Monthly Archives: September 2010
Update for 9/17/10
New review for The Curse of the Parsimonious Great Aunt by Gabrielle Nowicki, and have you noticed how I seem to be taking a roving day off during the week again? That wasn’t the plan, in case you were wondering, but I have my doubts that it will stop any time soon.
Nowicki, Gabrielle – The Curse of the Parsimonious Great Aunt
The Curse of the Parsimonious Great Aunt
Who else misses the days when scary stories for kids could get a little gruesome? OK, maybe this isn’t strictly for kids, but it reads like it could be. The story here is that a couple of kids are staying with their Great Aunt and she has a plan to sell any candy they get at Halloween to buy potatoes. It’s never explained that this woman is raising these children, but that seems likely considering that they stay there for weeks and nobody seems to notice that they’re missing. These greedy kids wanted to keep the candy and they wanted to steal the candy from all the other kids, so they concocted a plan. They chopped the head off their Great Aunt and dragged her body along (on a sled) behind them to scare kids into dropping all their candy. The plan worked perfectly, but the kids didn’t consider the fact that people who are wrongly killed in stories like these rarely stay dead, even if they were jerks in real life and kind of deserved it. Anyway, it’s a cute and creepy book, and something that I would consider fun for all ages, unless of course the parents in question still somehow think that can shield their kids from all the awfulness of the world. Good luck with that! Anyway, the worst the kid has to see here is a removed head, and they probably have those things on the Disney channel at this point. Check it out, it’s never too early for a good Halloween story. No price listed, I’ll go with $3 at random.
Update for 9/15/10
New review for Derek Hunter is a F**k by Derek Hunter. Shield your innocent young eyes, anyone out there who has managed to never see/hear profanity before just now!
Hunter, Derek – Derek Hunter is a F**k
Derek Hunter is a F**k
I’ve gotten fairly jaded from all the auto-bio comics I’ve read over the years. It takes something genuinely awful or revealing for me to sit up and take notice, which isn’t to say that something falling short of that level can’t still be a great comic. Still, Derek apparently generally sticks to more conventional fare, but he decided after attending a few small cons to try his hand with “A collection of short stories that make me look bad”. Well, he did it. I should get a few disclaimers out of the way before I get started. “Derek Hunter is a F**k” hurts me to type, as I’m all for saying “fuck” whenever possible, but that’s how the man put it on the cover and that’s how I’ll put it here. He is also saved (barely) by the fact that all the incidents in this book happened when he was late high school/early college age, and there are allowances for being a fuck at that time in your life. Finally, the guy lives in Utah. I’ll concede that he probably had to be a fuck at that point just to survive. Still…yeesh. Stories in here include Derek’s foisting off a girl he likes on a friend (then making out with her while the three of them are laying down in the same bed (seriously)), a prank with curdled milk that I understand completely, breaking up with a girlfriend while he was fucking her, insulting a girl he was making out with a party and then his reaction upon seeing her later, and some more or less understandable pranks he played on some tremendously obnoxious college roommates. Hey, the final tally isn’t all that bad: two are inexcusable, two are pranks (but it might be a stretch to call them “harmless”) and one that falls somewhere in the middle. He seems like a nice enough guy now, as he’s married with a kid on the way (depending on when this came out), and he’s as honest as humanly possible with this stuff. He treats making this as a catharsis towards growing up, so more power to him. If you’re one of those people who need a jolt from the auto-bio world or want to see how one of these is done when the author is really willing to let it all hang out, this is required reading. $3
Update for 9/14/10
New review for Misinterpreted Complications #5 by Nick Soucek, in case you thought I was all out of comics that aren’t from America.
