Please welcome back to the pages of Optical Sloth George Tautkus, as he was nice enough to send me a couple of issues of Krunk for review (I reviewed #6, in case you were wondering).
Update for 6/21/12
June 21, 2012
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Posted by Kevin
Tautkus, George – Krunk #6
June 21, 2012
Krunk #6
Ah, my master plan of reviewing comics is still working. In this case, I read the past issues of Krunk (both volumes) until George stopped sending them for review in maybe 2006. Then I waited patiently for him to remember to send me more comics, and nearly six years later my patience has paid off! OK, it’s possible that this wasn’t the plan at all, but Krunk comics in my mailbox are always a welcome sign. Luckily me in the past republished the recap from #5 directly into the review for that issue, as otherwise I wouldn’t have had the slightest idea of what was going on in this issue. So for those of you who haven’t read any of these, or, like me, haven’t read them in many years, I don’t know what to tell you. Read that recap in the review for #5, that should help a bit. Otherwise George drops the reader right into the action with nary a recap to be found. Still, don’t be too alarmed, as this comic still works pretty well on its own. In this issue we get our blind hero in his quest for a cane (which he does while walking around and looking at canes), a mysterious disappearance by his homeless guru, another character details the process involved in getting hired and trained by a telemarketing company (including both the genesis behind the idea of the company and how long he lasted on the job), our blind hero taking a metal detector instead of a cane (at least until he was mocked for using it), an awkward religious conversation occurs, a guy spraying graffiti on a wall has his spelling corrected, and there’s even a fight scene. Most of my comics are already sadly packed up or I would have read the past issues of this series to get all caught up, and as such I must confess that I’m not quite yet totally back in the Krunk frame of mind. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot to love in this issue, not the least of which is the final panel from that fight scene. I’m absolutely thrilled that George has kept up the comics over the years, as he’s way too talented to leave all this glamour behind for a regular job. Which I’m assuming he has anyway, but you know what I mean. $2
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/20/12
June 20, 2012New review today for Throb by Jaime Crespo. No, really!
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Posted by Kevin
Crespo, Jaime – Throb
June 20, 2012
Throb
It’s always good to see a labor of love see the light of day. Granted, the impact is lessened a bit when the general public has no idea that this project ever existed, but it’s still heartening to see it. Jaime had the idea for this book (based on Zoom and Re-Zoom by Istvan Banyai, which I hadn’t seen until I checked You Tube just now, and I suggest you do the same for some context) back in the 80’s. He finally managed to put an issue together in the mid 90’s, but printing problems made a mess of the book and he ended up trashing his few remaining copies (out of a tiny print run). Still, he wanted to revisit it and finally put this book together, touching up his art where needed. Oh, and the title refers to the constant zooming in and out of the images, in case you were curious. Which brings us up to date on the history of the comic and the meaning of the title, but what’s this comic about? Well, it’s more of a visual exercise than it is a detailed story (otherwise known as art). Images zoom in and in and in, focus on what appears to be a speck, then zoom back out to show a completely unexpected scene, and on it goes for 24 pages (with a nice surprise at the end). I thought it was impressive as hell and think Jaime should think about making a video out of these panels like with Zoom. As if he hasn’t already spent enough time on this project in the nearly 30 years it’s been rattling around his brain! Well, it’s a thought, anyway. It’s worth a look, and maybe some of you comics creators out there could take this concept and run with it, eh? $3
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/19/12
June 19, 2012New review today for Arthur Turnkey Part 1 by Toby Jones & Alex Horab. Which I guess means that I have a theme going of reviewing books published by 2D Cloud on Tuesdays, but now all those books are gone, which means that the theme reviews are ended.
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Jones, Toby & Horab, Alex – Arthur Turnkey Part 1
June 19, 2012
Arthur Turnkey Part 1
Aren’t there any comic companies out there who are willing to give Toby Jones a pile of money to make some comics? There should be, and they’ll be sorry when they miss out when one of the big companies snatches him up. I should mention that Alex Horab is listed in the credits too, but he’s listed second, which generally indicates that he’s the artist, but this art is clearly Toby’s. So maybe Alex was the writer? Ah well, it’s only fuddy-duddies like me who care about such things these days. This story starts off with our hero getting punched in the stomach by a bully at school. We also learn that he’s in love with a fellow seventh grade student named Holly Hoyt, and he feebly tries a few times to talk to her. While chasing her down he’s distracted and almost run down in the street, at which point he sneezes, and everything changes. He ends up in a strange world where problems are solved in a gladiatorial arena, a conflict is had, and Arthur finds himself back in his original world. But now that he knows this other place exists he clearly has to learn more about it, which is more or less what happens in the rest of the book. With more than a few surprises, obviously, but I have no interest in telling you every little thing about this book. And I do have to say, in case it wasn’t clear already, that I love everything about this book. Arthur’s indecision with Holly (followed by his failures when he does get decisive), the dozens of post-it notes around Arthur’s house that take the place of his absent parents, the fight in the arena, the eventual explanation for this strange world and sheer inventiveness of how he got there, all are either nicely done or brilliant. And a clear direction for the second issue! Support this man, dammit! $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/18/12
June 18, 2012New review today for Vortex #2 by William Cardini. I’ve already asked the general readership out there if you know of any nice two bedroom houses/apartments in Columbus that open up at the start of July, right? If not, please consider it asked.
