December 13, 2011
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The Gag Rag
Even if you’re one of those humorless types that doesn’t care for laughter, I think everybody would have to agree that Jeff puts together some impressive covers. My scanner really doesn’t do this one justice, as those colors fly right off the page and smack you in the mouth. In the best possible way, of course. A cover can only take you so far, so how about the comic? Well, I just finished reading it and I’m not completely sure that I didn’t dream some of it, despite the fact that I never fell asleep while reading it. That sounds like a recommendation to me, but to each their own. Things start off with a table of contents that only a dork like me could love: each page is listed with its spelled out representation. Yes, I really do appreciate such things. When we get to the actual comics there are a few pages of “ads” for a strange product called Neocream, a couple of short and mostly amusing one panel gag strips, and finally we get to meet a couple that has just been stranded at sea. Get used to these two, as you’ll be seeing a lot of them as the comic goes on. First it’s for the humorous maximum person requirements for the inflatable island, then it’s their reaction when they open a box of sharks, and finally how they deal with having a baby and having one of the inhabitants end up being allergic to coconuts (the only food available). We see them later in an extended gag sequence involving a series of possible rescues, but I’ve said too much. Other stories include God mixing together the universe (with outtakes!), God meeting dogs and cats, God going for a joyride (and answering questions from the audience), and God ending up at a Wal-Mart. Finally there’s a piece about Walt Disney and his crew, which you will especially enjoy if you know some of the mistreated artists from that time period. There’s also the opening and ending strips, but I’ll leave those as a total surprise so that you didn’t have some idea of everything that was coming. It’s a pile of funny, and people who enjoy such things should seek it out and give Jeff some cash. No price listed, as that would make things too easy, but I’m guessing at least $5 for this hefty thing.
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Posted by Kevin
December 12, 2011
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The Christmas Dream
Please note: this will be the extent of any Christmas celebration for this website. To me it just gets more and more obnoxious every year, which probably has something to do with me getting further and further away from an age where I knew that I’d be getting some really great stuff. These days it means seeing some family that I rarely see, sure, but it also means that going to any stores or the post office is a miserable ordeal. So with that bit of holiday cheer in mind, how about this comic? It’s a tiny mini, but I was immediately intrigued by the image of a heart that has clearly been beaten severely on the cover. Or so I thought. This comic is actually the story of a sentient heart that is trying to figure out the inner workings of the human mind. After discovering that it doesn’t know much about the subject, it goes into space (?), where it eventually was covered in ice and snow before finding a great truth of the universe, which I’m not going to give away for free here. Sure, it doesn’t make a ton of sense, but I liked the writing anyway, and that last panel was wonderful. Chris seems to be attempting to build an empire of cute heart thingies with giant eyeballs, and more power to him if he can get it to work. His other comics might be too sweet for some of you to bear, but not this particular comic. No price listed on his website, I’d have to guess a buck or two.
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Posted by Kevin
December 8, 2011
New review for Life is Good #7 by Steve Seck. I always forget to mention these types of things, but I do have a few auctions up on eBay that might be of interest to you folks. There’s:
My lot of 100 random small press comics with the bidding starting at a measly $10,
My set of original Optic Nerve mini comics (with a ludicrous starting bid because hey, why not try for it?)
And finally a set of 100 random Marvel comics, that may or may not interest you, but hey, it’s the holidays and maybe you have little ones or relatives that would like a cheap pile of random comics (bidding starting at $15)
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Posted by Kevin
December 8, 2011
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Life is Good #7
Is this the end for our heroes? I can’t explain that any more without giving away way too much, but this issue ended with a few big things wrapped up and no clear direction moving forward. Which would be fine; this comic has been fun but I wouldn’t mind seeing Steve branch out a bit. Then again, he invested so much time in these characters that I am a little curious to see what he’d do next. Mr. Decisive, that’s me. So how about the specifics of this one? Things start with a very thorough recap (I have just enough of an ego to think that maybe my incessant pestering on this issue is getting through to a few people which, if true, will have made it all worthwhile), then Brownie has a chat with the Sewer Gator about the direction of his comic (which the Sewer Gator stole and published without Brownie knowing about it). Meanwhile, Charles is eating himself to death in his effort to stop littering and Dr. Peace Rock has a plan to pin everything on Charles (and get back in the good graces of Unity). This wouldn’t sound all that strange if it wasn’t for the cast of characters, but there are no actual humans in this comic and even the background characters are odd enough to make you sit up and take note. Anyway, things come to the confrontation that has been coming for issues now, but I can’t really talk about that, so you’ll just have to read it to see what happens. Or if you haven’t read the rest of the series then I guess you don’t have to read it to see what happens, but I think the whole thing is worth a look. Hey, come to think of it, now it’s about the perfect size for a collected edition, and it’s a finite story to boot. I’ve stumbled across his master plan! In case I didn’t talk about the specifics enough this time around (I do have a tendency to ramble about ancillary things), his art has only gotten better and has moved up to “pretty damned good,” and I’d even say that the plotting has gotten tighter. The writing was never bad, but it’s remained entertaining all the way through, and who can ask for more? $4
