April 22, 2010
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Shrimpy and Paul and Friends
For anybody out there putting together a “best of” collection for any of their characters, this is how you do it. There are strips and stories in here from many different years, letters from fans, Shrimpy appearances in other comics, newspaper strips (some in glorious, glorious color), a cover gallery, even a FAQ. For those of you who have never been introduced the world of Shrimpy and Paul, well, you no longer have an excuse. The pages aren’t numbered, but I’d guess that it’s about 150 pages of great stuff. My favorite story in the universe, “The Ball, the Goose, the Power” is in here, as well as an interconnected epic that involves Kevin, Chia-Man, Saul (Paul’s brother who lives in his nipple), Blimpy, Mushroom Hed, Ib-Ub, Miss Polly, Taco, Mennod, Lucky E., Sanitation Man-Of-Festo, Tim Horton, Goose, Texas Sheriff, Mills, Cubby, Mr. Socks, Captain Beige, Mr. Duck Chocolate, Sue, Jambo Stretch, and Grumpy Man in Small Home. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has panels as intricate as Marc. It would take you over an hour to skim through this book, but everything in it is begging to be examined closely. This is truly one of those books that gets better with every read, as there are a ton of tiny side characters everywhere that you miss if you blink. It’s $16.95, and it’s one of those books that I’d pass out to everybody I knew if I was made of money. The humor might not be for everybody, I guess, if you don’t like things that are funny. As for me, this gets my vote for best collection of the year. Somebody find this man and give him a regular series, or a newspaper strip, or something. Talent like this should be rewarded. E-mail address!
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Shrimpy and Paul (and Friends)
I’d heard a lot about this guy before I ever read him. His name was popping up on websites as the next big thing in minis, as being the next guy who was going to break out into the world of, say, Top Shelf or Highwater Books. I read another book of his and, honestly, thought it was a disorganized mess. Potential, sure, but it looked to me like he had another couple of years left before everything came together and he put out a really good book. But I had purchased Shrimpy and Paul in the same shipment, so I tried going into it with an open mind. The main story in this mini is called “The Ball, the Goose and the Power” and it is one of the best things I’ve ever read. And what a cast of characters! Taco, Cubby, Miss Polly, Chia-Man, even Big Boy in a brief cameo! It’s about a greedy goose and the things that Shrimpy does to try to please it. There is so much more to it than that, but the joy of reading minis like this is in discovering things for yourself. There are a few shorts in this as well, the one page strip about a dream (called ?????!!!!!) being the best. Apparently the main story in this issue ran in a newspaper too. And to think I was complaining a minute ago about him getting his shit together. Turns out that he’s at his best when his shit isn’t at all together. This is the kind of book where, if I had a ratings system that was on a 1-10 scale (with 10 being the best, of course), I would give it an 11. Yes, I know, that’s an impossible score and it belittles the whole point of having a ratings scale based on 1-10, which is why I don’t use it at all. The point is that it’s better than almost anything out there. The people who said that he’s the next big thing are right, if there’s any justice at all in the world. Elements of work from Doug Allen and Robert Crumb (the ‘Ol Simp character) are apparent, but he’s taken it to a whole new level. Buy whatever he has and then beg him to make more.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Lucky 2.5
In case you’re wondering, this is #2.5 because she lost her sketchbook (which had #2 in it) at an airport and was never able to find it. So if you’re ever in San Francisco airport, stop by the lost and found, see if you can find a sketchbook. This one is about a few random things, like how she lost the sketchbook and tried to get it back, how she sold some comics on the street and how she tried a yoga class. It was mostly just the retelling of a couple of days in her life (I think), with those being the “big” moments. I’ve said it before, I like her work a lot. This mini looks a bit sloppier than her other stuff, or I’m being too picky, but it’s just shaky line panels here and there, nothing serious. And I saw at the Alternative Comics table (and it’s a good thing I got there late in the day, because I probably would have spent all my cash there if I had the chance) that she has a ton of minis, so anybody who’s interested could do a lot worse than to send her a bunch of cash for some books. E-mail her for a listing, I think this one was a couple of bucks…
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
Website
When I’m Old And Other Stories
Hooray for a big collection of her work! I think I gave away the fact in my last review that I love her comics, but I hadn’t seen very many of them. Problem solved! A few of the stories were in her other book that I read, but overall this was a bunch of new stuff. It’s a bargain at $12.95 too, but you probably want some sort of description before you buy it… OK. There’s a short story about the best babysitter in the world, a lot of one page stories about a girl with different trophy boyfriends, a suicidal kid, Gabrielle growing to giant size, a story about figuring out the human heart, and plenty of other stuff. The fascinating thing about her stories for me is that you’re never quite sure if it’s autobiographical or not, so you kind of have to take everything as a combination of both, or perhaps just her interpretation of real events. Fantastic, vivid writing along with some of the best facial expressions I’ve ever seen, I really can’t recommend her stuff enough. Buy it!
