January 9, 2014
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Inspiration Point
Hey look, it’s the first comic I’ve seen with “2014” written inside of it! Why yes, I am easily impressed, why do you ask? This comic is about… well, it’s about a few different things, some stated outright, and some implied and referred to obliquely. Which makes it tricky to review, as if I get into the implied stuff then you won’t be able to discover it for yourself naturally, which means this will be another mess of a review, which should really stop being shocking after 12+ years of me rambling about comics. This one starts off with a man looking up safe places to go jogging in his area and heading out right around dawn. There’s someone sleeping on his couch and covered in cats, but we don’t learn the story of that person quite yet. From there the bulk of the story deals with this man and the people he encounters on the jogging trail, how they react to him, how he reacts to them, theories about what they might be up to, and what this man is doing jogging anyway. All along the way he’s also clearly thinking about that person on the couch, but trying very hard not to think about it or pretend that it has any importance to him. The comic would work just fine as an observational comic about the various types of people on a jogging trail and the experience of somebody who is clearly not a regular jogger, but it’s the subtext of that sleeping person that turns this into a great comic. And I’ve already made it clear that I’m not going to get into the specifics about that, so just take my word for it that this is a pretty damned great comic and you should check it out.
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Posted by Kevin
January 8, 2014
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Nextuus: The Hunt for the Raamus Emerald
I’m a sucker for a big, immersive science fiction world, as is probably pretty well established around this website by now. Even when they don’t grab me completely right out of the gate, I give people a lot of credit for spending the time to build up a believable world (within the confines of the rules for that particular brand of science fiction as established by the creator). Anyway, I picked up this comic at SPACE 2013 (which means I’m really slow reviewing it, so oops), along with a free primer for the series to catch up people who haven’t been following along, and that ended up impressing me even more than the comic. Why? Because most of the people in the primer aren’t even in this comic, because the comic is a prequel, meaning that there’s already a complete past and future world to work with, and a 180 page graphic novel floating around. If this is your kind of thing too, you’re in luck. As for the comic itself, the title explains what the point is pretty well, but this is the old crew trying to track down this emerald for a museum that had had much of its stock destroyed during a recent war. It’s basically an excuse to get to know the crew better, as they spend a lot of time trudging through the jungle and chatting before running into some armed bad guys who also want the emerald. Just to make it clear, in my view spending a few issues establishing the characters is essential to the long term success of a book. Who cares about a story with cardboard cutouts for characters? That is all done well here but (and I mean this in the best possible way) this comic felt like a drop in the bucket to what they have planned. A self-contained drop in the bucket, so don’t be afraid to pick it up because you don’t want to be lost in the story. Even without the primer they include some character bios in the intro, so no danger there. The art is occasionally a little hard to follow (like that scene aboard the dark plane, but that’s maybe just because they were aboard a dark plane and they couldn’t see that well either), but overall it’s solid. Check it out, and they have plenty of samples/stories at their website if you still need convincing. $2
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Posted by Kevin
January 7, 2014
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It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time #3: Artists in the Wild
Before I start the review of the actual comic, I’d like a word with the artists out there who, like Trevor, were told at some point that their lives weren’t “interesting enough” to make a comic about. For the rest of you who see this line of criticism as silly, feel free to ignore the next few lines, but for the few of you who took that criticism to heart and actually postponed/cancelled projects because you bought into that? Don’t be stupid. It’s a dated reference, but does anybody remember “Seinfeld”? The answer is that yes, all of you do, because it made all of the money in the world. And what was it about? Nothing! Or to take it into comics, how many of the great comics wouldn’t have been made if the artists had taken that kind of criticism to heart? It’s not like all of the autobio comics in the world are about spy missions and fights to the death. Most lives are at least a little bit boring, so don’t ever be talked out of telling your story. Hey, my first rant of 2014! So hey, let’s talk about this comic. The events in here happened about 5 years ago when Trevor spent a week with his brother camping and painting in Jasper National Park. And it’s fascinating stuff, so phooey to whoever talked him out of making a comic out of it until now. Along the way they show their interactions with needlessly aggressive drivers, show the different types of campers (the people, not the vehicles), detail their various interactions with tourists with little to no grasp of English, mistake a muddy river bed for a rocky river bed, and the wisdom of trying to stay up late to party after a week of camping. It’s great stuff, and I say that as a person who has never had much use for camping as a concept. Check it out, help make sure Trevor makes a pile of money from this and proves his friend wrong.
