April 26, 2010
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Evenfall Volume 1: Lay Me Down
Here it is, the first four issues of this series all in one tidy package! I complained in one of the reviews about the self-censorship and how that sort of thing always gets on my nerves. Well, this time around there are “fucks” a’plenty, so either he listened to me or (more likely) it’s just some bizarre policy on the part of Slave Labor that you can’t use the foul language in comics, but you can in graphic novels. Who knows? Better yet, who really cares, besides me? I already reviewed #3 and #4, so just check up there if you’re curious about them. The first two issues do wonders in setting up the whole story and the character of Phoebe, and the story flows smoothly from beginning to end. Not much to complain about here, really, other than the fact that I noticed while reading them all in a row that all of the issues have a similar ending: heroine in peril. Well, three out of four anyway, but that’s a tiny, tiny thing to bitch about, as Pete’s probably just setting up the world and the problems she’s going to have to face in the future. Still, the ending for the whole book is just mean, in terms of cliffhangers. Check this out, the art is scrunched down just a bit from comic size (but nothing too obnoxious) so that it’s in a more affordable $9.95 price range. As for the series, it better still be going at a good pace, because I want to see what happens next…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Evenfall #4
This issue is the end of Part One of the story, so if you’re waiting for the first book to come out to check this series out, you (theoretically) shouldn’t have to wait much longer. Another solid issue, another chance for me to only have the vaguest idea of what’s going on. Still, it’s absolutely engrossing and I have no idea what’s coming next. This issue is, again, about Phoebe trying to figure out what’s real and what’s in her head unless, of course, the whole thing is real. There’s also a bit more interaction with her roommate and she finally goes to visit her Mom’s grave. I have definite fears about this series wandering into cliche territory, don’t get me wrong. There’s every chance in the world that the villains in this will be stupid and that it’ll all fall apart once we get down to the nitty gritty about who’s pulling the strings. I haven’t seen anything to lead me to believe that that’ll be the case, but it’s always a concern. $2.95 and, like I said, this certainly looks like the end of one phase of the story, so now’s the time to hop on board the bandwagon. Contact info is up there…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Evenfall #3
I could see this book being the next big thing, along the lines of a Strangers in Paradise or Stray Bullets, in a few years. There’s a solid, fast-paced story that has you always wondering what’s coming next (and what came before, although that might just be because I missed #1) and some incredibly detailed and lavish art. The story here is that it’s about a year after a woman named Phoebe’s mother died of cancer. She finds that reality is slipping away from her at times, leading her to see demons and blimps, among other things, and it shows glimpses of a rich, complex world. At least I hope it does, as the possibilities for this seem limitless. This seems to be coming out on a regular basis, so I’d say wait a few months or so and get the first collection (isn’t there always a collection of issues?), but this is definitely worth checking out. That all being said, I guess I’d better throw in a complaint. Why censor yourself? I’ve never gotten the point of saying “F—” instead of “Fuck”. It’s done by Slave Labor, and it’s not like they’re that strict on that sort of thing. I mean, when you have a character randomly go over to the house of an asshole, fuck him and then tell him in the crudest possible terms that she’s used him, do you really have to worry too much about saying a bad word? Most people might say yes, but it’s always seemed stupid to me. Anyway, once I get off of my soapbox, there’s a lot to like here. It’s $2.95, you can find it on the Slave Labor website or you could probably just e-mail Pete.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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The Herbivores #3
When in doubt, draw a big old fight between a T-Rex and a giant squid monster. Kudos again to James for throwing in some interesting marijuana facts at the start of the issue, this time dealing with cannabis and religion. I’m not sure how well sourced these facts were, as they’re all taken from one book, but they were interesting regardless. In this issue the dinosaurs devise a plan to get inside the temple: have their recently domesticated T-Rex kill the squid monster. Problem is, the big old dinosaur isn’t quite the killing machine he used to be. The solution? Build the biggest blunt they can find and make the T-Rex smoke, as marijuane makes you hungry. Not to pick at a plot point here or anything, but while I won’t dispute the fact that marijuana makes you hungry, I seriously doubt that it would improve your fighting prowess. Anyway, the rest of the book is a detailed fight scene with a surprise ending that I’m going to ruin right now: ninja. No idea where it goes from here, as they still haven’t made it inside that damned temple, but I am at least curious to see where the ninja fits in with all these dinosaurs. Worth a look, especially if you like big gruesome fight scenes. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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The Herbivores #2
