April 27, 2010
Website
Gringo
Damn my keyboard for not having the upside down exclamation mark! This is a huge telling of Nick’s trip through Mexico, stopping at all kinds of little cities (and places that aren’t even cities) along the way. He was nice enough to provide a map on the inside front cover, so I won’t list a bunch of them pretending that I have any idea where he was. Mostly there’s a lot of introspection, some meditation, a bit of intimidation here and there, and an almost complete loss of understanding of the “civilized” world, whicih is exactly what Nick seemed to be shooting for. These “travel diary” style comics are a tough thing to get exactly right (see Peter Kuper and Justin Hall for examples of just that), as people tend to either be too wordy or too sparse in the details of their trip, and Nick threads that needle beautifully. I love his complete lack of word balloons, how all of his thoughts are wrapped up inside of the images of his trip. Great, beautiful stuff, that artwork won me over in the last issue and kept right on going in this one. There’s also a funny Leonard Cohen story from an airport, just to name drop a little for the man. It’s $7.50, which may seem a bit hefty, but this is a hefty book, something that shouldn’t be missed by people who enjoy travelling vicariously through people like Nick.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Conversation #1 (with James Kochalka)
Blech. Sorry, did I give away my reaction too quickly? Let me set the stage for you: this is a comic with James and Craig, both drawing and lettering their own parts, talking about why they make art, the universe, and the necessity of restraining your imagination in art. That all sounds well and good, if full of the possibility of being deadly dull. But it’s not like the point of this book is to see how many things they can get to explode, so that’s OK. My problem with this was all the little cute characters, birds and turtles and whatnot, that they had littered throughout this book, I guess as a way to liven up the conversation. The problem with that, to me, is that they were incredibly annoying all the way through and most anybody who bought this already knew that this was going to be a conversation between these two and they didn’t really need the annoying sidekicks. I like both of these guys quite a bit, and this isn’t a bad concept at all, but they didn’t pull it off very well here. $4.95, it’s on the Top Shelf website if you want to see for yourself.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Bible Doodles
had no idea what to expect with this one. Sure, Chunky Rice looked like it would be a happy, funny comic (just going by the art, that is), but it was a lot more serious than I had anticipated. This one is Bible stories and it’s… funny. Go figure. It’s a funny, informative book. Honestly, I can’t wait to see anything else this guy does. He’s at the top of my list for cartoonists at the moment even if he hasn’t put out anything new in quite a while. Hey, I just read this one, it’s new to me. Here’s a website!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Good-Bye, Chunky Rice
This guy has to put out another book soon. This was the best thing I read last year and, judging from some of the “best of” lists that I saw, I wasn’t alone. It’s the story of Chunky Rice leaving his best friend to go on a journey that he can’t explain. Every character is wonderfully realized: the “girlfriend” he leaves behind who puts messages in bottles in the hope that they’ll reach him at sea, the man who befriends an injured bird to make up for his dog Chomper, even the sea captain who gave up on people long ago. I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s the kind of book that you can give to people who don’t read comics and have them accept it readily.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Amour #1 (art by Ezequiel Pineda)
Who likes love stories? Well, modern day love stories anyway, none of that courtship and romance crap. Or maybe I’m just projecting due to my own crappy love life? Drat, I’ve said too much. There are three stories in here, all about the very beginning of a potential relationship. First up is a young woman who’s trying to decide whether or not to meet an online acquaintance, somebody who has been sending her poetry and telling her about his day (and asking about hers) for months. Of course, who knows what you’re getting with an internet romance? Next is the story of romance at a loud concert, which limits the dialogue more than a little, as large chunks of story are taken up by people trying to “make some noise”. Damn kids with their loud music! Finally you have the story of two people, meeting by chance at a diner, who just happen to be competing for the same slot with a comic company. She’s cynical, he’s charming, how will it turn out� Overall this whole thing was a little too heartwarming for my taste, but feel free to attribute most of that to my mood. It would have been nice to have a bit of variation in the type of woman represented here as well (it turns out that women and men of all shapes and sizes fall in love), but all told it’s a pretty decent romance comic, if that’s your sort of thing. $3.50
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
The Evil Inside