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Book of Black
Just so you know, I loved this book. It gets my highest recommendation, for whatever that’s worth to you out there. It’s loosely based on the film “Repulsion” by Roman Polanski, and there’s a part one out there somewhere because this was the second half. It’s about a young girl who is finally released from a prison for girls and is living with a popular girl, and she liked her existence. Nothing much happened, and that was fine with her. Things gradually began to change with her roommate leaving town for the weekend and the unwanted attentions of a guy on the street. It’s fascinating to watch the transformation of the character, to watch her try just a little to make a human connection but not to know how to do it. I haven’t seen Repulsion for a while, but I know she made this story a little more modern, seeing as how Trent Reznor is in it. I hope that didn’t turn anybody off who hates the guy, because he has very little impact on the story. Anyway, great stuff. It takes a hell of a story for me to ignore my nitpicky nature and barely even notice little things like misspellings and “your” instead of “you’re” here and there. Hey, I didn’t say it was right, I’m just saying that that kind of crap has the potential to push a so-so book into bad territory for me. Maybe you should get part one (it’s called Book of Insomnia) first though. E-mail her to see what she has available or just send her money (I’m guessing these are $3 but I have nothing at all to base that on) at: 3288 21st Street #217 San Francisco, CA 99110.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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True Story Swear to God #4
Remember how I said in the last issue that this series would be more than a little bit too cheezy for people who aren’t in love? Well, some time has passed, a few things have changed for me, and (get ready for too much personal information) I’m in love with someone these days. I say that not for you all to send me e-mails saying “Awww…..”, I just wanted to point out that my perspective on the series has changed. Combine with the fact that the girl I’m in love with lives 4 hours away from me, and I can certainly relate to the long-distance relationship thing going on here. This issue is all about Tom going to Puerto Rico to visit his future wife. Is it still cheezy? Well, kind of, but it’s also pretty accurate. Things get sappy real quick these days, so these books of his make a lot more sense. And he’s putting these out on a regular basis, so he’s got that going for him. What can I say, my impression of this guy is improving all the time, and it wasn’t that bad to begin with. It was fascinating to find out that he originally did this just for himself and only decided to publish it after the fact. It’s incredibly personal at times but it’s also funny as hell at others. If you wait a few more issues you can probably just buy the graphic novel, but these work pretty well as self-contained issues. Check it out.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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True Story Swear to God #2
Tom makes the jump to color covers and self publishing with this series. Look, I’m going to give it my all here to be as unbiased about this as possible. This series is about Tom falling in love with the woman who is now his wife, and there are two frames of mind in which you can read this comic: being in love yourself or not. I’m not right now, so this is all a little too syrupy for me. It’s kind of like watching two people make googly eyes at each other for two issues (so far). If and when I fall in love again, I’ll read this again and tell you all how my opinion has changed. Until then, stay away unless you are the most romantic person in the world. On the bright side of things, his weekly comic is getting better and better all the time. This is, to me, not a big enough story to make into a graphic novel, and that’s obviously what he’s doing with it. Again, I like to think that I wouldn’t like this even if I was in love, but I know better than to say for sure that that would be true. Eh, buy the first one, if you’re really curious. Actually, if you’re lucky enough to find it in a comic store, just read part of it there. You should know pretty quick if it’s something that you’ll be interested in or if it will drive you crazy. All the contact info is the same as above, and there are a few more issues of his mini (you know, the one that collects his weekly strip and goes by the same title, confusingly enough) out there too.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
Website
Working Stiff #3
Watch out, name change! No idea why, as Blue Collar was a fine title. Oh well, whatever float his boat. And if anybody out there read comics as a kid (a fairly likely proposition, as you’re here, aren’t you?) then that cover just screams nostalgia. Pretty much all the Marvel comics when I started reading them had covers like that, something very dramatic that made you just have to pick it up… but then the cover image never happens in the book! Cheater! Ahem. Anyway, the Negotiator storyline continues here, and it seems to be veering a bit into schlock silliness, at least with some of the dialogue. Whether or not that’s a bad thing is entirely up to you. To me, this is looking like a longer story, so I’m still waiting to see how it all plays out when it’s read together. Also in here is a silly story about the devil appreciating a young punk’s artwork, a cautionary tale about getting too smart for your own good, a parody of those ads about a skinny guy getting sand kicked in his face on the beach, and a genuinely odd note that Craig apparently received after doing some digging under an overpass. Pretty good mix of stuff here again, and I have a couple of issues to review that aren’t part of this series, so I should be getting a much better idea of what else he’s capable of very soon. Contact info up there, $3!
