August 27, 2010
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Memory Foam #1
What an f’ed up nose. Sorry, I shouldn’t start off with something so meaningless to the quality of the book, but it’s just sitting there. These are autobiographical stories from about a year of Toby’s life (7/08-8/09), dealing with all sorts of things, so if you’re a hater of all thing autobiographical you should wander off somewhere else. As for me, I’m always up for some angst. Stories include Toby wondering if he has always been this much of a hermit or it’s more of a recent thing (and using the lyrics of Frank Black’s “Hang On To Your Ego” to illustrate his point at the end was brilliant), the desire to kill a mouse versus everybody else thinking it’s barbaric, a series of short strips dealing with the sickness and death of the mother of his girlfriend (and his own ineffectiveness in dealing with it; I love how this subject was dealt with using a series of three panel strips, which are generally reserved for “jokey” topics), how his master plan to hide in dorkiness in college to get girls was ruined when he met a girl who was equally dorky, handwriting analysis, a hilarious primer on how to deal with “your” Toby model, his top 10 video games (and getting a fancy new PSP just so he could mod it to play old games), dessert over job hunting, and trying to find a decent job but ending up (briefly) with the notorious Kirby salespeople. So let me just get my autobio checklist over here… it’s insightful, funny, revealing, and it looks much better than you might suspect from that cover. Yep, I’d say it’s a winner. Toby was also nice enough to send along the most recent issue (there are only 2 so far), and I look forward to seeing if he kept it up with the second issue or became a totally unreadable hack. No, I can’t remember the last time that happened either, but it’s best to keep an eye out for these things…
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Posted by Kevin
August 26, 2010
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The City of Abacus #1
You know what I like to see in a small press comics series? Other than talent, writing that will blow my socks off and genuinely innovative concepts, that is? Ambition. This series is trying to put out 7 issues between May and November (and they only have 2 on their website as of the end of August, so it’s not looking good), followed immediately by a graphic novel. Here’s a tip for other people who are trying to pull this off: try to have a few issues “in the bag” before you announce such a plan. That way you have 6 months to produce 3 or 4 issues instead of 7 and everybody goes away impressed at how forward-thinking you are. Anyway, nobody ever meets their deadlines in this business anyway, so it’s not that big of a deal. How about the comic? Well, this is clearly the start of something much, MUCH grander in scale, so I am instantly not allowed to complain about any of the little things that could have used more explanation. They’ll get around to them later, or I will complain at the appropriate time. This is the story of a society that has gone creatively stagnant, as once a week a computer scans the mind of all the citizens and removes any dangerous thoughts. In this issue we meet the daughter of the man who built this computer ages ago and abandoned her (why she is allowed to keep potentially subversive memorabilia isn’t explained, but I’m sure they’ll get to it), another man who is leading what seems to be a one person resistance, and something that looks kind of like a winged monkey. It’s off to an intriguing start, but that’s the trouble with reviewing something like this: it is clearly just a start. I will say that they may have given too much away with the synopsis on the back cover and possibly even with the character descriptions, but that is only if it all goes in the direction that I’m thinking. Oh, and if “VV Brown” sounds familiar, that’s because she’s a fairly famous as a singer. Go ahead, hit You Tube and search for “Shark in the Water”. You’ll have that song stuck in your head (in a good way) for days… $5ish
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Posted by Kevin
August 24, 2010
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The Island
Here’s a little bit 0f “inside reviewing small press comics” trivia, in case you were curious. If you were not curious, my apologies. Reviewers have an unspoken ability to use images from comics for review purposes, provided that they don’t cross the line of using too many images or (at least in my case) posting images that give anything away. I’ve been doing this for 9+ years and no one has ever asked me to take images down from their review, although I would be happy to do so (and legally obligated) if asked. I bring this up because Desmond has a request that lines right up with my thinking when it comes to using samples: “You have my permission to use the cover art or the inside art for your review as long as what you use doesn’t ruin either of the endings of the stories”. ( I should also mention that he sent along another comic that will be reviewed in the coming weeks.) Couldn’t have said it better myself. So why go off on such a long tangent of something that is probably self-evident? Mostly because the true genius of this book isn’t disclosed until you know how it ends, and there is no way that I can tell you that. This is the story of two beings who are trapped on an island. How they got there isn’t discussed, but it isn’t relevant. We do learn at the beginning that they have been there for five months, that the food is gone and that things are getting tense. And then things happen! The end. It’s a shortie, and I wasn’t fully convinced until the ending that I probably should have seen coming but, really, didn’t. The artwork is simple, as that’s all that’s needed here, but effective. There is also a distinct lack of backgrounds, but hey, they’re on an island in the middle of nowhere. Not too many backgrounds in that type of setting. Right now Desmond (and raise your hand if “Desmond” and “The Island” being that close together brought “Lost” memories into your brain) is selling this along with his other mini (Aloha) as a bundle for $2, but you could maybe convince him just to send you this one for $1 if you asked nicely.
