Monthly Archives: January 2010
Update for 1/30/10
New review for another old comic: Boom Boom #2 (mini comic version, not the full sized series) by Dave Lasky. You should really hop in that time machine and check it out.
Update for 1/29/10
New review for Crass Sophisticate #23 by Josh Reinwald & Justin Rosenberg and yes, this is another new comic. Have I mentioned that if anybody in Columbus needs a computer desk, couch, chairs or a table that they should probably contact me? Probably a bit late for that by now…
Update for 1/28/10
New review for My Cat is Satan by Edgar Castro, and it’s also newly available in the store. Reviews may start getting dicey around here soon, as I have to be out of here by the end of the month. The plan is to get a few prepped and ready to go before I leave (as now that I’m reviewing old stuff too I’m not at a loss for material), but we’ll see how it goes.
Update for 1/27/10
New review for The Pyramid by Kenan Rubenstein, a newish comic, not one of the many oldies I’ve been posting lately. As I keep flipping back and forth in time, I feel it necessary to keep pointing it out. Or maybe I’m just trying to get in the mood for the last season of Lost…
Update for 1/26/10
New review for another very old mini comic, as this time its The Ditch The River The Sea The Snake by Tom Hart. Hey, even if you don’t like these old reviews (I’ve been having a blast), at least I’m finally updating some of the contact information for these people. Tom’s page has had a dead website listed for ages, but no longer!
Update for 1/25/10
New review for another old comic, You’re Young It’s Dark Your Bladder’s Full by Colin Upton, who should have had his own page on this site years and years ago.
Update for 1/24/10
The great comics dust-off of ’10 continues, as the new review today is for Magic Whistle #1 by Sam Henderson. The mini comic, not the one put out by Alternative books, because I really have been reading these things that long.
Update for 1/23/10
New review for Hoax #2 by Karl Kressbach and all sorts of other people, and it’s available in the store if you’re interested. I was also able to locate a website for Brad Johnson, the review for the comic from 1983 posted on Thursday (thanks Gabrielle!), so if you’d like to read some free comics from the man, you should go back to his page and click on that website link.
Update for 1/21/10
New review for the oldest mini comic yet: Itchy Scaly #2 by Brad Johnson. And if you have any contact info for Brad Johnson, I would love to see it. This was made in 1983, back in the good old days when Reagan beat communism up with his bare hands and there were no Transformers in the world. It did make me think of something that I’m not sure how to deal with in regards to the comic rental idea: how do I compensate people that I either can’t locate or who may well be dead? The general idea is to compensate every creator (who wants it) around $.04 per rental. But one of the main ideas behind this rental thing was exposing people to books they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see, and this certainly qualifies. Would you say that I shouldn’t rent this without express permission? Say it’s OK because the comic is probably older than most of you are? Rent it and just pay the man if he ever hears about it? I’d love to get some opinions on this, because it’s a problem that will come up again and again, especially when you consider all the people who make comics for a few years and just disappear.  Thoughts?
Update for 1/20/10
New review for The Regular Man #5 by Dina Kelberman, which you can get for free if you’re one of the next three people to order comics from my store. You will also, as I’ve mentioned, be helping my back out with my upcoming move, as every little bit of weight I’m not lugging around helps.
Update for 1/19/10
New review for another old comic, this time Supermonster #7 by Kevin Huizenga. These are the types of comics, in case it isn’t obvious enough, that I hope to have available in this rental system I’m putting together.
Huizenga, Kevin – Supermonster #13
Supermonster #13
There are a few great strips in this one, like I’ve come to expect out of all of these. I’m not here to talk about them. This issue contains the best story I’ve read all year, called (I think) “I Stand Up for Zen”. See, he used to have a job where he had to type ad copy, and his boss wanted to use the phrase “fashionably zen” to describe some shoddy bracelets that they were selling. Kevin had a major moral problem with that, and that’s all you’re getting out of me. It restored my faith in humanity, and I’m saying that without a trace of sarcasm or irony. My shitty Tuesday afternoon turned into the best week I’ve had in a while, and I owe it mostly to reading this story. Buy it. It you don’t like it, let me know and I’ll pay for it. Fair enough?