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
Website
True Stories Swear to God #6
Tom Beland’s mini was nominated for an Ignatz award for best mini comic last year, and that’s one of those instances where the line of what is and isn’t a mini gets kind of blurry. This title is basically a collection of the newspaper-style strip that he does. They’re mostly funny in a non-offensive kind of way, but they hardly hold together enough to win an award for the best mini comic of the year. All that being said, this is an OK book. It puts a smile on my face and keeps it there. If you’re looking for a unique experience (and there are a lot of them out in mini comic land) then you might want to avoid this, or at least wait to buy it until you’re rich. If you’re looking for an amusing title that you can read and just be amused for the time that you’re reading it, this might be for you.
E-mail Tom Beland (he says that he answers all his e-mails)
Check out his site to see some of his strips, maybe you’ll like them and a bunch of them are free
If you want to order any of his books, #1-6 are available for $2.25 each from:
True Stories, Swear to God PO Box 9020278
Old San Juan Station San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00902
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
Website
Willy Wonka: Candyman (written by Scott Oliver) Now Available! $.50
In case you were wondering, yes, this is one of those books that you can judge from the cover. If lookig at that doesn’t make you intensely curious at least to see what it’s all about, you’ve obviously never seen Willy Wonka (the one with Gene Wilder, I have no idea about the new one). It’s sort of a prelude to the happenings of the movie, except, of course, for the fact that the creators intended for none of this to be the backstory of the man. Wonka in this mini is a slave trader (the Oompa Loompas), a drug user, and someone who has no problem doing experiments on children. He gets close to his dream of making a candy that makes children addicted while also keeping them perfectly quiet and pliable, and that’s where things get dicey with the President. Any more than that and it’s just ruined, but the ending dovetails nicely into the start of the movie, and the real reason he offered the tour. This was originally a 24 hour comic that was apparently finished in the time allowed, but then Corey inked it days later, so I guess technically it can’t be considered a 24 hour comic. And if you’ve ever lost even a little bit of sleep thinking about such things, I am deeply sorry. The point is that it’s a little sloppier than your average mini as a result, but all that does is make Wonka seem more unhinged and manic. There’s also a genuinely unique and interesting story here, which is always nice when it comes to the 24 hour books, as some of them tend to be… well, less than completely thought out. No problem with that here, I recommend this completely to the people who grew up on this movie, although the people who didn’t may end up being a bit lost…
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Solidarity Now Available! $.50
As I’m typing this the whole country seems to finally realize what a doofus we have running things and it’s not looking good for him to even finish out his term, judging from all the scandals hitting and still to come. That being said, this was made in 2003, when this country was a different place entirely. It’s about a man who takes his wheat paste and his fliers and posts them up all over town, trying to get people to wake up and take action. Of course the cops get involved, and that’s where things get tricky. If I had read this three years ago it would have been another chilling indictment of how far we’ve fallen, but I’m eternally optimistic that this country is going to get its shit together someday, so this just serves as a reminder of a time that is slowly grinding to a halt. Plus there are some great and practical instructions in the back on how to make the appropriate paste, and how to put up fliers all over town.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Pursuit Now Available! $.50
Oh yeah, now I remember why I didn’t review this comic until now (9/19/08, long after everything else on the page was reviewed): I didn’t know what to make of it. It’s a wordless comic, which can occasionally be the bane of my existence, as I often come up short trying to get a review anywhere nearly as profound as the work the artist put out, or at least as profound as they intended it to be. This follows the flight of a large bird through a city, focusing in on the people in the streets, all seeming to be either in a state of extreme nervousness and fear, perhaps of all the cops keeping an eye on things. And yes, it’s clear from his other work as well as this that Corey doesn’t entirely trust cops, and why on earth should he? They have free rein with tasers now, a “non-lethal” form of crowd control. Best to stay away from them if possible. We also see some reaction shots of animals, like a lion, monkey and a couple of dogs. Because… aw hell, I don’t know. I like his other books better (and am still wondering when he’s going to finish that damned Wizard of Oz trilogy), but if you’re a fan of the wordless stuff it’s certainly a cheap book to try out.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Parallel