Three cheers for the horror anthology. Granted, I wish somebody was doing justice to the cheese of the old Tales From The Crypt comics, but I’ll take what I can get. This is a collection of three stories, none of which are in the cheesy vein. First up is Southern Hospitality (drawn by Paul Schultz), probably the strongest piece in the comic, dealing with two traveling businessmen, a lot of booze, a secret serial killer and a family of killer misfits. Next is Word is Bond (drawn by Jake Sumbing), on the dangers of why anydody, ever (especially in story land) starts a sentence with “you know, I’d give my soul for ___”. Finally there’s Fox In The Henhouse (drawn by Giovanni Timpano), a frantic tale about a robbery followed by another robbery and the secret of the man behind the counter. Which, I have to say, didn’t make sense to me until I read the afterward. All told this is a decent bunch of horror stories, although if I had to offer one piece of advice (and this gets into spoilers a bit for people who hate those sorts of things) I’d say that not every evil killer has to have noble reasons for his actions. Bart seemed to fall into that trap for all these stories to some extent, and sometimes people do evil things because they’re crazy or just for the sheer fun of it. Not everything has to have a reason. OK, like I said, still worth a look if you’re a fan of the horror anthology. $3.50
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
E-mail
Or maybe this is the e-mail
Footsteps In My Heart
From what I’ve been able to tell so far, this guy has a pretty good grasp on the concept of the creepy gothic tale. This one is about a little boy who’s afraid to go to sleep at night because he always hears the same thing when he lays down: a reoccuring heartbeat and the image of three shadowy people off in the distance. A quick and disquieting little book, probably not a good thing to read right before you go to bed, unless of course you’re less of a baby than I am. Contact info is above, send him a dollar and some postage for this or he appears perfectly willing to trade…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
E-mail
Or maybe this is the e-mail
Sweet Dreams for Talula
Another day, another free mini in the mail. I tell you, this “job” certainly has its perks. Of course, there wouldn’t be a page without the help of all the fine people who send me their stuff because I’m certainly not paid for this and can’t afford to get anywhere near as much stuff as I’d like. How’s this one? The art reminds me a lot of Renee French, and that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s the story of a little girl who finds peace in her dreams and doesn’t think the waking world has much going for it. It’s always nice to see the people who take full advantage of being stuck with only black and white too. You can tell that some people would love to be coloring their work, they just can’t afford it. I can’t see this one as being anything other than black and white. A creepy, disquieting little tale. Very professional for a mini from a guy that I hadn’t heard of. Either he’s been doing stuff for a while or I just missed out on him. It looks from the inside front page that you can trade literally almost anything for a copy of this, so go ahead and send him something. I don’t recommend it if you’re feeling depressed, but it’s pretty well done and certainly worth a trade or a couple of bucks. E-mail him or send him a copy of your birth certificate or something at: P.O. Box 163463 Sacramento, CA 95816.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Smile Now Available! $1
Finally available in comic form! There have been weekly updates for a while now, but it looks like she’s starting to publish it. This is the story of some extensive dental work she got when she was a little kid, and apparently it goes into graphic detail in some later chapters. What you have here is the tale of how she messes up her teeth in the first place and her immediate reaction. This doesn’t say “#1” on it, which makes me wonder if maybe she’s just planning on putting the whole story into a graphic novel and skipping the mini comics route altogether, but the brief glimpses I’ve seen of this show me that it might be her best work yet. I’ll reserve judgment until I see the whole thing, but I can’t wait to read the whole story. If you want to check out her weekly strip go here, this one is $1.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Take-Out #7 Now Available! $1
One thing I’ve been wondering more about as I get older: do people who love mini comics, when they finally have babies, pass that on to their kids? Because if not, frankly, I don’t see how the medium is going to survive, or at least not the good stuff. If you DO pass it along to your kids, but are frustrated at the lack of all-ages choices, might I point this one out as being the perfect choice for young girls? Or at least I think it would be but, as I’ve never been a young girl, I could be off on that one. This one (the first Take-Out in FAR too long, but she’s working on Smile these days) is about getting a new doll when she was a kid, the wonders of going camping and a random road in the middle of nowhere. Short quiet stories, but good stuff. And if you need more of her new stuff than this can provide, she has regular updates at her website with her Smile story…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Take-Out #6 Now Available! $1
