Neverland
Man, it’s been way too long since I’ve seen any comics from Dave. Granted, it’s mostly my own fault, as he certainly hasn’t stopped making comics, it’s just that there’s a definite lack of quality comic stores in Columbus Ohio. Oh sure, The Laughing Ogre is OK, but all their minis are crammed on one shelf and in no sort of order at all. So how about the comic? It’s the story of Dave (or a fictional Dave substitute) wishing he could go back in time to when he was a kid and get his life in order before it all goes out of control. He wanders around his hometown, remarking on how nothing changes, at least except for the things that he wishes would stay the same. He eventually falls asleep while reading Peter Pan and has an oddly sexy dream involving Tinkerbell, some mermaids and Captain Hooker, all of which leads him to wake up and realize exactly what it is he wants, even if he isn’t entirely sure how to get there. He tells the tale in a slightly less hokey way than I do, but the man’s a visual artist and I’m here typing away on a website trying to describe this incredible book without giving too much away. As for the art, I’ve always like his drawings, but he seems to have improved from even the last time I’ve seen a mini from the guy. The level of detail here is amazing, most of the panels look like he only quit working on them because he ran out of room. The two pages right before the end in particular, depicting a fairytale forest, deserve some serious attention. Go ahead, if you have the book, open it up and just try to count the number of creatures and events that are going on in tiny corners of those pages. So yeah, obviously this is well worth a look, as is damn near everything I’ve ever seen from the guy. You can get this, and a few of his other books, through Bodega Distribution, this one is a measly $6.