James does an excellent job with some facts at the start of this issue, putting up some figures that everybody should know. He lists the number of deaths each year from smoking, drinking (even leaving out all the drunk driving deaths), overdoses from illicit drugs, and ends with the number of deaths each year from marijuana usage: 0. It’s really no wonder this country is more or less bankrupt when we waste so much money on something so stupid. This issue is an attempt to get to know the characters a little better, as it’s all time spent making their way to the mysterious temple and talking about the dinosaur society. I still can’t tell the members of the band apart, even if they do have different hats and/or hair, because they’re essentially all the same person. Er, dinosaur. The flashback in this issue also shows the results of their previous trip to this temple, the creature that almost came out of it and what has happened every time they’re tried to send somebody back in. One other thing I’ve missed reading the first two issues: why exactly are they going to this place, as it’s so clearly deadly? Ah well, maybe the third issue will clear that up. James also has a backup story this time around with a robot and a computer talking like drunken, robotic teenagers. It’s funnier than it sounds, trust me. All told this is fun series, the art’s pretty great but I’m not at all sure that the story is anything other than an excuse to have stoned dinosaurs wandering around. The third issue will decide all that, I suppose. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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The Herbivores #1
OK quick: stoner dinosaur reggae band + a momentarily angry T-Rex = ? I have no idea either, but this comic has a fun time trying to figure it out. Things start off quietly enough (and James does an amazing job with the art on that first page) with the band quietly playing, throwing out a few political slogans. A T-Rex is approaching, and the small parasites next to the band try to point this out, but heavy pot use does tend to dull the reaction times. The T-Rex get a bite of one of the band, the heavy THC concentration makes the T-Rex wander off… until it gets the munchies. Considering the fact that this comic is centered around one of my least favorite things in the world (reggae bands), it’s a minor miracle that I enjoyed this as much as I did. The gorgeous art helped a lot, as the detail everywhere is impressive, and there are more than a few funny bits in this tiny thing. James was nice enough to send the first three issues, so we’ll see if this gets old in a hurry, but it’s a fun first issue, and there’s a whole bunch of comics at that website to get to know the guy a little better. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website (down as of 4/5/10)
Outside #7
So, for those of you keeping track out there, that first review up there was for Outside #5, the other one apparently wasn’t an issue of Outside, and this is #7. Not like it’s rocket science or anything, I just wanted to make sure that everybody was clear. The bulk of this one is a story called The Land of Misplaced Objects, which begins as a man is letting himself be hypnotized in order to find some lost paperwork and ends up basically walking through a graveyard of his life and all the things he’s left behind over the years. It was a very quiet, thoughtful and simple story, which made the whole comic worth a look, in my opinion. Other than that you have a sketchbook page, a one page strip and a brief two page story of how the universe began. Nothing to set the world on fire, I guess, but I liked the first story a lot. Contact info is up there, this one is $1.50.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
Website (down as of 4/5/10)
In A Rut
This is about 3/4 (judging from the website, anyway) of an issue, so anything I say here is subject to change. It’s disjointed right now, obviously, but this sample showed some potential. This is the story of a family, basically, as they go through their day. There’s a young boy who’s starting to get interested in girls, his older sister who chats with her friends about boys, and their mom, who’s trying to help her friend fight off the unwanted advances of her boss. It could go either way from there, either bringing all this together into a coherent story or maybe making it even more muddled, who knows? This is the fifth issue of an ongoing series, so I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that it’s going to make more sense when it’s all together. It’s OK, worth a look anyway, and I think it was $1.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Folk #4