I do so love the random submissions. This one is a short silent mini paralleling (duh) the day of a harried husband and a carefree guy who happens to be cheating wife the previous man’s wife. It’s done well and has a lot more of a punch because it’s silent, as words can sometimes just clutter up an otherwise potent comic. Yep, that’s my crappy bit of wisdom for the day. Corey also sent along a few more comics which will be posted here in the coming weeks, which is wonderful as I’d much rather have a well-rounded opinion of somebody’s work than just one book, even if it is a book I like such as this one. No price but I’d say it’s a buck…
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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There’s No Place #2 (written by Scott Oliver) Now Available! $2
Hooray for qualified praise! I loved this issue, thought it was a great continuation of this series. We get to see the funeral for Glinda, Tinman trying to talk sense (or at least patience) into the lion, Scarecrow crashing said funeral with an army of crows, and, best of all, an attack by those famous flying monkeys. So why only qualified praise? Simple. This book, #2 of a three part series, came out in 2005. As of today, 8/24/07, #3 still isn’t out yet, or at least nowhere that it’s accessible online that I could find. Meaning that, fun as this book was, it doesn’t mean a damned thing unless this series gets wrapped up, and the sooner the better. Sorry to be a jerk about it, but after 6 years of doing this website I’ve had all the dangling series that I can take. As a whole, this series has some serious potential, for fans of the old Oz books or the movie (and people who have somehow never heard of either), as it’s a dark reimagining of these fairly simplistic characters. This issue in particular has some revealing conversations between the lion and the Tinman, as both are fleshed out in a big way and even the Scarecrow, mass murderer that he is, becomes a bit of a sympathetic character. So, a plea to the creators: finish what you started, realize the potential with this story that you’ve built up with these first two issues, and let me praise this whole series unreservedly.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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There’s No Place #1 (written by Scott Oliver) Now Available! $2
So what happens after the end of The Wizard of Oz? Scarecrow has his brains, Tinman has his heart, and the lion has his courage. Then what? This three issue series seeks to answer that question, or at least posits a pretty interesting theory. Scarecrow, it turns out, has plenty of knowledge but very little wisdom on how to use that knowledge. The story begins with Scarecrow, after trying to explain his philosophy to the Munchkins, deciding that the direct approach is the best way to go and ends up killing almost everybody in the village. The Tinman, who is trying to plant two trees for every one he cut down before he got his heart, learns of this and decides to look up his old friend the lion. The lion has turned into a bit of a beast, seemingly happy to solve every problem with violence now that he’s no longer a coward. Mixed into all of this is the damage that Scarecrow did to Emerald City in his time as ruler and Glinda’s efforts to set things right. It’s a fascinating concept, if a bit difficult to see the actor who played Scarecrow in the movie going on a major killing spree. Well worth a look, especially if they can keep this up for the next two issues. $2
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Hate Yer State #2 Now Available! $2
What’s the best way to review a book of political comics? If you figure that out let me know, as I have no idea. There’s some pretty funny stuff in here if this is your political persuasion (“this” being mostly that GW Bush and Republicans in general are shitbags, while Democrats are mostly worthless), but if this isn’t your thing, well, it’s not going to do a whole lot for you. There’s also a slight problem with the fact that political strips are incredibly topical, so that even though this book was done in 2006, as I sit here in 2007 (as somebody who pays a lot of attention to politics, sadly), there are plenty of faces in various strips that were a mystery to me. Possibly if I read them the week they came out it would make perfect sense, but a year removed I have no idea who were committing the outrages of the week. Still, some funny and disturbing stuff in here, and call me an eternal optimist, but I have to imagine that most people out there who pay attention to this stuff at all are more or less in line with his political views…