Update for 1/18/10
New review of an old mini comic again, this time Memory Palace of Rocket by Scott Mills. I’ll make the request again: I’m moving at the end of the month, so if you want to send me comics for review or order some from the store, it’s better to do both of those things sooner rather than later. I’ll still be able to fill orders, but February looks like a couch-squatting, house-sitting kind of a month before I find a new permanent home in early March.
Update for 1/15/10
New review for Marked #1 by Brian John Mitchell & Jeremy Johnson. Yes, this violates my rule of only having one book from a person on the front page at any given time, but it was just sitting there staring at me, and have I mentioned how I’m out of new comics, and it’s Friday night and get off my back already!
Update for 1/14/10
New review today (for a new book, I realize it might be getting a little confusing) for Nathan and the Land of the Robots by Matt Dye, which is also newly available in the store. I should also mention that I’m moving at the end of the month, so if you have stuff for review you should send it by the end of the week. Also if you want to buy some comics, just think: your order may clear just enough weight from my comic boxes to prevent some sort of serious back strain during the move. Think of all the good you could do!
Update for 1/13/10
New review for an old book, The Wonderful Year #1 by Rebecca Taylor. Anybody know how I can contact her these days? Her website is down. Don’t forget to scroll down for my review of Robot Bildungsroman #2 by Joe Davidson, as I put 2009 in the update box and it never posted. First screw-up of the new year!
Update for 1/11/10
New review today for Robot Bildungsroman #2 by Joe Davidson, which is a brand new comic, in case you were confused by all the “retro” reviews over the weekend.
Davidson, Joe – Robot Bildungsroman #1
Robot Bildungsroman #1
Who out there is looking for a great comic science fiction story? It’s way too early after one issue to call this great, but all the potential is there. This starts off with an advertisement for a new process that allows you to transfer the consciousness to robot bodies after they die… more or less. It relies on interviews from loved ones, diaries and personal records (which actually sounds like it would still leave quite a bit out) and sends them back into the world. In this case a young high school girl gets killed, then gets brought back in a robot body. Still, with her classmates unwilling to provide any information, her school life is a bit of a blank slate. She begins to make new friends, but is attacked by a gang on her way home… and learns that there’s more to her than she thought. I thought this issue had everything a first issue needs: teasers, bits of information, character introduction (the cops aren’t given much time, but at least they got in the comic), mystery (some sort of spy who blends into the brick wall) and all sorts of confusion. Why is the robot company so interested in Marci? Why are violent street gangs so common? Exactly how much of Marci is in this robot body? All sorts of things to keep you coming back for more. I do think the backgrounds could use a little work, as there’s barely anything there, but Joe has plenty of time to work on that. He seems to have this writing stuff down pat, and if he sticks with it this could turn out to be a really impressive series. $3
Update for 1/10/10
New review for the old Get Bent #5/Unshaven Chi #0 by Ben T. Steckler, as I continue my dig through the old mini comics piles. I’ll probably make more of an official announcement later, but the “big dog” I mentioned who was willing to let me use their books for the comics rental idea? Fantagraphics. And I have a TON of their comics from over the years, making the pile of books to rent from a whole lot bigger in one step. If that news pushes anybody one way or the other (wanting to get on board of wanting out for whatever reason), keep those e-mails coming.
Update for 1/9/10
New review for Dirtbag #6 by Dave Kiersh. Sure, it’s a comic that’s at least 6 years old and maybe not in print any more, but I reviewed it anyway. Why? Well, with the comic rental idea slowly coming together, there is going to be an increased focus on earlier minis, especially as I’m finally getting around to putting them in some semblance of order. I don’t have permission from even a fraction of the people I’m going to need yet to use them in the rental project, so there’s no guarantee that any of the oldies I post up here will be available for rental (although I will note it if they will be for sure), but still, worst case scenario is that you get to be reminded of older stuff you should have gotten when it came out and maybe still can get if you’re lucky.
