surprised me is that while the art, and especially the lettering, got substantially better as the book went along, the actual writing was never less than stellar. It’s 1/21/04 as I’m writing this, meaning that the second book is probably either out or about to come out, so that means you can get a huge chunk all at once. This is something I’m going to have to pay closer attention to, as I’ve just discovered that the rewards are greater if you read it all in a row. It’s $14.95 and you can get it on her website.� Seriously, it’s worth a look.


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #4

April 24, 2010

 

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Raven’s Children #4

Well, this one eased my worries about keeping a consistent schedule a little. She has the writing and the art down (I think), her main problem is sticking with this and letting people discover it. The trade is available too on her website, and that collects #1-5 even though, as far as I know, #5 isn’t available. Here’s hoping that I’m wrong about that. This issue is more of the same, meaning essentially that it’s more of the story that left me wanting to just keep reading. I’m a sucker for well-written fantasy comics, what can I say? If you want my advice, get the trade. That way there’s a big enough chunk available so you can really tell what you think about it, for better or worse. Uh-oh. I just checked her website and it said that #5 was supposed to come out in May and #6 should come out this month. Now, I work at the local comic store (we’re both in Champaign, IL) and I would think that they would get it if a new one was out, but I could be wrong about that. I’ll post more here when I know it…


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #3

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #3

OK, let me get a few things out of the way first. Consistency is what’s essential for a series like this. Your comic can be the best thing in the world and it’s not going to matter much if people forget what happened in the last issue because there hasn’t been a new one in a year. I’m happy to say that it looks like she’s keeping a regular schedule, so no worries there. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this and am happy to say that I liked it quite a bit. The fact that I couldn’t wait to get to the next issue (hell, the next page in some cases) is about as great of a compliment as you can give to a series. The art gets better all the time and it wasn’t bad to begin with. It’s obvious too that she has this whole world already set up in her head, as the tiniest things are explained in the back of each book. It was also a good idea to explain things like that without disrupting the flow of the story. Don’t worry, she didn’t go all Dave Sim and explain the hell out of things that people don’t care about. She kept it all pretty short and pertinent. If these samples aren’t enough, go to her website. All kinds of stuff there. Hm, maybe I shouldn’t have picked the last issue to review, because now it’s going to be tough to explain what the series is about. I’ll make it vague: it’s about repercussions, ancient history, dogs, a “peace” conference, and relationships. Which barely scratches the surface, but there you go. Buy the first issues, sit back and enjoy the ride. That’s what I’m doing…