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Posted by Kevin
August 23, 2010
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Robots Are People, Too #3
Here’s a useless fun fact to start off my ramble: I’ve been going through my old comics recently, trying to see what I can sell or otherwise get rid of, when I came across my sole copy of Heavy Metal. Oddly, the cover did not have giant robotic breasts on it, which I thought was a requirement for that magazine. This comic has one giant cyborg breast, so I guess it’s not the same thing, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Greg Vondruska is all over the place in this one, to the point where it will be easier for me to point out the stories that Greg doesn’t take part in more than anything else. Stories in here include Flesh Or Me (Greg, Steven Mangold & Jim Fern’s tale of a robot trying to become human after humans have given up on themselves), Phobo Agogo (Frank DiBari’s piece on the universe expanding too much to keep up with), Face The World (Greg’s simple silent story of a robot trying to keep a brave face), The Whole World (Frank and Greg’s… I can’t say anything without giving away that great punch line), Facebots (Fran Matera and Greg with a silent series of robot faces), and The Helpers (Penny Clark and Greg’s piece explaining that cover image). There are also three Rodney strips (by Jason Franks, Greg and J. Marc Schmidt), , as Rodney joins a cult, goes on a date and gets a makeover. These pieces are quickly becoming a favorite of mine, as what’s not to love about a sentient computer trying to explain the flimsy differences between religion and cults, his trying to use logic to convince a woman that dating a computer would be a good thing, and his trying not to be vain for a makeover. Another solid issue, and I see no reason why there can’t be a million of these robot comics out there in the world. Greg might need to get the word out to more comics creators, assuming he hasn’t given up on this, so if you have a robot story up your sleeve, why not contact the man? $4
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Posted by Kevin
August 21, 2010
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Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2
I seem to have found another character that will always cause me to enjoy a comic: a very large living burrito that is set on revenge. Of course, as I’ll almost certainly never see that in another comic, it is a tough theory to prove. This is another collection of stories adapted from the tales of Blaster Al Ackerman, and once again it is a pile of thoroughly unique and bizarre tales. First up is The White Bat, in which a neighbor of the Ling Master (and please see older reviews for the story on that guy, or just read the comics) calls for help, as he’s being prevented from leaving his apartment or going to the fridge by what he thinks is a giant, man-shaped bat. The Ling Master, as always, puzzles out the possible solution to the problem, but not quite in time to prevent a murder. I’ll leave the identity of the murderer a secret, if that’s OK with you. The second story is called “I, The Stallion”, which I reviewed many years ago as a stand-alone mini. A man tries to convince a friend to break his arm, as he believes the only way to bring some magic back to the world is through being able to kiss his own elbow, and such a thing can’t be done without the arm being broken. Finally there’s “Miss Mantis”, in which a paranoid man seeks to get away from his bank and a female teller that he sees as secretly being a giant malicious mantis. The Ling Master, as always, is there to help/feed paranoia (depending on your perspective), and gives the man the advice to burn his large collection of dried turkey sphincters in a public place and to hump the firemen when they come to put it out. This works like a charm… at least briefly. Once again, I absolutely love the ambiguity in these stories. Is the Ling Master a crank, preying on irrational fears for money? Or does he actually offer useful information to people in their time of need (for money)? I have my theory, but yours may differ. Regardless, these are required reading for anybody who needs their entertainment just a little bit odd. $3
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Posted by Kevin
August 20, 2010
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27
I occasionally get actual letters with review comics, things that people have clearly put a lot of time and thought into. I rarely respond to these letters, partially out of some vague desire to keep the reviewer/reviewee separate (as if there’s a line in this business) and partially because they often say such nice things that I’m too embarrassed to answer. This time around Macedonio (that’s the name he gave me so that’s the name I’m using) took the time to relay a good chunk of his life’s story, how he was in prison from the late 70’s to early 80’s, and how he made comics while inside and got 5 pages published in Weirdo #5 (kids, if you don’t know what Weirdo was, you have no sense of comics history at all). He more or less stopped drawing when he got out and worked at a job that he loved for 25 years… until he got sick. You’d think a lengthy stay in prison would be the crappiest thing that happened to somebody in their life, but his illness took a toll on him. In the “silver lining” department, at least it got him back to drawing, and now he’s trying to get his name out there a bit again. This comic (and he sent a few more that I look forward to getting to in the coming weeks) deals with what he remembers of his time in prison 27 years ago. It opens up with a letter from the parole board back in the day, and it looks like he actually had his parole denied several times because he was making comics dealing at least partly with his life in prison. That’s some harsh, nonsensical shit right there. Anyway, his memories include a horse gnawing on him (with a guard on its back) as he was working outside, how stealing in prison is OK as long as you’re up front about it (it’s a dominance thing), the pitcher/catcher debate, and how time itself becomes irrelevant in jail. There’s more, but I think anybody reading this should think about supporting him by buying a few of his books. That linked website above is a collection of 84 pages (!) of pretty much all of his comics and well as some paintings, as it’s the easiest thing in the world to go there and kill 15 minutes looking at some really fantastic stuff. Seriously, go take a look, or bookmark the page for when you have some free time at work. No price listed, but I’m guessing this is a couple of bucks.