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Cardini, William – Vortex #2
June 18, 2012
Vortex #2
Huzzah for a second issue of this series! What can I say, at this point I’ve been conditioned to never fully expect a second issue of a series, even when it’s a “to be continued” situation. This one starts off with a nice recap of the previous issue (which is always welcome and, in a series like this, mandatory), then we get to see what a bad idea it was for our hero Miizzard to have swallowed that guy’s head in the last issue. Things remain surprisingly peaceful after that, even if it seems to me like having a swallowed head rip through your stomach and form an entire creature would put you in a bit of a mood. Miizzard follows the guy to his leader, who explains why they lured him to the planet in the first place, and we get some very solid descriptions of what we’re dealing with. And then something very alarming happens and the comic is over. Actually, this comic may have had more words in it than all of the previous comics I’ve read from this man combined, which is necessary when you’re trying to establish the rules for your universe. Once again the art is amazing, as there are all kinds of creatures and objects floating around that are just begging for a more detailed description, and the story is picking up steam nicely. I’m curious to see what happens next, as it was left in a very interesting spot. On to #3! $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/14/12
June 14, 2012New review today for 3-D Pete’s Star Babe Invasion Comics #3 by Mike Fisher. I mentioned a couple of days ago that I’m moving soon and so you comic creator types should probably hold off on sending any more review comics for a few weeks, so I should also mention that if you have comics that you’d like to order from me, the sooner the better would be great. They’ll probably end up being one of the last things packed, but I have a lot more free time to promptly send books out now than I will when the real moving frenzy begins in a week or so.
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Posted by Kevin
Fisher, Mike – 3-D Pete’s Star Babe Invasion Comics #3
June 14, 2012
3-D Pete’s Star Babe Invasion Comics #3
It’s time for another issue of this series, as there are still retro science fiction ladies that are begging to be covered! Well, maybe not begging, and this issue does reveal that at least of few of them have met with tragic ends since running around in a fur bikini, but I’m veering into dark territory for a book that’s this lighthearted. This time around we get a detailed description of the 1958 movie “Queen of Outer Space” (I do love the extra bits of research that Mike puts into these stories, like how one of the rebels in the movie later married her love interest from the film), a more detailed bio of Joi Lansing (from the same movie), a detailed look at another old campy classic (“When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth!,” and Mike details the differences between available versions of the film), a couple of pages of random ladies (where you can guess their identity and then confirm it when Mike gives the answers; if you get more than 1/2 of these right without cheating you might want to email Mike and see if he needs an assistant), and an interview with Victoria Vetri. From prison, where she’s currently staying after shooting her husband, so you can see what I mean about it getting a little dark. There are also several one page spreads of various ladies in various states of undress/terror/adventure, and another full page color centerfold that is not naked, so shame on you for thinking that. Once again it’s a fun book for fans of the genre, as even the dorkiest of dorks is bound to learn something new here. The price is a mystery once again, so once again I’m going with the random guess of $5, which is probably too cheap for all the full color shenanigans going on here.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/13/12
June 13, 2012New review for Three #3 edited by Robert Kirby and containing all sorts of folks that you should already know and love.
