Fuzy
Finally, an anthology all about beards! Shame on you, comic universe, for not making this happen up until now. Or if you did and I just missed it, well, forget what I just said. You wouldn’t think that the range of possible beard stories would be all that large, but you would be wrong. Steve Seck starts things off with “The Beard’s Beard’s Beard,” which makes perfect sense when you read it. Let’s just say that it’s all about the beard of a famous actor, the home life of this beard, the beard that he married as a “beard” against his homosexuality, and his lover. I couldn’t get past the question of where exactly a female beard would go on an actual female, especially considering its shape, but it’s probably best to leave that alone. Next up is Baldemar Byars with his tale of growing a beard after heading off to college in 1966, including the panicked reactions of his family and the alarming reactions by some of the anarchists on campus at the time. Jonathan Pekin is up next and he answers the timeless question: in a zombie apocalypse, is the apocalypse itself more traumatic than losing a beard? Sango Imai-Hall shows how awesome a bearded woman warrior could be, and Aaron Cockle shows a long philosophical conversation between two bearded men that might confuse you a bit until you get to the payoff, but it’s worth the ride. Jeff Mumm may have the best story in the collection next (although there are many contenders): a silent tale of a guinea pig and his quest for a beard. It’s done in old-timey animation style, with unexpected, arguably unnecessary and hilarious violence all over the place, and I’m not going to ruin a bit of it for you. Mark Thisse wraps it up with his tale of the missing beard of a magician, and he might have the best title in a bunch of good ones. This is made for bearded people, but even people who can’t grow a beard (most ladies and even some men) should appreciate this chance to see how the other half lives. Well, the other 1/10 maybe, as not that many people really grow beards. $6