Here’s another one of those people who’s really growing on me. It’s just so rare to see honest, fun little stories about being a kid. It’s not even the individual stories that stick in my brain so much as the random little moments. Raina (these are all her as a child, or at least a child named Raina, which would be quite a coincidence) thinking about what it would be like if the subway was under water, or her reaction on seeing her father without his beard for the first time, or static electricity, or even her feelings about a classmate she doesn’t like getting sick. It’s cute as hell, but just calling it cute and leaving it as that doesn’t give these stories enough credit. Pretty much everything in here feels real and, more importantly, has an innocence about it that makes it work. Contact info is above, send her a couple of bucks and check out an issue or two. It’s something that I’m liking more and more with each issue…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
WebsiteÂ
Take-Out #5 Now Available! $1
I think this issue was a bit different from her other Take-Outs, as this was basically a travel diary from 12/23/02 to 01/02/03 while the the other issue I read (#4) was a hodge-podge of unrelated stories. The diary format is done pretty well here, even though some of it seems a bit sentimental. It’s about Christmas and being with her family though, so I guess that’s what the holidays are about. Take-Out seems like an all-ages title from what I’ve seen. She has a great cartoony style that would be perfect for a daily strip, even though I’ve said time and time again that I hate that format almost all of the time. These are only a buck on her website, quick reads but worth getting. She’s supposed to have something new at all of the big conventions this year, so it looks like there will be a lot of new stuff soon…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Take-Out #3 Now Available! $1
You know, looking back on it, boys pretty much had it easy in middle school. Sure, there was enough general awkwardness to go around, but compared to what girls had to go through, specifically the story Raina describes in this comic… This is the tale of a slumber party and what comes from it. A group of girls are invited to a slumber party (also the 12th birthday party of the girl) and spend the night playing ouija, chatting, and eventually giving “advice” to a girl with a crush. This advice is designed to do nothing more than completely humiliate the girl in question, telling her that the only way this boy will notice her is through a complete and ridiculous makeover. Naturally, she believes this group of “friends” and follows their advice, with disastrous results. Raina might have made up the story, but it sure has a ring of truth to it to me. Good stuff, and who doesn’t like a tale of complete social humiliation for a buck?
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Website
Take-Out #2
Yep, I liked her older stuff too. It’s hard to be sure without seeing it, obviously. This one is a bit more personal than most, with a story that’s sort of about her ex, but mostly about her reaction to the whole thing. Other than that there’s her first cup of tea, spilling india ink, getting a rare Ben Folds Five import, and reading Barefoot Gen as a kid. Barefoot Gen, in case you don’t know, is a comic about the Hiroshima bombing in Japan, told through the eyes of the people who lived there. Tough stuff to read when you’re little. I think I saw that story in an anthology somewhere, or maybe my brain is falling out of my head, who knows? Whatever the case, these are the perfect dollar comics. Short and colorful (you should see this spread on my floor with copies of #2-6, it looks like an uneven rainbow), these books are just fun. Contact info is around here somewhere, and you can get the comics from me if you want!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Matt’s Myspace page
Mr. Ugly Now Available! $2
Hooray for a children’s book! This one (unlike “Hey Kidz! It’s Poopin’ Time With the Big Ol’ Bear!”), actually IS a children’s book, which is another good chance for him to show a little bit or range. As such, the story is pretty simple. There’s an off-panel character who keeps asking Mr. Ugly why he hates everything, and starts naming things off one by one. Mr. Ugly always has a reason why things are bad. It’s tiny and an incredibly quick read, but it’s funny and his constant rage against things that are mostly not so bad is inspiring. This is $2, contact info is up there and this is also available in the store, if you’re interested…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Matt’s Myspace page
The New Adventures of The Spit Now Available! $1
I’ve been asked to not pull any punches here, so I’m going to go right for the jugular: this book is hilarious. There, take that! It’s all about Manny Spitowski before and after he realizes that his saliva in contact with another human’s skin will cause them to explode. So instead of some grand adventure about a superhero determined to right wrongs, this is all about Manny getting even with a bunch of people from high school who picked on him in high school, annoying people, and random folks who just happen to be standing around. Hilarity ensues. If some of you don’t believe that, or just don’t think that concept could be funny, take a look at the lower right corner of the sample. Could anybody who draws Osama bin Laden like that be all bad? The great price mystery continues, but let’s say it’s $3 and move on. Contact info up there, you should really get ahold of some of these books if you like funny.