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Kirby, Robert (editor) – Three #3
June 13, 2012
Three #3
Society is breaking down! Cats living with dogs! Cats being turned into helicopters! And an anthology named “Three” is publishing more than three stories in an issue! Granted, only one of those examples is a real cause for concern, but I’ll leave it up to you to figure out which one. This issue contains four longer stories and a couple of one page pieces. Well, the first page is just nine images for nine different artists, so that’s more of an author bio page without words than a story. The first story is “Love Lust Lost” by Ed Luce, depicting three different silent adventures based on the three names in the title. Oh, and it’s also about those three guys on the cover, so take a moment and decide in your head which character goes with which story. The answer may surprise you! Next up is a story by Matt Runkle and Janelle Hessig in which they manage to get right up next to the stage for a Dolly Parton concert. They went in awed by her existence and managed to leave with even more respect for the lady. From here we go to the type of story that never, ever works: the comics jam. In this case nine artists take turns doing three panel strips, with the condition being that something bad has to happen on each last panel. I’m far too lazy to go through this strip by strip, but check out those tags below to see the people who participated. Oddly enough, for once this type of thing worked beautifully. Sure, it veered off the narrative tracks here and there, but the next person in line always pulled it together. Shit got real when the Peanuts gang also got involved, leaving my favorite strip of the bunch a tie between Howard Cruse (with Charlie Brown finally getting to kick something) and Ellen Forney (with the best final panel in a pile of great final panels). Marian Runk steps in for a one page story about the birds in her yard and her concern for them before we finally get to pretty much the entire second half of the book, “Fly Like an Eagle” by Carrie McNinch. I’ve been reading her comics for years but have never seen more than a passing reference to her “origin story.” Turns out that she was kicked out of her school while in ninth grade and forced to go to a private religious school. She starts off surprising herself by picking up a couple of friends easily (basically because they both also got busted for drugs in their old school), but that kind of thing can be especially volatile in those early years. The rest of the story deals with her gradual acceptance that she is never going to like boys “that way” (including her attempt to use a hilariously wrong library book for help in learning exactly what she was), her progression through various kinds of drugs and finally a damned sweet ending. Once again this anthology is doing pretty much everything right, and this time around you even get more stories. Which you’d damn well better, as this is $.25 more expensive than the last issue. Calamity! $6.50
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/12/12
June 12, 2012New review today for Prizon Food #2 by Eric Schuster & Joseph Gillette. I thought that there was one more issue available, which is why I was planning on reviewing these every Tuesday for a few weeks, but I was mistaken, and there are currently only two issues out. Damn this world!
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Posted by Kevin
Schuster, Eric & Gillette, Joseph – Prizon Food #2
June 12, 2012
Prizon Food #2
It just occurred to me that the last issue of this series also listed “Party Food” as the second person responsible for it, and both times I listed the real name of the person instead. I could change it now, but it’s already been out there on the internets for a week, meaning the whole world already knows about it. Not that the whole world reads my website, that’s just how these things work. It’ss confusing anyway, as “Party Food” is also a character in the story. So! This time around Waltar and his pig are taken up into that spaceship from the last issue, the conversation between the king and his son with the upside down face (Party Food; see what I mean about it being confusing?) continues, and Waltar and his pig are taken to prison. Or prizon, as it’s called on the cover, which may have given that bit away. A good chunk of this book is an extended fight scene between Waltar and the guards, and it’s a thing of beauty. The giant word balloons, the wide open spaces, the two page spreads when the action (or lack of action) calls for it, the various expressions on the faces of the guards, all of it combined for the best fight scene that I’ve seen in years. Of course, I am biased into thinking that a fight between a purple gorilla creature and three alien guards starts off as the best fight in ages and then it would have to be exceptionally crappy to knock that opinion away from me, and this was not crappy at all. We also get to meet one new character at the end, so these two obviously still have plans for this series. Which is great, as this is one of those series that reads like a fever dream that should have been on paper ages ago. Or drawn on their computers and then put onto paper, however you want to put it. $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/11/12
June 11, 2012New review for Oak & Linden #2 by Pat Barrett. If you have a pile of comics to send to me for review, you might want to wait a few weeks, as I’m moving at the end of the month. Yes, again. Or if you do want to ship them out before I move, you might want to do that soon…
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Posted by Kevin
Barrett, Pat – Oak & Linden #2
June 11, 2012
Oak & Linden #2
I know, I should probably include multiple contact links for authors more often, it’s just that if I did that for everybody then I wouldn’t know when to stop. Do I list their Facebook pages too? What about Twitter? Google Plus? The next two or three methods we adopt to communicate with each other without ever having to see other humans (I’m for a version of Twitter where you can only communicate using three to five emoticons for each message)? Eh, I’ll probably be forced to change with the times like everybody else sooner or later. Speaking of these times, that Center for Cartoon Studies sure is producing a bumper crop of mini comics these days. Granted, they’re often assignments from these classes, which makes them a little rough in spots, but the same thing is exactly true for the genuine “amateur” mini comics. This time around Pat went with mostly short pieces because (as he mentions in one of the stories) he had to do a lot of short pieces for class around this time. Which means that the next chapter of Petrified Girlfriend isn’t in here, which was a bit of a disappointment. Stories in this one include the downfall of the (large, cloud-ridden) gods, thinking while drawing a mountain, three million for a boat (which sounds steep, but you also have to consider that the man renting the boat was not wearing pants, which can cause prices to go up), an amusing night at the movies, and the pile of food that ensues when the author is back in New York for one day. Don’t fret, as there are also a couple of longer pieces. The first deals with a Captain Kirk-like starship captain who’s marooned on a strange planet with “intriguing, buxom creatures.” They don’t fall for his charms, but they do mention what their planet is made out of, much to their chagrin. Finally there’s a story of a robbery at a hanging and what’s inside of the rich man’s wallet. Overall a couple of the single page pieces didn’t do much for me, but what can you say, the man was making them for a daily diary strip class. That still leaves a pile of stories ranging from just interesting to great, which makes it a comic worth seeking out. $3.50
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/8/12
June 8, 2012New review for The Melinderly #1 by Melinda Tracy Boyce, happy weekend everybody!