Hey look, a giant issue! Well, technically Tyler said that his computer was on the fritz and he usually shrinks everything down to “normal” mini comic size. As long as there’s a good story in here the size isn’t that big of a deal, and there is a good story in here. Also quite possibly the most straightforward thing I’ve seen from Tyler, at least if you strip away all the imaginative visuals. This is the story of a two friends: a young boy and girl. The boy has the latest dream from a hot celebrity, as the thing to do for the youngsters is to get dreams from famous people and experience them for themselves. Some people think this is too personal, and others are disappointed when it turns out that their favorite stars have been using chemical enhancers to improve their dreams, but for these two kids it’s all about the quality of the dreams. While talking about the new dream they realize that the dreamer has killed himself and this is the last new dream they’ll ever see from the guy, and everybody knows that the first time you experience a dream is the best. The dream itself was a haunting and creepy thing, as the viewer was essentially sharing the experience with the original dreamer, who in this case was dead. I’m on the verge of describing the whole comic again, so I’ll just say that I loved the little touches here (like the newsflash that the newly dead entertainer was 7 years old and how the last dream wasn’t as lucid as usual) and how Tyler can tell an almost mundane personal story when everything involved is so visually fantastic. Check it out already, this series is starting to pile up and they’re all quality comics so far. Well, I haven’t seen #1 yet, but #2-4 are certainly worth getting. No price again, let’s go with $3 just because.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Folk #3
I asked in the review for #2 of this series what Tyler’s work would be like if he rushed, as his work when he took his time was amazing, so what does he do for #3? A 24 hour comic. I’m not claiming any sort of cause and effect there, I’m just happy to be able to compare the two approaches. The conclusion? This looks significantly better than any 24 hour comic should. You can see from that cover that he put together a wide array of characters. Granted, due to time constraints many of them don’t get time to do much but wander around, but points for visual inventiveness. And I’m not sure if Tyler is aware of this (although he must be; he says this is his fourth 24 hour comic), but most people who go the 24 hour route are only able to succeed by skimping on the backgrounds. Not the case with this issue, as there are all kinds of trees when they’re outside, bricks on the wall on the inside, a ridiculous number of buttons on a computer panel…this comic would be impressive on a visual level alone, but he also manages to throw in a fairly engaging story. An alien is on the run, two other aliens are chasing after it and eventually manage to track it down. They take it back to a cell with his compatriots, and they come up with an even more desperate plan of escape, as they’re left with no options.  I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that it’s as visually impressive as the rest of the book, if not more so, and he even manages to pull out a nice surprising final panel. The good news is that if Tyler is able to put out a book this great that’s done in 24 hours, he should have a hefty comics library available soon. That’s how it works creatively, right? Just sit them down and make them draw, and soon they’ll have a pile of flawless comics? In any case, buy his comics.  This guy needs to keep making these things. No price, but let’s say $2.50 like his last one.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Folk #2
What a fabulously inventive comic. First off, let’s take a second to unpack that cover. There’s a creature with one hand cut off sitting next to a chest (with the key sitting next to it) and a self-help book. He’s watching what appears to be a miniature city coming from a larger city, or perhaps a ship. Behind this creature is what appears to be a crying tree with something that looks like snails for brains and a happier puffy creature that’s looking over everything from behind a brick wall. It doesn’t hurt a thing to be this impressed before you even crack open the comic. Inside it only gets better, as Tyler tells two stories. One is about another creature (no humans to be found here) and his pet, as they find a deer-like creature, wound it and attempt to hunt it down. The creature runs into a more benevolent creature who decides that the hunter needs to know what it’s like to be the hunted, and hilarity ensues when he runs into his pet. The last story sounds simple, at least until you get lost in the visuals. A ship is almost out of fuel and lands on a planet with a healthy fuel source. They refuel and eventually fly away. See there, how I can make the most impressive things sounds boring? The ship is comprised of a number of crystals, all seemingly able to move independently, and they have a complex mechanism for gathering the fuel rings from the planet. Tyler even draws the intro to start his comic, the bit where he gives all his contact info and explains that although he wanted his book to come out earlier, he wanted to take his time to make a better book. I have no idea what it would have looked like if he’d rushed, but it sure looks like he made the right call. If you go to his website you’ll see that he already has more than a few minis under his belt, and this sure looks to me like the work of somebody who is putting it all together. Seek out this book if you’re looking for something different, you won’t be disappointed. $2.50