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Posted by Kevin
December 7, 2011
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Beast Begat Beast
Have you ever wondered what a sea serpent zoning commission would look like? No? That’s odd, neither have I. Well, lucky for us James has thought of this and then put it into a comic. The story here is that this commission regulates where sea monsters get to live in the sea and assigns them territory. Things go smoothly for 800 years or so, but finally two monsters get together and have a baby, so its territory must be established. The sheer variety of the monsters keeps things interesting, but even so it probably goes on for a few pages too long. There are also four very strange pages dealing with the Barnacle Brothers and their conversations. If you love barnacles, that story is for you. So as a package this is OK, and moves up to pretty good depending on your love for different types of monsters. I loved the fact that he has a table of contents with page numbers for the two stories, but then mentions that there are no page numbers on the actual pages anyway. Yes, I am exactly enough of a dork to get a good laugh out of something like that. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen a book from James and it looks like he has a good selection of new comics available, and he was nice enough to send a few of them along so I can get a better handle on his new stuff. Oh, and in case it wasn’t clear, there are several funny bits in here, it’s just that I thought the main story dragged a bit. Just one man’s opinion, as always. $5
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Posted by Kevin
December 5, 2011
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Guino Danino
The best guess I’ve been able to come up with (based on internet translation doodads) for that title is “depraved blink.” Believe it or not, that’s actually a pretty great title for this comic. This is another shorty from Luis, as I continue my quest to review all of the tiny comics that he sent me a few months back. This starts off with a man (Ricardo) waiting for a doctor of some kind, and when he walks into his office the phone of the receptionist breaks in her hand. He apologizes, she (and the reader) react in confusion, and Ricardo meets his doctor. This doctor is more of a voodoo doctor than anything else, as he hypnotizes Ricardo to try and get to the root of his problem. Some memories are uncovered, a possible solution is proposed, end of comic. That’s what I love about Luis’s work so far: even though it’s short stuff, each of them has been utterly unique in their own way. Sure, there are comics with people with telekinesis, but they’re usually wearing spandex, and it’s rarely depicted as the out of control menace that it would be if it existed at all in real life. Another great mini, another one where I have to guess on the price, so… $3?
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Posted by Kevin
December 2, 2011
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Ike the Cat in Wall Street Cat: Money Takes Naps
Hey cat haters, you soulless monsters you: get an early start to your weekend, you’ll find nothing to enjoy here. For the rest of us people with actual human feelings, you’re in luck. This is the fictional story of a real cat who seems to have a job on Wall Street, although it appears from the story that his job is really just to listen to people complain. Anyway, Ike starts his day with some canned food, rides the subway to work (making friends along the way), listens to several people tell him their problems and calls it a day. It’s pretty much all sweetness and light; even the conversation with the H.R. lady went swimmingly. This probably won’t win any awards, but it has a cute story and it was the perfect heft and tone for a Friday afternoon. My only real complaint has nothing to do with the story and more to do with the cat. Ike in the comics is depicted with an “M” on his forehead, and his picture at the back of the book seems to confirm that. Why in the world would you start the name of such a cat with an “I”? Crikey, at least call him “Mighty Ike” or something to take advantage of that natural branding on his head. Use your imagination, cat owners, but he’s just crying out for at least a nickname. Sara sent along some other books too, so I’ll have a few chances to look at comics that aren’t all “look at the cute kitty” (not that I have much of a problem with that), but I like the art here and had no problems with the story. Worth a look, at least unless you hate cats, and I thought I told you people to leave at the start of the review? No price listed on her website, so I’ll go with… $5!
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Posted by Kevin
December 1, 2011
Website for Giulie
Website for Cecilia
By the Slice
Job hunting! I’ve been doing that myself lately and it is some demoralizing shit. This starts off with a young woman (Gwen) looking for work online and sending out her resume. She gets a call back the next day and gets hired on as a cashier at a pizza place. There wouldn’t be much of a comic if that was the whole story, so she also lucks out and gets a racist asshole of a boss. Not the hood wearing kind of racist, just the kind that has assumptions about entire ethnic backgrounds based on a few bad experiences. So Gwen puts up with it for awhile, as she doesn’t have much choice in the matter and most jobs are shitty anyway, before things finally come to a head. It’s a nice little story, with her friends trying to get her through some of the nonsense and all kinds of examples of the casual racism that always makes Fox News viewers get an odd look on their face when they’re called on it, like it’s impossible for it to be true. I do have one small bone to pick, and it’s a bit of a spoiler, so watch out if you don’t care for such things. In fact, just stop reading now, as the art for this is fantastic and it’s a fun little story, so you should give it a shot, in case that’s what you were wondering about. OK, so the book ends with Gwen having a nice chat with her boss, as she feels bad about quitting the way that she did. He’d been built up as a (rightly) bad guy up until that point, and I didn’t feel the need for the burst of sympathy there, but maybe that’s just my cold, cold heart talking. No price, so $3 maybe?