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Posted by Kevin
Boyce, Melinda Tracy – The Melinderly #1
June 8, 2012
The Melinderly #1
Beware the promise of a quarterly publication schedule! I say this not to you fellow readers, as you already know this all too well. “D & Q” stands for “Drawn & Quarterly” publishing, which was named that because, you guessed it, they had plans to put all of their books out on a quarterly basis. A few of them managed to come close to this (remember when Joe Matt’s “Peepshow” was published on a fairly regular basis? It did happen), but I’m guessing that that’s why they eventually shortened it to just the initials. Not that they have anything to do with Melinda’s book. I like seeing this from artists, really I do, but frankly I’ll be impressed if even #2 is published on that schedule. It just seems like an impossible task for the vast majority of comics out there. But enough about a publishing schedule that nobody is going to remember a few issues from now, what about the comic? It’s in full color, and gorgeous color at that, and that combined with her art makes for a damned pretty comic. Stories in here include the rules for a drinking game (that I’d never heard of), a night out at a bar after said drinking game, the history of gifts that she’s received from her mom over the years (both good, bad and wildly inappropriate), finally breaking down and going for pure comfort in her home wardrobe, and a nervous, dramatic night of Melinda and a couple of friends posting wheatpaste art around deserted parts of Portland late one night. There’s also the first part of a story called Lustwander, written by Aaron Whitaker (of “The City Troll” fame), which deals with a young woman who comes home to a letter from a secret admirer (which cheers her up instantly) and walks inside to deal with the reality of a boyfriend who seems to take her completely for granted. There’s more to come, but I’m intrigued, and it’s always a good idea to have at least one continuing story if your goal is to put out a quarterly book. Just don’t forget to make every installment end with either an explosion or a ticking bomb and your audience will be hooked! Yes, that kind of thinking is one of many reasons why I don’t make comics myself. Anyway, this is a damned fine comic and I’m intrigued to see where she goes from here. No idea on the price, but she’s offering subscriptions for $40 a year, meaning this is $10? It’s gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know if the world is ready for a $10 mini comic. I have, of course, been wrong before…
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 6/7/12
June 7, 2012New review today for Om by Piotr Nowacki. Anybody having any problems accessing the site lately or is it just me? Granted, if you are having trouble getting to this site then you almost certainly aren’t reading this, but maybe you finally got through and are annoyed, in which case please get back to me.
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Posted by Kevin
Nowacki, Piotr – Om
June 7, 2012
Om
I’m assuming this is common knowledge already, but if you’re not somebody who speaks English as your native language and you’re somehow reading this, please consider making your comics either silent or mostly silent like this one. Well, at least try that if you’re looking to get your books seen in lazy places like America where we speak English more often than not. Just to hammer that point home, there’s a strip on the back cover of this book that’s all in Polish and I’ve had great fun trying to figure it out. My current guess is that it’s an ad for the company that publishes this book. Either that or a reminder to always give birthday gifts. Isn’t there a comic here that I’m supposed to be talking about? The title of this one comes from the noise that our hero makes as he eats just about everything in sight, or at least tries to. Things start off with an annoying alarm clock, which our hero promptly eats, and which turns into a pretty funny running gag. Then it’s time for breakfast, so he puts a gigantic egg on the stove and eats his toothbrush. Complications arise when the egg sprouts a pair of legs, so our hero finds an alternate breakfast. And you know the best way to kill the funny? By describing each page. Anyway, from there our hero and his new friend the egg wander off to school, hilarity ensues, and their day is complete. But wait, the egg has been stolen from the fridge! Ineffective burglar attack! Tiny ninja! Helpful chicken sensei! Underwater adventures! Giant fish! Underwater pirate money request! Backwards flip! Giant octopus! There, that’s vague enough to keep it all mysterious. I should also point out that this is fun for the whole family, as kids would probably get a real kick out of this one and there aren’t any naughty things to alarm the poor dears. The price is an absolute mystery, as it doesn’t seem to be listed on his website at the moment, but it’s pretty big and nicely put together, so $5 at a bare minimum. Oh, and if you’d rather read his website in English, Google offers the option to translate it if you look through their search engine. I just didn’t want to list that version as the link, as I have no idea how long that link would last.
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Posted by Kevin