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Shame On You Now Available! $2
Barry is branching out into a few different directions these days, and this one is an “adult” comic, meaning that people are represented with actual genitalia and sometimes have various kinds of sex. Oy, to live in a place where this wasn’t seen as some kind of a big deal… Anyway, there are a few short stories in here, and they’re all entertaining. First up is a porn actress who’s had enough and decides, eventually, to take up a suggestion from her Dad about paint enemas. There are also stories of a slut who finally finds her place in the world and a dirty trick on a gorgeous woman who was completely untouchable to a couple of guys at a fast food joint. I liked this one quite a bit, even outside of the obvious benefit of all the naked people. There’s a general sense of playfulness and fun here that’s completely lacking in most of his recent work, by necessity because they’re serious stories, sure, but fun is a very underrated thing in comics. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Among the Dead #1 Now Available! $2
Barry’s taking a bit of a break from the Toxic series, although fans of his stuff will notice some familiar themes in this one. It’s all about Nikki, a former lover/stripper for Satan who, after he tosses her aside, decides to stir up a revolution in hell, picking up a few of the more disgruntled demons along the way. This is mostly setting the stage for things to come, establishing a few characters, setting up motivations, you know, all the things you need for a good continuing series. The group knows of a sword that can apparently kill Satan, but they have to go through seven levels of demons to get it. It’s intriguing, and that’s the great thing about a first issue: there’s nothing but promise here. It could end up being great, or not, or it could end up being one of the countless series that are dropped by a creator and never picked up again. All that remains to be seen, but I liked this one just fine.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #8 Now Available! $2
Slowly this story is starting to take shape, and the minor characters from past issues seem to be coming back and gaining some prominence. There’s still a misspelling or two which, as I’ve said over and over, drives me batty, but the little things seem to be falling into place. In this issue we meet a past boyfriend of Trinity, who regrets both abandoning her to join the “cool crowd” and not helping her when she was getting killed. We also get to see what Trinity is up to, even though she’s dead and all. The entity she answers to is cartoonishly silly at this point, just an over-the-top villain, so I hope that gets fleshed out a bit and we get to see what exactly is going on with all that. Other than that I can see that at least Barry seems to have some idea of a master plan here, so I’m content to stay along for the ride and see what happens…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #6
OK, this has made it to #6, so I’m allowed to be a bit more hostile than I was in previous reviews. The lettering is terrible. I’m not sure if it’s the copier or what, but I shouldn’t have to shove my eyeball onto the page to make out what they’re talking about. Spelling and major grammatical errors are OK in the first few issues of a book, but you really have to take care of that. And center the pages! I don’t know if that’s Kinko’s thing or something that’s easily corrected, but it’s distracting. There’s no “e” in “having”, I’m not even sure how you could get “that’t” instead of “that’s”, etc. Type the script up in Word or some other program that has a spellchecker. It’s that simple. Might take you 15 minutes, and you won’t have people like me bitching about something that is so easily corrected. The actual story isn’t bad at all. It’s about a man who slowly poisons his pregnant girlfriend, causing her to miscarry, and his punishment in the afterlife. Look, at the very least, every issue should be a visual improvement over the previous one. I know there’s little chance of serious financial reward in this comics world and that everything is done for the love of the genre, but be pessimistic about it. Find something in every issue that could be better and improve on it. I don’t mean this to be a rant against Barry, as he’s done some good work, but this could apply to plenty of creators out there. If you don’t mind a lot of needless errors with your good story, then I recommend this. If it’s too much for you in the end, well, here’s hoping he learns from this and puts together a better book next time. Contact info is up there, it’s $1.50.