Soucek, Nick – Misinterpreted Complications #5
Misinterpreted Complications #5
Is there a word for something that is wistful, sad and amusing at the same time? Nostalgiaish? Ah well, who says a comic reviewer needs a command of the language. Well, that’s what this comic is all at once. You can tell by the sample that Nick goes for fairly simple drawings accompanied by wise and insightful writing. If you’re of the opinion that this is a bad thing, we clearly can’t relate on this one. Plenty of the strips in this comic are currently up on the main page of his website (along with a couple not included here about the replaceable nature of relationships and the lack of the feeling of self-worth needed to start a new one), so you have no reason to be uninformed about this man. Willful ignorance, that’s one of my least favorite things in the world, so don’t do it! Stories in here include gradually ruining a fried egg as a small child, enjoying solitude (but not being at all sure how to get out of it if desired), being insulted by a stupid name for a charity, limitless possibilities shrinking to few, the flawed basis for Sim City, confusion from thumping, and life as a whole. This is one of those very rare occasions where I actually like the layout of the comics on his website better than the printed layout, as they’re two panels a page here and an organized clump on the site. There’s not a whole lot in these panels screaming out to be made bigger, so why not pack more content into the comics? Granted, that is my complaint for many comics that I enjoy, but it makes a special kind of sense here. Either way it’s an interesting pile of stories, told from a perspective that, even with the general misanthropy of comics readers, isn’t seen often enough.
Crespo, Jaime – Tortilla #1
Tortilla #1
Ah, the benefit of hindsight. Jaime hopes to get this comic out twice a year, which would be a great thing, as there aren’t enough Jaime Crespo comics in the world. Sadly, this came out in October 2008 and there hasn’t been a #2 yet (at least judging from his website, but at least he’s working on a graphic novel). There’s still time to get two of these out in two years, and that is about average for the small press world, sadly enough. And what’s up with that cover title? The man’s a maestro with the pen and it looks like he wrote “Tortilla” while on a roller coaster. OK, the complaint department is now closed, as I had no problems with the rest of it. Stories in here include an inspirational “brawl”, some silent (and not-so-silent) moments from his area, the perfect modern superhero (“Too Fat To Do Shit Man”), and some brief hilarity with Floyd and Ringworm. There’s also a lengthy text story involving a face from Jaime’s past and how he stumbled into her later in life that is a lot more involved than I’m letting on. It’s a bit of a horror story, frankly, but I’m damned if I can figure out what Jaime should have done differently. Then there’s the big comic piece of the book, “Corner Store”. Jaime was always forced to walk to the local store instead of the closer big box store as a kid, and resented the hell out if it, until one day he happened to see a rum bottle. What was odd about this rum bottle? To a kid of around 7, something crucial: boobs! He alerted the neighborhood, everybody snuck a peek, and there’s even a fantastic epilogue to the story that I’m not going to ruin here. For once I’m not going to demand that everybody immediately go out and buy this comic, even though it’s fantastic and you really should. Instead I’ll say that you should buy his graphic novel the second it comes out and make this guy famous. He’s been doing this for decades (seriously) and deserves to make some serious cash at it already. Of course, if you have $3 lying around, there are all kinds of worse things you could do with that cash than buy this comic…
Weing, Drew – Set to Sea
Huzzah for some of the crew from Athens getting a book published by Fantagraphics! I’ve made it to a couple of FLUKE’s over the years (both times during a rare ice/snow storm in Georgia), and there’s all kinds of talent floating around down there. The credits in this book revealed that Drew is married to Eleanor Davis, and just look up her name on this site to find some fantastic comics. If those two have kids they’re sure to have artistically gifted mutants, and I mean that in the best possible “X-Men” sense and not the horribly deformed sense. Give them a pen and paper as soon as they’re able to grip things, that’s what I’m inartfully trying to say. When I picked this up and flipped through it at the library I wasn’t sure what to expect, as it’s not all that big and all the pages only have one big panel. Any fears I may have had were unfounded, as Drew is able to do a lot with those “restrictions.” This is the story of a meandering lug of a poet, a guy who skips out on his bills and mostly just wants to read and sleep. He is seen sleeping on the dock and is taken captive to be part of a ship’s crew. The poor guy wakes up when they’ve already set sail so he’s kind of stuck with it, and he quickly gets to see what those poems of the sea he was trying to write were really about. Pirates attack the ship, he is singled out as the biggest of the defenders and attacked, which leads to some serious rage and a saving of the day. From there Drew uses the possibilities of the medium to perfection, telling the life story of the guy page by page, somehow pulling the impression of a richly lived life through scattered moments. And even the “only one panel per page” isn’t a fair cause for complaint, as he manages to tell a little story on every one of them with his attention to detail while often avoiding those pesky “words.” I have no idea if this book will catch on, as it often takes somebody a few graphic novels to really get the attention of the small press comics world, but the man is well on his way with this gem. And if anybody in the comics publishing world pays the slightest bit of attention to this website of mine, you might want to give his wife a call about putting out a graphic novel too… $17
Update for 9/10/10
It’s Friday and I’m fighting a cold that can’t make up its mind whether or not it’s really going to go after me, so it’s time for an “easy” review. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you Shit Happens by Charlie Touvell.