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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The Battle Within (written by Scott Oliver) Now Available! $.50
Who likes a good boxing match? Granted, there’s all kinds of subtext here to go with the text (one quick glance at the cover will fill you in on that much), but there’s also plenty of good old fashioned hitting to enjoy. This is the story, on the surface at least, of a man who slowly rises through the ranks until he’s given a shot at the championship. Said championship is being held by a man who clearly got the belt through help from shady people, and the challenger is informed that unless he takes a fall his family is in jeopardy. Cut in with the action are shots of the challenger as a caveman with a club and the champ as a giant monster, quite possibly a lion but I’m not entirely sure. Anyway, a nice little tale for a measly $.50, with an unfortunately dopey ending line. Other than that there’s plenty to like here though, as it looks great and, like I said, plenty of punching is involved.
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Why We Call Them Robots Now Available! $3
First monkeys in space, then the origin of robots. It looks like these were the only two comics Sarah did in this format (these were done in 2002) but she could have kept this up forever as far as I’m concerned. This tells the story of the man (Karel Capek) who wrote a play about robots (after his brother Josef coined the term) in 1921 called Rossum’s Universal Robots. The robots in this were organic and meant more as drones to do physical work. The message of the play was lost in the novelty of the concept of robots, and we all know where it went from here, as we sit at least a decade or so away from the inevitable robot armageddon. The rest of the comic is about the life of Karel Capek and how the Nobel Prize committee lacked the courage to give him the Prize for literature but they were afraid of offending Hitler. Odd thing to see written these days, huh? Anyway, it’s a fascinating story and mostly new to me. If she ever wants to return to this format I’m all for it, but regardless if you check out this book you have an instant conversation starter for any occasion… $3
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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The Monkeynauts Now Available! $3
OK, so monkeys as a theme for comics (or almost anything, really) is about as played out as it can get. Even I have to admit to being sick of seeing monkeys all over the place. That being said, reading this reminds me of why I liked monkeys so much to begin with: their adorable propensity to act like people. This is a brief history of monkeys in the various space programs, but mostly the ones here in the USA. Frankly, I thought it would be a lot more grim than what I saw; turns out most of the monkeys made it back safe and sound after all. This is a great overview of the whole time period seen in a completely different light, and she even manages to make the story entertaining when it could have easily been a cold collection of historical data. Fascinating stuff, and this is sure to restore your love of monkeys if it’s been lessened by the recent barrage of monkeys…
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Posted by Kevin
April 22, 2010
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Shuteye #4: Carrefour Now Available! $4
Huzzah, this time around I was able to instantly catch the connection from the last issue to #4! It only took me 4 issues to figure all that out, I must be the smartest man alive. This is another solid issue in this series, a bit different this time out because the tone has changed to one of constant terror. The man from the last issue, J.P, wakes up to start things off this time around, happy that at least his last dream (issue #3) at least wasn’t the recurring nightmare he’s been having. In his nightmare he’s being pursued by a creepy, bearded cajun guy (or maybe just a french guy) who seems to be out to do him harm. J.P. starts losing his grip on reality almost instantly, confusing his waking life with his images of the nightmare cajun, seeing him in his record shop, on the street, and accompanying J.P.’s girlfriend. Paranoia rarely leads to happy endings, but I’ll say no more to avoid spoilers. Like I said, another solid issue and I’m looking forward to one day putting these all together and making sense of the whole thing. $4
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Posted by Kevin
