New review today for Crushable: Ricky Nelson by Janice Shapiro. Any more snow storms coming or can we go back to pretending that we still have four distinct weather seasons?
Update for 3/26/13
March 26, 2013
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Posted by Kevin
Shapiro, Janice – Crushable: Ricky Nelson
March 26, 2013
Crushable: Ricky Nelson
Ah, the childhood crush. It’s the most important thing in the world while it’s happening, and something that is more than a little embarrassing when looked back on in the cold light of adulthood. This one is all about Janice at the age of six getting a crush on Ricky Nelson, somebody who the kids of today have most likely never heard of, but the feelings in here are relatable to everybody who’s ever had one of these crushes. Janice used her crush like a shield, protecting her from everything bad that she imagined to be in the world. She moved happily along with her crush, even “stealing” a friend from her sister based on the mutual interest, before something happened that prevented her from listening to his records, which changed everything. I’m guessing this is the first part of her projected graphic novel on the subject (unless she was having crushes before she could walk), and it’s something that looks to be fascinating, as she’s able to look back at all of this from her current perspective (that brief moment when she looked at his picture online while making this comic and concluding that he really was cute was nice). And if you’d like to kill a few minutes at work, this happens to be the first sample comic that’s on her site at the moment, so go nuts. Then come back for the completed edition later, because if she mentions Viggo Mortensen then I’m guessing that she has a lot of these stories. No price listed or on her website, so let’s go with $3 for no apparent reason.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/22/13
March 22, 2013New review for Big Plans by Aron Nels Steinke, which is a collection of his comic of the same name with some extra goodies thrown in, in case you were wondering why there wasn’t a number after that title. Happy weekend everybody!
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Posted by Kevin
Steinke, Aron Nels – Big Plans
March 22, 2013
Before I even talk about the comic, I have to point out that Bridge City Comics published this collection, and it looks like it’s one of their first books, so reward them for doing something great by buying it! Also reward Aron for making it, sure, but jumping into publishing is always risky and people should be rewarded when they put out collections of fantastic comics like this. I’d only seen one issue of his “Big Plans” series in the past, because there are only so many comics that I can keep up with and my brain is like a sieve about such things, and it’s clear from this collection that I was missing out. This is broken up into six parts. The art gets a bit better as it goes on, but Aron started this at a high level artistically and you’re not going to be looking at anything particularly ugly here. The first section deals with Aron’s burning all of his crappy Image comics from back in the day (I just ended up throwing mine away but prefer his method of dealing with the garbage), chatting with a willfully unhelpful comic shop guy in Vancouver, the journey from noticing a suspicious man at the airport to deciding what to do about it when he gets on the same plane, and Aron’s mother’s thoughts on his use of swear words in his books. The second part is much shorter, as it mostly deals with a good memory of Aron’s that comes at the expense of his brother’s appendicitis. The third section is where the movie stars come into the picture, as Aron gets a ticket to the 2005 Academy Awards and it descends into a drunken mess (the story, not his writing or art (as far as I know; if it does he’s a very capable drunken cartoonist)). The fourth part deals with a walk most people who live in apartments have had to make at some point: noticing that your door was unlocked even though there’s no reason for this to be the case and going through the apartment room by room, usually holding a knife, trying to find out if somebody broke in and is still in there with you. I already touched on the fifth part in a past review, as it’s all about Aron and his wife participating in a sting operation and trying to get their stolen laptop back. Finally there’s the hefty sixth part, where Aron uses silence and wide open spaces to get his point across in stories about a disappointing lecture given by two alternative artists and going on a walk to get some beer. I’m leaving out all kinds of short stories to leave you plenty of surprises (not that I’m giving much away on the other stories), but you have every reason in the world to check this out. Aron is one of the best artists/storytellers working today, there’s a brand new publishing company for you to support, and you get a huge graphic novel out of the deal for $18. What’s not to love?
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/20/13
March 20, 2013New review today for Snack Pak #1 by Rob Kirby.