Touvell, Charlie – Shit Happens
Shit Happens
Are you someone who sees the occasional poop or flatulence joke and think “That’s funny and all, but what I really want is a comic with nothing but poop and shit”? If you’re that guy (or gal, I don’t want to discriminate), then you’re in luck! This is the story of a naked guy (?) who is wandering aimlessly through the forest. Seriously, it’s completely aimless, as the page of his wanderings has him going many different directions on the same path. Anyway, as he’s wandering around, a plant (forgive me, I can’t help it) talks shit to him, saying that if the guy eats the plant, the guy will shit. The guy considers this a challenge, eats the plant, and has a series of gastrointestinal mishaps before finally losing his “bet” to the plant. I guess that’s a spoiler, but is a spoiler even possible in a comic where the guy is sitting on a mound of shit on the cover? Think I’m probably safe on that one. Anyway, these are all just words, and you already know from that cover and title if this is up your alley. I will say that Charlie turns a more artful phrase than you would have guessed every now and then, and his artwork (where he actually draws real things) makes me wonder what a regular comic from the guy would look like, but other than that you’re getting what you would expect. No price listed, but $2 sounds like plenty to me.
Update for 9/9/10
New review for Mecha #1 by Brian John Mitchell & Johnny Hoang. Yes, another series from Brian, and yes, you should feel some shame that he can put out 8-10 issues of different series before you can complete one issue of your comic. Feel shame and let it motivate you!
Mitchell, Brian John – Mecha #1 (with Johnny Hoang)
Mecha #1
That’s what Brian was missing: giant robots! Sorry, did I give away the ending? I was guessing people would have picked up on the giant robot thing from the title. Anyway, this is about twice as big as the usual BJM mini comic and, if this is at all easy to produce, I suggest he go with this format all the time. Much easier to turn the pages and bigger pretty pictures to look at, what’s wrong with that? This is the story of a man who can’t even remember his life before the Martians took over and has been fighting for his life as a gladiator. He eventually gets away with a group of people, spends years fighting Martians and eventually meets the woman of his dreams. Sadly, a happy ending is impossible in these books and things take a turn for the worse. This leaves our hero at a loss for what to do with his life… until he finds one of the old giant robots used at the start of the war with the Martians. I’m starting to just accept the fact that Brian has the ability to put out half a dozen series or so on a regular basis and have them all be intriguing in their own way, but it’s best to remember not to take this sort of thing for granted. Sure, he’s not the artist so he has that going for him, but I’d almost think it would be harder trying to keep the attention of a half dozen artists for the length of a series. Whatever it is he’s doing he should keep it up, as this is yet another winner. Or maybe it turns to crap in the next issue, but the guy has more than earned the benefit of the doubt by now. $1
Update for 9/7/10
New review today for The Clouds Above by Jordan Crane, as I’m taking a brief break from the minis. Hey, I’m allowed.
Crane, Jordan – The Clouds Above
There’s one definite pattern in my reading of comics that has shifted since starting this website 9+ years ago: I don’t read as many of the titles from the “big” publishers. It’s odd, as I was an avid reader of most things D &Q/Fantagraphics/Top Shelf put out back in the day, but between the piles of free minis (three cheers for review copies!) and publisher who do send me their books, I just don’t get around to the big three as much as I’d like to. That might be changing, as the library here in Champaign has a much better selection than the one in Columbus, so I get to answer on of the many nagging comic book questions in the back of my head: “Whatever happened to Jordan Crane?” He’s done other books, as you can see on his website, but I was thrilled to see he made the leap to Fantagraphics. They have a very low bullshit thresh, after all. This book blurs the line between being kid’s book and a graphic novel, although I suppose you could say that it’s both. It’s the story of a young boy named Simon who is late for school and his fat cat Jack. After unsuccessfully trying to sneak into class, Simon discovers a staircase that leads up straight up, seemingly to nowhere. Jack isn’t thrilled with the idea, but the two of them go up the staircase, run into a group of misinformed birds and learn that they can walk on clouds. They find a cloud who is sad because it can’t fly so they give it a few pointers and also encounter a group of storm clouds before getting in some serious trouble. If you’re thinking this sounds exactly like a kid’s book and not at all like a graphic novel, well, you’re sort of right. I’ve never been completely comfortable with the term “graphic novel” anyway. For the adult enthusiast, the use of color here is brilliant in all senses of the word, and there enough cute turns of phrase to make most folks smile, at the very least. But yeah, it’s a children’s book more than anything else, complete with the “This book belongs to: ____” on the inside front cover. It’s up to you to decide whether or not that’s a good thing; I generally prefer the stuff more geared to adults, and it looks like Jordan has kept up on that end of things too with his other comics. If you’re simply starved for color in the dreary black and white world of small press comics, this could be a welcome antidote, or if you’re looking to get your kids into comics by quality artists where they can eventually grow into their older work. Parents, it’s your call. For the rest of us childless heathens, maybe stick to some of his other stuff, unless you’ve somehow managed to stay a kid at heart… $19 (for hardcover).
