In Anticipation of Hugs: A Sock Monster Collection Now Available! $4
Ah, if only all minis with one panel strips were like this. I’ve had my issues with the single panel format, but this is how it’s supposed to be done, and there’s also the not insignificant fact that there are plenty of free samples up at Neil’s website, so anybody reading my rambles can easily make their own informed decision. It’s a simple idea but done to perfection: there’s a rotating cast of characters, centered around the sock monster also including a wise old skull, a inquisitive and slightly naive bug, a nasty and selfish… um, luchador, a guy with a present embedded in his head… You know, they start getting surreal in a hurry, so I’ll leave it up to the reader to discover the rest of them. These friends and not friends mostly sit around, ruminating about the universe or the unfairness of various aspects of the universe, then go on to the next panel. It’s funny, that lettering is downright hypnotic, and there’s some serious inking going on. A lot of one panel strips rely on characters sitting mostly in a blank environment, but Neil clearly spends a solid chunk of time on each panel. This is well worth your time to seek out, proving once again that Short Pants has a damned near perfect track record in publishing quality comics. $4