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Posted by Kevin
January 3, 2014
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Silent Energy
Anybody out there looking for a remarkably solid science fiction comic dealing with events occurring in 3152 and later? Then you’re in luck! I’m always baffled by people who set their “futuristic” stories 10-20 years in the future, or well within their lifetimes, as they usually end up looking silly once that actual year comes along. No such trouble with this one, and we start off with the origin story of a young turtle boy growing up and listening to Ziggy Stardust. I guess that could be a minor quibble of mine: chances are that records aren’t going to exist 100 years from now, much less 1100 years from now, and maybe some other more fantastical form of media should have been included, but that’s a nitpick of the highest order. Maybe it’s just something that’s meant to look like a record for nostalgia reasons and I’m being stupid, which is likely. Anyway, from there we get a fantastic conversation about the meaning behind the music to a future people, and from there we check in with our turtle hero at various points in his life as a space pilot and defender of the planet from alien invasions. We see Johnny (that’s his name) converse with his dad about becoming a pilot and knowing that his shell will be surgically removed before that’s possible, some down time in his college days rooming with a celestial dragon, an encounter with evil (?) robots, using his advanced weapons to stop a theoretical invasion pretty much effortlessly, dealing with the last of the giant spider gods, another conversation with his dad as an older man, some interpersonal drama between space missions, a pretty damned sweet Jack Kirby tribute, and the dreams that he is haunted by as an old man. This is a hell of an achievement, as it detailed the quiet moments in the life of this turtle person so perfectly that I didn’t even realize until the comic was done that that was the damned point. A few of the big moments in his life are here, sure, but it’s obvious that the quiet moments were by and large the things that were most important to Johnny. John (the author) also does a fantastic job of throwing in little nuggets of information here and there, tantalizing clues to a larger narrative that I hope comes out one day. But for now this is self-contained and tells the story of a life in the 32nd century, and all for a measly $3!
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Posted by Kevin
December 31, 2013
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Demon Wheat #2
Huzzah for words! After my review for Jon’s mostly silent last issue (last in terms of when I read them, not necessarily in the order they were released) I was hoping for something that made a bit more sense on the first read through. This comic has a few stories in it, and the different subjects give Jon a chance to really get inventive with his art. First up there’s the story of the Worm God and the unfortunate (though predictable, if you think about it) way that he meets his end. Next up is the story of an elderly radioactive snail and the creatures that live on its shell (including a Wuzzgutt cameo?), but mostly the creatures and their desire to see a bit more of the world than the back of a snail. Finally there’s the last story that takes up about half of the book about Moth Girl. Her costume is impractically designed, I have no idea whether or not those wings actually do anything, but it’s still a damned fascinating story (and also the first part of a serial, so there’s clearly more to see in #3). Things start off with her being sent away by her archnemesis to the rural mid-west, and her appearance causes a little confusion there as she’s mistaken for a prostitute and imprisoned. Still, the pimp has a pumpkin for a head and there’s the matter of all these vampires running around, so there’s a lot yet that has to be made clear in future stories. All in all this was a pretty great comic, much easier to follow than the last issue I reviewed but with the same great art. Check it out, and you too will believe that a man can have an enormous literal worm for a penis… $3
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Posted by Kevin
December 30, 2013
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Loud Comix #1