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Posted by Kevin
August 20, 2010
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Go Wildlife!
I’m a big fans of comics as entertainment, obviously, but I’m an even bigger fan of entertaining comics that also teach me something. This comic taught me plenty and was funny throughout, so I’d call that an unqualified success. Some of the best stories were done as two page spreads, otherwise picking the sample page out would have been a lot tougher. This is, as you probably guessed from that exuberant cover, a series of stories about animals. There are pieces about the junglefowl (a skinnier ancestor to chickens), pet robber crab (the largest land-living anthropod, and it turns out they’re strong enough to de-husk and open coconuts), puffin (and how they can carry so much fish in the corners of their beaks), kakapo (and how it was brought to Codfish Island), great auk (and the stupid, stupid manner in which they were driven extinct), red kite (and their propensity to steal clothes hanging outside), and moray firth bottlenose dolphin (and the theory that they may be able to actually transmit images to each other). Other, less fact-based pieces include an ongoing story of see otter revenge against humans (primarily for the Exxon Valdez mess), a series of rhymes for a series of animals, and a rather stupid lion. Gill also listed a series of sources for her facts, as this is clearly a subject she loves. I thought it was a fantastic comic and here’s hoping she makes a bunch more of these things, as there sure are a lot more animals out there that don’t get nearly enough attention… $4ish
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Posted by Kevin
August 19, 2010
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Yo! Burbalino #3
What we have here is the tale of two comics all wrapped up in. The first half of the comic is one story, dealing with our hero the chef , his wife, and his friend the squirrel. Chef Don has a romantic dinner planned with his wife for Valentine’s Day, while Earl Squirrel (I know, I know) has forgotten the holiday and is scrambling to make up for it. Earl steals the reservation for himself, panics when he sees Don, and mild hilarity ensues. Very mild. Still, what separates this from the rest of the book is the quality of the artwork, as it looks like Greg drew this while on a long, bumpy train ride. The rest of the book looks great, so I don’t get why you would rush the central piece of your mini, as he’s clearly capable of better work. The rest of the book has a remarkably disgusting while amusing piece on nose picking, the story of true love between a plate and spaghetti (really just an excuse for a recipe), some tips for bachelors, a smoker’s poem, and the highlight of the book: an extended revenge plot just to fire one squirrel. It’s an uneven issue, that’s for sure, and I’d definitely go with one of the other issues if you’re just looking to check out his work. He also sent along a fourth issue, so here’s hoping it’s more like the first two. This one did have a few moments, granted, but it’s clearly not his best work. $3
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Posted by Kevin
August 19, 2010
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The Experts #2
Is it insulting to call this smarter than it probably should be? Yes, that is almost certainly insulting. I only mean that if you’re one of those people who judge a book by its cover (and quit it if you do), you might not have high expectations for “Mad Motorcycle Mayhem!” Well, you’re only hurting yourself. I missed the first issue so I’m largely making this up, but this appears to be about the adventures of a team called The Experts (duh), and this issue focuses on a few of them specifically. There sure seems to be plenty more of this team, at least judging from the inside cover and next issue blurb, but this issue only deals with Ninja Witch, Frost Queen, and that woman driving the motorcycle on the cover. I don’t know if they ever mentioned her superhero name, but it’s a minor point. Things start off with Frost Queen telling the other two heroes all about the Silver Muse, a telepath who they’re going to have to stop. Her powers are strongest against men, which is probably why none of the men appear in this issue. The merchandising rights of their toy line is also mentioned, and the strong impression that their impending saving of the town is more about selling action figures than anything else. Anyway, the Silver Muse robs an art show (apparently she likes really stupid rock sculptures) by taking the men under her control and making the women sick. Ninja Witch resists, she grabs up her partner whats-her-name, and a merry chase ensues. I didn’t like this one as much as the other Minter/Pruiit book (It Sure Is A Super World!), but it’s hard to talk too much trash about a book that looks this good and manages to have at least one genuinely funny line per page. There are also two other short pieces in here, one was included in that other book I mentioned (“Z-Squad”) and the other appears to be a new shortie about their Thing substitute bemoaning the fact that nobody ever asked his opinion in the new tell-all books from his old team. I’d say start with the book I reviewed before if you’re interested, the maybe get the first issue of this series so you’re not trying to catch up like me. I’d say these two are people to watch, assuming they keep at it… $3
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Posted by Kevin
August 18, 2010
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Everything Dies #2
