Self-Portrait Comic #1
Colin was always a master at packing all kinds of information into a tiny comic, and this one is no exception. This is, as you may have guessed from the title, a self-portrait, literally (on the back cover) and figuratively. He starts off with a lengthy fact sheet on the inside cover (all text), detailing his age (in 1988), weight, hair, work history (admirably, to me at least, only a paper route when he was a kid), volunteer work, medical history, awards, schooling, disabilities, and plenty of other stuff… all before you even get to the comic. Once you’re inside any page of this would have made a great sample, as he starts by trying to clear up the apparently common misconception of him as a hippy, goes on to say the many things he loves about Vancouver, his hope that the perception of comics as just “kid’s stuff” will change over time (the jury is still out on that one), some other personal interests and his very frank discussion of his nervous anger and how he keeps a lid on it in public. I don’t mean to give the impression that he doesn’t make comics any more, as it sure seems like he does, but it also seems like he’s one of the few comic authors who has managed to keep the bulk of his older work still in print. As I have been harping on quite a bit here lately, I wish that happened more often, but when it does, it should be rewarded. You know, with money. I’m a fan, clearly, but these are incredibly cheap and you could do a whole lot worse than to just order the lot of these and see what you like. $.40 or $25 for a set of 60 minis.