You know that thing with anthologies (or any small press comic really) where you’re not sure whether or not the next issue is ever coming out? Or is that only for cynics like me? Anyway, this one ended on a pretty big cliffhanger, so here’s hoping they have things well in hand and that the next issue comes out on time. Which should be out by now, and the website says that it is, so never mind all this. This is just my long-winded way of saying that the last story of the bunch did a really great job with its cliffhanger ending. Anyway, four stories in this one, but it’s a little different because they were all drawn by Jamie Vayda. Which makes me nervous about it keeping up a bimonthly schedule, but I’ve already mentioned that I can be quite the cynic about such things. Anyway, stories include “Mr. Breeze” by Sonny Joe Harlan (about the dangers of being hit on in a biker bar), “The Rise of Billy Bloodlust” by Frankie Nowhere (which I really hope is a true story about your perceptions while high on mushrooms and the aftermath of what you think happened during the trip), “Johnny Funhouse” by Erika Lane (the origin story of a kid who was pulled out with forceps by his mother, how he perceives the world and his first love) and “Wooden Leg” by Alan King. That last one offers tantalizing hints into the life of this guy with the wooden leg, including how he struck terror into the heart of the author as a kid, but it looks like they’re saving most of the good stuff (like how he got that wooden leg and what exactly made him such a lunatic) for the next part of the story. It’s a pretty great pile of stories, although I should probably warn off the squeamish who can’t handle a woman delivering her own baby in graphic detail, but it’s not as bad as you’re thinking after reading that sentence. I’ve been reading these things long enough to think that $6 is a little pricey for a book that’s all black and white, but some punk legends wrote some of these stories and I should get over thinking that that’s too much for a comic. Times change! $6
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Posted by Kevin
December 23, 2013
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Vortex #3
You know, as much as I love a coherent story, I have to admit that there’s a great deal of fun to be had whenever William gets the space to let his imagination run wild. And this story actually ended up making plenty of sense before it was all said and done, but there’s a lengthy setup that would have blown a hole through the brain of anybody reading this as their first issue of this series. Eh, better take a step back and get to analyzing. He does have a nice, concise recap to start things off, which is downright essential in a series like this. Just in case you haven’t read the other issues but are for some reason reading the review for this one, I’ll sum up: The Miizzzard has agreed to help free the Vortex, who are a race of shape-shifting enslaved berserkers. To do that he has to survive something called the dreamscape, and this is where William gets to go nuts. There are trials and dangers, all against the background of The Miizzzard not being entirely sure of what’s real and what’s all in his head. It’s a beautiful mind fuck of a book, and pardon my language if kids are reading this, but that one word will do far less to mess with your head than this issue will. He was nice enough to send along the next issue in the series, but so far things have been moving along really well and I’d say that this series is well worth checking out. And oh, to live in a world where this man had the money/backing to do a full color comic… $6
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Posted by Kevin
December 19, 2013
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The Hic & Hoc Illustrated Journal of Humour Volume 2: The United Kingdom
Hey look, anthology reviews on back to back days! Readers in the future, never mind about that comment, but for today I can compare the two, and I’m happy to say that this one got every single little thing right that made me cranky about the last one. Clear and legible table of contents, the pages are numbered, and most of the strips had the name of the artist on the bottom of the page. Yep, my only complaint here is that they managed to put together an anthology of U.K. cartoonists and left Rob Jackson out of it, but maybe he lives somewhere else and I’m just confused. OK fine, so they got the basics right. What about the quality? Pretty much top-notch all around, which is always at least slightly rare for an anthology with this many people in it. Highlights include a chopsticks dilemma by Luke Pearson, putting all of the eggs in one basket by Lizz Lunney, the wisdom of using egg whites instead of cream by Philippa Rice, the fantastically destructive Skull Force by Jack Teagle, one seriously destructive romance by Luke Pearson, a great example of a comic about nothing that ends up being pretty damned great by James Downing, a horror show called Dream Leader by Joe List, an excellent way to turn the tables on door to door salesmen by Joe Decie, deciding who you would like to survive the apocalypse along with you by Stephen Collins, video game monster advice by Dan Berry, judging someone from their shoes by Lizz Lunney, “I Was Attacked by some Naked Children” by Isaac Lenkiewicz, being stuck as a conscious fossil by Kristyna Baczynski, terrible story ideas that Gareth Brookes has been given over the years, and the Death Train by Lizz Lunney. Huh, I seemed to like Lizz Lunney’s work quite a bit, but there’s a pile of great stuff in here. Check it out, support both Hic & Hoc and the idea of getting more international anthologies going over here in the U.S. $12