If this series doesn’t win some small press comics award, I’m turning in my fake membership badge. He has apparently put out a few other comics, but I rarely see stuff this polished and this perfect. So what’s there to write about when I have no complaints? Well, how about the good stuff? Note: it helps if you read the first issue of this series (two of the pieces come directly from the first issue), but he still manages to make them self-contained. The second part of the modern re-telling of the Book of Job was again a thing of brilliance, as Job gets increasingly baffled by his continued problems, seeks advice and eventually meets God himself (and it never occurred to me how much of a let-down that conversation must have been for Job (if he had actually existed or talked to God (or if God existed))). Ah, my first triple parenthesis. I’m so proud. The other part of this book that puts all other comics to shame with its scope is the adaptation of how various religions view the end of the world. If you read the first issue you remember that he did this with how all religions view the beginning of the world, so it only made sense to go here. No matter how knowledgeable you are about all this, I guarantee that you will learn something new. Whether it’s the utter insanity of the Sunni Islam sect believing that Allah will kill all humans only to immediately bring them back to life to be judged, the Mormons believing that 1000 years of missionary work will follow the destruction of the wicked (who would they be preaching to exactly?), or the simple science of the Big Crunch, this is as close to flawless as a comics story gets. There are also two pieces about the monk and his pupil, but I’m leaving those stories (that would be the highlight of most other minis) to your imagination, as everybody should already buy this anyway. Yes, I know I say that often, but I mean the hell out of it this time. Trust me, you’ll be sorry when he’s famous in a few years and these minis are completely out of print… $5
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Posted by Kevin
August 18, 2010
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Crass Sophisticate #11
I’d like to start this review off with a little rant to people that probably only exist in my head. Hey you! Yes, you, the person who is going to skip this review because they’re offended by the cover, or simply think that it means this comic is going to juvenile and stupid. Well, you’re wrong. You know what? While the Crass Sophisticate crew is often, well, crass, they do manage to put out an entertaining issue each time, often something that makes me feel like I learned something. Very few series can say that, and very few series get their title so right. If you have no complaints about that cover, please ignore that rant, but I felt the need to make it clear that these guys are amassing quite a pile of crassly sophisticated work and should be credited as such. This issue, as you can tell, is about masturbation. I’m really hoping the story told in the first part is fictional, as it deals with a young boy who, after first learning what masturbating is, enjoys it a little too much and eventually sees blood in his urine. The doctor announces this fact to the mother of the child, which would be OK if it wasn’t for the fact that the boy’s brother was there as well. The Dad only cares that he is thinking of girls while the Mom wants to take him to a shrink. This all comes to a head as the boy draws a science project partner who is remarkably well-endowed for her age, his brother tells some friends that he was called a chronic masturbator, and his science partner hears the story. Again, I can only hope that this wasn’t true, as it would certainly mess a guy up for life. The second part of the book deals with the early days of porn, when our author (or his fictional stand-in) would go to a local newsstand once a week to get a copy of High Society. This practice was done happily for years, until a chance encounter with an older woman did him some serious damage. I’m not sure who did what this time around so I’m just throwing all the names up there and hoping for the best. Sure, there are still some unerased pencil lines, but the quality of the stories has officially surpassed my annoyance at such things. Buy some of these and be cured of a bit of your indie snootiness!
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Posted by Kevin
August 17, 2010
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Schmuck #14 – Blue Plate Special
Oh makers of small press comics, will you never learn? How do you expect to sell your comics if you don’t list them on your website? Granted, Mark does have a nice site with all kinds of samples (including the first half of this book, if you’re curious),. but how are you supposed to get a copy of this, or anything else he’s done? How are you even supposed to know WHAT he’s done? It’s baffling to me. And really, I just pulled that title from the slew of words on the cover and hope that I put them in something approximating the correct order. I wasn’t a fan of the other comic of his I got at SPACE (listed as a #3, meaning that there are theoretically plenty of issues that are nowhere to be found), but this one had its moments. It’s an 8 page shortie dealing with the wonders of working in a fast food restaurant. Is “restaurant” too strong a word? Probably. Anyway, the experience is as bad as you think, unless you’ve worked at one yourself, in which case you already know all about it. Highlights include Melvin getting his good mood crushed right out of him, giving the customer the receipt, the internal dialogue while talking to customers, the “joy” of the day being over, and trying to figure out what it all means. This might have been a series of one page strips, as there’s no real linear flow of a coherent story going on, but the tenuous connection is enough. Here’s hoping that more of his comics are like this one than #3, but judging from this and the samples on his site I’m going to have to revise my opinion of the man upward. Now if there was only some way for you to order his comics without just sending him an e-mail and seeing what he has laying around…
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Posted by Kevin