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Matt’s Myspace page
Teardroppe Comiques Spectaculare #4 Now Available! $1
It never ceases to amaze me how comics can get lost on this site. I got this four years ago (it’s 4/4/09), but somehow I never manged to ramble about it, not even a little bit. So, with the distance of time, how does it hold up? This mini had its moments, granted, and with the tiny price tag of $1 I suppose that’s all it had to do. Subjects in here include dealing with the consequences of escalating a war on a fly, life being miserable over the long run, hilarious child abduction, business etiquette, getting advice from Charles Manson, and the immortality of the brain. The bulk of the comic is an extended story dealing with a young man who sets a genie free, but finds out to his horror that he’s actually the one who has to give the genie three wishes. Hilarious all the way through, and Matthew even manages to end it with quite a punchline. Other than that this book also has a fair pile of funny three panel strips, still something of a rarity in my experience. Ah, no reason to be harsh to this comic at all. Plenty of bang for your buck, the good far outweighs the bad or mediocre. $1
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
Matt’s Myspace page
Teardroppe Comiques Spectaculare #2 Now Available! $1
More funnies from Matthew, and if you’ve read this page a few times you probably already have a fairly good idea whether or not you think this kind of thing is funny. Lucky for me I do, so I’ll just work from that. In here you have the new mini by the Grim Reaper, more from The Square and The Egghead, a robot hair salon, Old Mr. Tree, being a “player”, a brief commentary on The Scream, President Monkey, the Porno family, Bernard the Bumbling Terrorist, and one really crappy party. Oh, and more than a few newspaper style strips, most of which are pretty funny. That fantastic cover by Barry Rodges wraps around as well, but it’s hard to capture that sort of thing in a scan, and shame on you if you don’t know who that is. Contact info is up there, this is $1 and it’s also available in the online store…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Matt’s Myspace page
Teardroppe Comiques Spectaculare #1
Look, a humor anthology by Matthew! Good to see that he can show some range. All kinds of ridiculous stuff in here, but it made me laugh out loud a few times, which is just about all you can ask of a humor anthology. What kind of stuff is in here? You have the truth about the phrase “you’ll have plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead”, a number of one page strips about a square (not literally), a fantastic summary of “Eyes Wide Shut”, some three panel strips that were actually funny, diversity, an invisible boy, a robot waiter, Grandpa Eyepatch, and a dog who talks to a toy duck. If you think that sounds funny, then check this out. If you don’t, well, maybe you’re just too sophisticated for humor, did you ever think of that? He seems to be unable to put a price on his books, so let’s just say this is $2, OK? Contact info is up there!
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Matt’s Myspace page
Hey Kidz! It’s Poopin’ Time With the Big Ol’ Bear!
Quick, what do you think this comic is about from reading that title? If you think it’s an instructional book about a foul-mouthed bear teaching kids to poop, congratulations! The same sparse artwork is in here that’s in the other comic of his I reviewed, although I think it works better in this one. Something to do with mostly only being in one room (the bathroom, of course), I think. It’s a pretty funny comic, and short enough that you don’t get sick of the humor, so kudos to him. There’s something inherently funny about somebody who can’t spell “retarded” right though. Or maybe it’s just funny to me, I don’t know. I’m guessing this is a buck or two, contact info is up there if you’re interested in some pooping tips…
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Posted by Kevin