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #5
Christ, that’s one big comic, huh? Well, we learn what happened with Amy and why she’s the way that she is. We also learn that Barry likes using song lyrics a little too much for my taste, whatever that means to the rest of the world. It’s not a bad issue at all. I think that the art’s getting better all the time (although there’s still work to be done, little things like portraying a man, apparently eating, in a restaurant and boobs), same for the writing. On as aesthetic level I really don’t like the lettering; it’s way too squiggly. Still, if it’s that or perhaps illegible handwriting, I’ll take the squiggles. This one’s short and the only thing I have any real problem with is the song lyrics, which I can’t imagine would really bug anybody else. Other than that, I’m curious to see where he’s going next. This one is $1.50, contact info is up there…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #4
When you look at the sample you’ll be able to tell that this issue looks awful. Which is a shame, because it looks like the actual art has gotten better, but the art and the lettering is scrunched so much that it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s going on. The actual story for this is good. Barry finally decided to use the whole issue to tell a story and, while it’s a bit uneven in places, I think it’s the best thing he’s done to date. It’s basically the story of a recently deceased woman who’s being told that she has to take a journey to remember her past. Don’t know where it’s going yet, as this is the first part of a two part story, but I liked the setup. I had a problem with some of the goofy dialogue at the beginning when she first realized that she was dead, but it settled down and even that might make sense when all is said and done. It’s a lot bigger than his previous efforts too, giving his characters time to develop. Definitely worth a look, although you might want a magnifying glass for some of that lettering…
Update on 7/28/03: Barry put another version of this comic out because the other one was so scrunched, and it’s MUCH better. Compare the pictures if you don’t believe me. You can read all the letters and everything. Other than that, I already said I liked the story and now the one thing I didn’t like about is gone, so what’s holding you back? Thus concludes the lamest update ever…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #3
Barry says that this is sort of stop gap issue and, at 6 pages of actual story, I’d have to call that accurate. Still, it’s hard to just dismiss this totally because I really liked the stories in this one. The first is a conversation called “Trailer Park” between two women who (I’m making an educated guess here) are talking in a trailer park. Funny stuff, as one is rational and calm and the other is stereotypical trash. The other story, about a man who collects cans for money, is also a good story, even if the ending comes out of nowhere. Is it worth it for $.75? Geez, that’s not even a dollar, you cheapskates. Contact info is up there…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #2
OK, there are some basic pet peeves that I have to comment on in mini comics: spelling, grammar and punctuation. Silly to even mention, I know, but it’s such an easy thing to fix and it makes the whole product look so much better. Not that there were that many mistakes in this one, mind you, just enough for me to notice and groan a few times. I’m not that big a fan of the first part of the comic, the second part of Panic Planet. It’s hard to say that before I really know where the story is going, granted, but that’s my early take. The plot points just seem kind of forced and rushed to me. The middle story, Comicopia, was interesting if a bit confusing. I did like The Valley of Death, even if it was another one where I had no real clue what was going on because it was so short. What can I say, I’m a bigger fan of comics taking up the whole issue, mostly because I know how long it can take between issues and it’s just easier to remember stuff with the sheer volume of comics I read. Overall I was kind of disappointed in this one, but there’s a lot to be said for working quickly and keeping interest up in your continuing stories. Work needs to be done, like I said, but progress is being made and that’s the important thing. Contact info is above…
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Posted by Kevin
April 26, 2010
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Toxic Comix #1
Another random shortie, another one filled with potential. The art is good, if a little rough at times, but nothing that I can’t see being tons better a few issues down the road. Same with the dialogue. A little silly and awkward at times, but overall solid and it’s the kind of thing that gets a lot easier with a few comics under the belt. There are a few stories in this. One’s about working in a fast food joint and, in a switch, is less about angst over this fact (although it is mentioned) than it is about corruption and corporations. Or I’ve been listening to NPR too much today, take your pick. The dream story in the beginning was a nice intro to the book. It looked like a silly fantasy book with the sword and all, then he takes a turn and you don’t know what to expect. Overall, it was a little raw, but I liked it. Who knows, these stories might all be going places and I just don’t know it yet.
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Posted by Kevin