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Posted by Kevin
November 30, 2011
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Blink: So Far
I’m never entirely sure what to talk about in collected editions of comics that I’ve already reviewed individually. It’s a good chance to update Max’s contact information anyway, so there’s that. This collection seems to cover Blink #1-4 (but maybe not every bit of them), and some of the newer stuff isn’t included, like his “FYI: IDK” mini, which is sorely missed. But some newer stuff IS included, so this is essentially an entirely new book and I’ll go with that. Either way, a collection like this is a good chance to revisit older stuff and see both how it holds up and how it holds together as a cohesive whole. Well, Blink defies the latter kind of analysis because it’s a series of moments and conversations, not the entirety of a depicted life. I’ve always loved the fact that this is a comic about three people in Columbus (two girls and a guy, although mostly about the two girls for this collection) and we’re not bombarded with relationship nonsense or much in the way of serious drama. These are mostly the moments between those bigger moments, and I’m glad that Max has spent a good chunk of his last 7 years pointing those moments out. As for how it holds up, it holds up pretty damned well. The earliest pages show that he’s improved in the years since, but it’s not like he was terrible even back then. And if you haven’t read any of his individual issues of Blink, you’ve finally waited long enough to have most of it in one collection (although I’d still recommend finding the uncollected minis). Stories in here include stopping to enjoy a moment on a playground during a nice day, Sam bouncing crossword clues off Blink (even though Blink is terrible at it, their back and forth seems to lead Sam to the right answers), Sam talking Blink through some writing anxiety, Blink playing in the snow to avoid dealing with said writing problems, the two of them going to a poetry reading (although all we see is them talking about with a punchline from an observed conversation, which again perfectly sums up the charm of the book), the two of them staring at the stars and talking, a conversation around a campfire with the three of them, and Hank and Blink talking about Hank’s fear of lightning. The biggest story here is also probably my favorite, as Sam meets Hank for the first time and takes him to task for not understanding the blues. The back of the book says that this is a book about the three of them, but really it’s about the two ladies and their friendship. No big space battles, no mutants of any kinds (although those squirrels were making some very strange noises, so no guarantees), just regular old solid conversations. And images of Columbus spread out throughout the pieces, which tied it all together. I liked the minis, so of course I like the collection too, but people who haven’t read it yet should definitely give it a try. Or hell, even if you have read them and just want a nicer edition for your bookshelf. $10
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Posted by Kevin
November 29, 2011
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King Cat #72
I know I’ve said this before in these reviews, but why in the world isn’t John Porcellino rich and famous? Granted, you could say that very few people from this business end up rich and famous, and even those people are only famous in an underground kind of way (there’s Robert Crumb, Dan Clowes, and…), but it’s a fucking shame. I mention this because John talks about his recent divorce, his moving to Florida for another relationship and then having that fall apart too, ending up with him in a small town on the Illinois/Wisconsin border. At every step of the way there are money concerns, ending up with him living with his mother for a while, and it’s just maddening to me. I know that nobody is owed anything in this world, but quality like this should get some tangible rewards. So what did I think of the comic? You’re kidding, right? This is #72Â of the series, my love for this thing is well established by now. This issue starts off with John with a shattered heart, follows him along a walk with a conclusion that makes you ache for the guy, before eventually ending up with him in his new home. He does a few pages of three panel journal strips (which may or may not be the first time he’s done this, my memory is too lousy to be sure) that show his life slowly getting better, then a big ending story about a bat that wandered into his house, how his cats reacted and how the situation was ended. There’s also a story about a very young John on LSD and how he asks a sister of a friend to marry him. That goes about as well as you’d expect. Every time I think he must have already mined all of the great stories from his youth, I realize that he still has plenty more to go. Another solid issue, and seriously, if there is even one rich person reading this with money to burn on the holidays: just give him a pile of money, OK? For the rest of you, buy his comics. He just finished illustrating a book called The Next Day (which involves interviews with four suicide survivors) and has another book coming out from Drawn & Quarterly next year, one of which would make an excellent holiday gift, and the other (when it comes out) will make an excellent Easter gift. If it’s out by then, of course, if not it’ll make a good whatever day it comes out gift.
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Posted by Kevin
November 28, 2011
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Stranger Two Stranger #2
I’m so happy that Robert decided to keep going with this. Sure, it’s a simple concept: illustrating the best/oddest Craigslist personal ads, which he started doing after being inspired by the “I Saw You…” anthology edited by Julia Wertz (which I’ve been meaning to review for ages now). Still, the guy has the judgement needed to pick out some of the best ads, which goes a long way in a book like this. Ads that he adapted include the one I sampled below (and it’s always a bit dicey to start the book with the best ad, as that gives you a lot to live up to in later pages), a tube of scabies medicine left over after a hookup (and the desire to see the person again anyway), a regretful ad about a guy who died before the poster got to say good-bye, trying to get in contact with the guy with the webbed feet from the gym shower, a helpful letter to the ladies about the power of their boobs, missed connections from being a faithful husband, a tiny bearded man, a lady in a freezer, and a flasher showing up at the wrong house. There are also a couple poems, one a little heartbreaking and one a bit of a mess. His illustrations really bring out the emotions of these ads, and three cheers to the man for keeping this up. $2
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Posted by Kevin