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Posted by Kevin
Kirby, Rob – Snack Pak #1
March 20, 2013
Snack Pak #1
Huzzah for diary strips! Yes, I am aware of the fact that I go back and forth on this subject on a fairly regular basis, so let me clarify: huzzah for thoughtful, professionally drawn (as in “not drawn in a rush while drunk to keep up with some arbitrary schedule”) diary strips! Rob was already more or less working with the format, then he got challenged online to do more of them, so he started posting them every few days here, every few weeks there. Or did he do daily strips and only post the “good” ones in this comic? Checking over his website… nope, looks like he put them all in here. Glad that’s settled! Stories in here include the time that he fainted on a plane (as somebody who once fainted maybe 12 years ago and STILL has no idea what the hell that was all about, I sympathize) and the reactions of the people around him, being creeped out by a certain building while going for walks, a compact retelling of his experiences at CAKE last year, the annoyance of coming home to a computer after spending all day at work on one, sights seen on a bike ride, a quiet walk after picking up lunch, the art of gradually waking up from a nap, the mystery of the ceiling tag, the abandoned rolodex, the stairs to nowhere, how roller coasters are getting so much more “extreme,” a diversion into a graveyard, having a birthday at SPX, wishing he could live like that forever, the wonder of coffee in a paper cup, a benefit for an amendment about marriage equality, a vacation to Cancun, tales of vomiting past, the shitty winter months, and a bevy of movie quotes. And if you think those descriptions ruined your enjoyment of the comics, you’re in luck! I mostly described a single panel from his six panel strips, and they usually covered a wide range of subjects, so there’s still plenty in here for you to discover. Oh, and the pages are glossy the art is gorgeous. Sure, there’s maybe an occasional reaching for a decent story that comes with the territory when dealing with diary strips, but I’d say he found it much more often than not. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/19/13
March 19, 2013New review today for The Flying Castle and Other Tales by Jason Poland. I’ve been dragging a bit due to a number of things, but should be able to get reviews up the rest of the week. And some people already know this, but if you happen to have a book coming out officially at SPACE, and if said book is already done, and if you’d like a review of it before the convention to maybe drum up some extra interest, I have been known to read a comic or two and then ramble about them. Just sayin’…
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Posted by Kevin
Poland, Jason – The Flying Castle and Other Tales
March 19, 2013
The Flying Castle and Other Tales
Just a general note to the universe: if Jason isn’t filthy rich in ten years from now after illustrating a series of children’s book, something is seriously wrong with everything. Or maybe he decided that that wasn’t the way to go, but that’s the only reason why it shouldn’t work out. Hell, the only real objection to his current books being marketed that way could be due to the fact that they’re too “weird,” but try making that objection after watching any of a number of successful cartoons. Anyway, tangent over, what about the actual content? Less substantial than his previous book (purely in terms of page count), but it’s still damned funny and full of those little moments that completely won me over the last time around. The title story alone is a masterpiece of “what-the-fuckery” (OK, maybe he could switch over to making children’s books, but he may have a hard time using any quotes from me), as Bobby and his friend accidentally smash a window while trying to master kickball. Said window belongs to a floating castle that appears just as the ball is flying through the air, which makes it hard to place too much blame on the youngsters, but logic is for the weak! From there (without spoiling anything if I can help it) there are blood magnets, a giant eyeball that takes the glasses from one of the characters, the drunken ghosts and their lack of a corkscrew, the eventual discovery of the owner of the castle, and everything that happens after this fact, which I mostly can’t mention due to those spoilers. There are also two other stories, one about Bobby and his cursed bike that doesn’t let him ever get bored (and the reactions of his friends to this happening) and the introduction to the universe of two talking bears (“He is boring garbage” being the line that almost got me in trouble at work). It’s ridiculously entertaining, he uses color rarely but appropriately, and I’ve already established the fact that this guy should be rich and famous. Maybe buy that last volume if you want a more varied collection of his work, but after you do you’ll be scrambling to check out his other comics, so you’d really be better off buying all of his stuff at once. $12.99
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/14/13
March 14, 2013New review today for The Index #3: The Library by Caitlin Cass. Is it too soon to start reminding people about the SPACE convention here in Columbus? It’s a month from today, so get your plane/train/bus tickets now!