Update for 9/6/10
New review today for Silent V by Kyle Baddeley, and look, I did decide to “work” on the holiday! I’m so industrious.
Baddeley, Kyle – Silent V #1
Silent V #1
Is it bad if I’m hoping that something is an undeclared 24 hour comic? That’s not to say a thing either way about the story, but these are such simple drawings with such nonexistent backgrounds that this guy could put together a monthly series in no time if he wanted to. As for the story, well, wow. I need to narrow that down a bit, so how about “damn”? In a good way? OK, let me try again. This is the story of a man who has been protecting the Earth (or at least something very close to this planet) from alien invasion since he was a baby. Literally, as he would throw homemade molotov cocktails at the ships while sucking a pacifier. He seems to be friends with, or at least work professionally alongside, a bird who has apparently faked his own death. The dingos are not interested in helping against the invasion, the dead have started to rise, and goblins are dancing naked. Meanwhile, there are other babies who are being cared for by a woman who probably should get a different job (and the babies seem to be highly explosive when dropped from a great height) and a member of the invasion may yet win the whole thing for the good guys. It’s a delightful mess of a story, in other words, and I chuckled in awe of the guy behind it more than a few times. I can only hope this really is only the first issue and there’s more to come, as this was a blast. While the art may lean a bit on the simple side, it gets the point across and that, more than anything, gives me hope that Kyle could start cranking these out if there was enough of an outcry. Like, say, the outcry caused be the good comic loving people of this site sending him some orders for the first issue? Couldn’t hurt, anyway. No price listed, but a buck or two is probably about right…
Update for 9/4/10
New review for Sherlock Holmes vs. Skeletor by Gareth Brookes, and no review for at least tomorrow both because it’s a holiday weekend and because this book deserves some time at the top of the page.
Brookes, Gareth – Sherlock Holmes vs. Skeletor
Sherlock Holmes vs. Skeletor
I feel for anybody reading these reviews every day and trying to get some sort of consistency out of them, I really do. One day I’ll say never to judge a book by its cover, and the next I’ll get something like this in the mail, see that title and “Gareth Brookes” on the front, and it will be clear quickly that the cover won me over completely. Ah well, consistency is for the weak! This is, as you may have guessed, about the feud between Sherlock Holmes and Skeletor. What, didn’t you hear about that one? If you’re looking for apocalyptic action as depicted on that cover you might be disappointed; if you’re in it for the funny you’re going to go away very satisfied indeed. This is a series of pranks between the two, um, “men”, and it took a few pages for me to get that Holmes even knew that Skeletor existed. It seems a shame to spoil even one of these pranks by revealing them here, but as a reviewer I suppose that the spoiling of fun is, like it or not, in my job description, so here goes: potato, Aniston, “it burns”, wattage, poo, cheating, birds, and an infernal contraption. There, that seems vague enough. Look, if you’ve been reading this site for any length of time you should know that getting a book from Gareth Brookes is as close to a sure thing as you can get in this medium. If not, search around a bit and check out some of the older reviews. Really, all this rambling is irrelevant, as one look at that cover should be enough to convince you one way or the other. If it’s the negative way I mourn for the lack of fun in your life, if it’s the other way you won’t be disappointed.