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Posted by Kevin
December 18, 2013
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On Your Marks #1
Oh, what a crank I am. I get a pretty damned great anthology filled with small press people living in Seattle who could use a little more exposure and I can’t help thinking that I would have liked it better with a clear indication of which artists did which pages. They’re even all listed on the inside front cover, but they’re inside of a drawing, which makes some of them tough to make out. Does this take away from the quality of the content? Not one bit, no, as it’s not like it’s impossible to figure out who did certain pages with a little bit of work. Eh, I blame it on the general tone of the holiday season. All this Christmas music everywhere just bugs me. And if you ever needed more proof that I am in fact a total curmudgeon, there you have it. Anyway! This is a collection of mostly one page strips, done by all kinds of people that you either already know about or should be ashamed of yourself because you’ve never heard of them. Stories include Ben Horak having the comic he made when he was 6 read by adults (with a perfect final panel), Tom Van Deusen’s creepy piece about a head growing out of a roof and what happens when it’s removed, Bobby Madness and the sacrifice he made for the environment, Kelly Froh’s traumatic moment on an aimless afternoon, Pat Keck and his dungeon Gremlins, Aarow Mew and the result of his “spider” bite, Julia Gfrorer’s tale of a creepy ouija board experience, Rick Altergott and Pat Moriarty’s story of what cats think is going on with their litter boxes, Marc Palm’s Flannelwolf and Frankcan, Robyn Jordan’s worries about what she’ll be like in 10 years after she has kids, David Lasky’s questions about what you would do if you were a superhero, and Max Clotfelter’s mistaken assumption involving getting his older brother involved in protecting him. Like I said, it’s a damned solid anthology, full of ridiculously talented people. Maybe next time they’ll put page numbers on the pages to lessen my crankiness, or maybe it’s something I need to work on on my own and I’m sharing too much here… $4
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Posted by Kevin
December 13, 2013
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It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time #2
Can I be cantankerous for a minute? Well, sure, it’s my website. This comic is a collection of single pages, bundled together with a piece of paper naming the comic. This is fine, as I’m certainly not the boss of how Trevor makes his comics. The only problem is that I’ve seen other comics like these, and they do not hold up well. Inevitably the binder gets lost, or a page or two slips out somewhere along the line, never to be seen again. In his defense, he put quite a large sticky glob on the binder, so maybe that won’t be as big of a problem here, but it still seems like a bad idea. But what difference does that make, my “job” is to review the contents, not the presentation. Well, like I said, these are all one page stories, and they can be read in any order. Some work better than others (the one with the two people silently driving just baffled me, and not only because I have no idea where those feet came from in the second to last panel), and the stories include an odd cat conversation, the joys of living near water in a dry area in the summer, being the weirdo who draws outside in the rain, getting talked into getting an even worse movie than the one that you were trying to watch (knowing full well that it was supposed to be terrible), an average awkward drink order at a restaurant, an odd conversation about art, a hilarious description of the redneck mating call, calling the bluff of somebody working in customer service who says they can help you pick out a printer, and the dangers of talking politics at work. It’s a pretty funny pile of stories, so never mind my general crankiness on the presentation. I’m still thinking that people want their books/stuff to last for the long haul, which is probably a pretty antiquated notion all by itself.
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Posted by Kevin