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Posted by Kevin
Cass, Caitlin – The Index #3: The Library
March 14, 2013
The Index #3: The Library
You’ve already read the first two issues of this series, right? Because otherwise I don’t see what you could get out of this one. That’s true for most series that tell a continuing story (not so much for series where each issue is a bunch of unrelated gag strips), and people should already know such facts by now, but this is America, where it’s best not to take intellectual competence for granted. Sorry, you caught me right after I learned that the ratings for this fourth season of “Community” are apparently the best ever, even though the show is a sad shadow of its former self after they fired Dan Harmon. Oh hi comic book! I didn’t see you there in the middle of this word cloud I’m spewing up. This issue deals with the fallout from the previous two issues, as Susan tries desperately to find something to replace the index cards in her life and John tries to come to terms with a new index card. From here we get a history the Library of Alexandria from way back in the day and how it really wasn’t all that great (relatively speaking) when it got burned down. I’ve mentioned how much I loved Caitlin’s art and writing before, but I should also mention her lettering. The words jumble and clash with each other, never to the point where it’s illegible, and it has a very subtle way of adding to the tension of a scene. Unless it’s just her handwriting and I’m reading too much into it, but it serves to make the whole comic more complete. If my description of the story is boring you silly then I’m doing it wrong, but give this series a shot. Your brain will thank you for it later (warning: please consult a doctor if you’re having regular conversations with your brain). $3.50
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/13/13
March 13, 2013New review today for Jason by Bonesteel. His name is Bonesteel, the name of the comic is Jason. It all makes sense!
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Posted by Kevin
Bonesteel – Jason
March 13, 2013
Jason
Just a general service announcement for everybody out there who spends countless hours planning, drawing and distributing comics: for the love of all that is holy, use a spell checker. Or a dictionary, or that friend of yours who placed 11th in their high school spelling bee. I’ll never understand why so many people are so willing to spend so much time on art and so little time on figuring out if you’ve got “actually” spelled correctly. Also it always sucks for me to open up with a rant when I actually (see what I did there?) enjoyed the comic quite a bit. This is a week in the life of Jason, that dude from the Friday the 13th movies, and I initially thought that Bonesteel was going in the same direction as John Brodowski’s Curio Cabinet (no I’m not going to explain the reference; the collected edition of that book is available and you should all have read it by now anyway). That turned out not to be the case, as Bonesteel’s take on the character was of a guy who punches in to work each day, selects the weapon he’d like to use and goes about his way. I was hoping to get some sort of explanation of Jason’s uncanny ability to sense when teenagers were having sex, but maybe he’ll get into that in later issues. Anyway, we get to see Jason in some downtime at the office, playing a game of cards with other horror movie icons (and I will now and forever object to that guy from Scream being included in this group), discussing ways to liven up their boring routine, and eventually getting a pet (sort of). Bonesteel doesn’t mess with hands, feet or faces, which gives everything a vaguely dreamlike quality, but the dialogue is funny and that’s all that matters in this kind of story. It’s worth checking out and I’m curious to see if he keeps it up, and if he does keep it up if he can manage to keep if from getting repetitive in a hurry. He’s off to a good start, once he finds somebody to check over his spelling…
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/12/13
March 12, 2013New review today for Estuaries #1 by M. Twine, and business should be picking up around here soon, as I’m starting to get some of early “convention season” mini comics. Is “convention season” a thing? Just checking. And are people still calling them “mini comics” or has “zine” taken over? I should probably know these things, what with running this website for 11+ years and all…
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Posted by Kevin
Twine, M. – Estuaries #1
March 12, 2013
Estuaries #1
Who likes their comics smudgy? OK, it’s petty and irrelevant to start a review with a comment about the fact that the black ink on the front and back covers was still, well, inky, but there you have it. It would have been much more fair to start the review by mentioning that the writing in here was absolutely fantastic, that it took me back to my own illicit wanderings through a closed mental health facility when I was a teenager, but I prefer to get my pessimism out of the way early. This one starts off with M. and friends sneaking into an old abandoned forced labor camp/retirement home for very poor people that closed in 1975. It changed a few times over the years (M. also has a nice summary of the history of the place), but the end result now is that going to it leaves you charged with the feeling that you might get caught, or that you might discover something unique. The middle of the book is all about Alice Austen, a photographer who was so broke (due to nobody buying her pictures and the fact, never mentioned out loud due to the time period, that she was a lesbian) that she had to move to the place as her retirement home, and how she was able to leave soon after once people finally started appreciating her pictures. It’s a nice reminder of how much society has changed in the last 100 years and how far we still have to go, which is clearly something that people need to be reminded of on a regular basis, as people can be awfully stupid about that sort of thing. It’s the quiet moments of this comic that really shine, such as M.’s evaluation of some of the graffiti or the haunting final image/description. It’s well worth checking out, but if your copy is of the same inky composition as mine you might want to have a napkin handy…
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/8/13
March 8, 2013New review for Monkey Squad One #11 by Doug Michel. Happy weekend everybody!
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Posted by Kevin
Michel, Doug – Monkey Squad One #11
March 8, 2013
Monkey Squad One #11
Ah, the bane of the small press comics world: the second part of a three part series. Actually, I could think of a few dozen things off the top of my head that are bane-ier than that, but it’s always a little bit of work to get caught up on something that’s only published every few months. Doug does a great job of always putting a recap in his comics, although at this point I could use a damned flow chart to keep up with the always increasing cast of characters. I mean that in only the good way, as by #11 of a series like this your cast of characters should be huge. Anyway, things were left on a cliffhanger last time around, what with two of our heroes going up against a giant ant and his tiny rider and the rest of them making their way to the land of the women from #4 (why oh why is there no collected edition of this out yet? Financial plausibility schminancial schmausibility). One of these altercations is taken care of quickly, and we learn that many years have passed in this lady land since #4 while only a few months have passed here. The rest of the issue deals with spies, boob-shaped panic rooms, explaining what exactly is going on here and the introduction of what appear to be some pretty awesome new villains. The finale to this arc should be out in April, and Doug is usually pretty good at keeping his deadlines, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how all of this stuff comes together. Here’s hoping he keeps up the good work and finds a publisher willing to put all of these issues into one big old book. $2.50
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/7/13
March 7, 2013New review today for History In Ruins #1 by Rusty Jordan and Andrew Smith. But you already knew that!
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Posted by Kevin
Jordan, Rusty & Smith, Ben – History in Ruins #1
March 7, 2013
History in Ruins #1
This comic is more a teaser than a regular first issue (unless you think that all first issues are teasers for series, which is a perfectly legitimate position to take). Things start off with a heavily acned kid working at a convenience store, coming to the end of his four hour day (he’s forced to leave early because otherwise he’ll go over 20 hours for the week). On the way out, grumbling about his work restrictions, he takes three things that he says will help him with his “home project.” He arrives home, seems a little too interested in the ass of his mother as she works in the garden, and heads downstairs. So yes, you will have to wait another issue to see what the story is behind those ingredients. Or the ass. The comic is certainly a lot more, well, accessible (for lack of a better word) than some past comics I’ve seen by either of these guys. We’ll see whether or not that ends up being a good thing, but it’s off to a damned intriguing start. They were also nice enough to send along the second issue, so I’ll get a better idea of what’s going on here when I review it in a week or so.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/5/13
March 5, 2013New review today for Stranger Two Stranger #4 by Robert Hendricks. Snowpacolypsageddon is coming to Columbus tonight, but if we all survive I should be able to get a review up tomorrow. Unless my fingers freeze off, in which case forget it.
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Posted by Kevin
Hendricks, Robert – Stranger Two Stranger #4
March 5, 2013
Stranger Two Stranger #4
I keep thinking that Robert is going to run out of material for these comics, or at least that the whole thing is going to start to feel repetitive. Nope, that is not the case, or at least not yet (keep pessimism alive!). This issue has probably the most eclectic mix of the bunch, and I defy you not to either laugh out loud or shake your head at least a few times in rueful amazement. I don’t even want to summarize these stories, as they’re that damned good, but I will offer up tantalizing hints. There’s the poem, the picture and the lack of moral standing as to what happens with it, the end of Craigslist, advice for a new neighbor, the lady behind the plate at the baseball game, how a day can be brightened, when it’s maybe not appropriate to hit on someone in a grocery store, wordplay, the unfortunate side effect of riding a bicycle, responsibility, how did that get there, and a couple of very awkward ways to meet somebody. There, go pick up a copy of this, read it, then come back to the review and see if it makes more sense. Everybody out there has at least one story of The One Who Got Away, or The One I Didn’t Have The Guts To Talk To, or something to that effect. Compare your stories with the ones in here and you’re sure to come out feeling OK about the whole thing. $2
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Posted by Kevin
