New review today for Humans in Peril by Caitlin Cass, who puts out quality comics at a pace that should shame at least a few of you. Hell, it even puts my reviewing schedule to shame. Enjoy!
Cass, Caitlin – Humans in Peril
May 31, 2018
For any artists out there who have been daunted by Caitlin’s productivity, especially considering the amount of research she has to do for most of her comics, but were perhaps selfishly holding out hope that maybe she wasn’t funny: sorry, this comic should kill off that hope for you. And really, you should be worried more about your own work than comparing yourself to others. That’s just common sense! This is a collection of 50 strips about humans in some sort of peril; more often than not the peril is existential, but there’s some physical danger thrown in here and there as well. These are all single panel strips, mostly reminiscent of New Yorker strips, but funnier than the average example of that type than I’ve usually seen. And bleak as hell, mostly, so adjust your expectations accordingly if you’re expecting a wacky laugh riot full of outlandish hijinx. Subjects include… ugh, is there anything worse than describing the basic outline of single panel jokes? I might as well be telling you where the punchline is heading for verbal jokes. Subjects include ennui, dissatisfaction at the state of the universe and your place in it, an unwillingness to disconnect from the virtual world to join the actual world, the futility of engaging with reality with forced cheer, and kittens falling asleep. One of those things is not discussed in this book of strips, but I’ll leave it to you to suss out which one was the lie. $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/29/18
May 29, 2018New review today for Goiter #1 by Josh Pettinger, and in another month I’m moving again, this time slightly north of Columbus to a town called Delaware. I’ll put up the new address when I’m getting closer to moving, but if you have review comics to send my way I’d recommend either sending them in the next week or so or holding off on sending them until the first week of July.
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Posted by Kevin
Pettinger, Josh – Goiter #1
May 29, 2018
This is one of those cases where I’m tempted to leave the review blank, except perhaps for a brief note telling you to let the sample image speak for the comic. That’s cheating, and I don’t want to run afoul of the independent comics reviewers review board (you wouldn’t like them when they’re angry), so I’ll soldier on with a few more thoughts. This one came out of the blue, which is always a delight; yes, that’s also true when the comics aren’t that great. This is the first of two issues with the same title, but I don’t know yet if the story continues in the next issue or if it’s something entirely different. The story of this mini is, again, encapsulated in that sample image: a man finds someone to help him fulfill a niche sexual desire of his on an internet message board, with said fantasy involving a fake mugging. The comic shows the mundane aspects of his life, how he gets through an average work day, and the specificity with which he plans out his mugging, including what he can bear to part with in his wallet when he does get robbed. Things take a turn towards the end, which I suppose could be said of most works of fiction, so I don’t think that’s giving too much away. It’s a quietly haunting mini and something that leaves me intrigued to see what Josh does with the much larger follow-up issue. Check in here in a few weeks to see how that goes, or you could cut out the middle man and just order comics from Josh himself, which is something you should think about doing regardless. I don’t see the first issue mentioned on his etsy shop at the moment, so I’ll guess the price is… $5.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/16/18
May 16, 2018New review today for Spaboon by Chris Carlier, and this is most likely it for reviews on the week, but who knows, maybe if life cooperates I’ll manage another one on Friday…
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Posted by Kevin
Carlier, Chris – Spaboon
May 16, 2018
Any questions you might have had about that title were taken care of on the cover: Spaboon is half spoon and half baboon. What more do you need to know? Plenty, as it turns out, but have no fear, this comic will answer all of your questions! Except maybe for how he came into being, but if we’re lucky #2 will be an origin story. This comic seems to have come about because of Chris’s fascination with mascots (I included a link to his website about mascots because it’s amazing) and it tells the story of Spaboon after he is fired from his job as the mascot of a large corporation. They merged with another company and decided to stick with the other mascot, a large capsule named Capsuro. Spaboon runs into him as he’s getting fired, a brawl ensues, and some local protesters mistake this fight as a sign that Spaboon is on their side in protesting this corporation. Plans are hatched, Spaboon is introduced to drugs, and a raid is conducted at a testing facility. This goes extremely poorly, but we do get to see a lab with some rejected mascots in it. I’ll leave the rest of the story to the readers, because I’m assuming I had most of you at “half spoon, half baboon.” It’s funny and disturbing, with just a dash of social commentary thrown in here and there. Me, I’m just hoping this is the first of many comics about mascots, either entirely centered on Spaboon or each featuring different mascots. There are so many to choose from, not the mention the horrors that could be made up entirely. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/14/18
May 14, 2018New review today for Bald Knobber by Robert Sergel, and if you have comics to send my way for review, I’d recommend sending them in the next few weeks, as I’m going to be moving at the end of June. Yes, again. Anybody know a great place to live in either Columbus or Delaware (Ohio)?
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Posted by Kevin
Sergel, Robert – Bald Knobber
May 14, 2018
Two years ago I reviewed Robert’s last book (Space, a collection of short stories, and something everybody should read). At the time I made a mental note to keep an eye on what else he had coming out, so naturally I forgot all about it until getting this book in the mail, which is a collection of his six issue series of the same name. Anybody want to be a personal assistant/secretary who reminds me of stuff like this? I can’t pay you in money, but I’m very generous in comics payments. Anyhow, Bald Knobber. I’m guessing some of you are making assumptions based on that title, and unless you’re versed in vigilante gangs of the 1880’s, chances are you’re incorrect. This is the story of Cole, a young boy who’s giving a book report about the Bald Knobbers to his class. Cole’s parents have recently divorced and it was obviously ugly. His dad hates his mom and his mom is seeing another man. The Bald Knobbers, as I mentioned briefly above, were a vigilante gang in the 1880’s who seemed to set out with noble intentions but eventually lost their way. The comic is told with his book report as text dialogue contrasting with the events taking place in his life, including his life split between his parents, his drunken father, his mother just trying to have him give her new boyfriend, and said new boyfriend seemingly not making much of an effort. Cole also deals with a bully, takes his cat for a walk whenever things get too tense, the fire at his mom’s house and the suspicions that immediately get raised as to who or what might have caused it. The story of the Bald Knobbers alone is engrossing, but the contrast with Cole’s life is also fascinating. Robert does a seamless job of weaving these elements together, especially towards the end in the bits I’m not going to mention because of spoilers. This is another impressive book by somebody who I’m definitely going to keep a close eye this time without real life getting in the way at all. Hey, it’s good to have goals, right? Check it out, you won’t be sorry. $15.95
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 5/7/18
May 7, 2018That’s right, an actual comic review! Sorry about the radio silence, I recommend against getting any kind of serious back injury. Makes sitting at a computer damned near impossible. And I’ve become moderately human again just in time for election week, so work is going to keep me away (probably) until next week. Go vote if you live in Ohio! New review today for Nervenkrank #2 by Katherine K. Wirick, and if my writing in the review is rusty and off from my usual self, I’m still trying to get back into a rhythm over her…
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Posted by Kevin
Wirick, Katherine K. – Nervenkrank #2
May 7, 2018
Nervenkrank #2
This has nothing to do with the comic (do my reviews ever start any other way?), but I do always love to see a #2 in a series after a bit of a time gap. Life gets in the way, shit happens, but Katherine has a story to tell here and it looks to be back on track with this issue. If you haven’t read the first issue you might be a little lost here, but that’s on you for skipping it, you weirdo. We get to see a sick ward and the level of care that these wounded soldiers get, which is dismal; they’re kept in rows of beds under stained sheets. He starts smuggling a little bit of food out while writing letters to his brother before the two of them are reunited. John’s brother Wieland has been dishonorably discharged and John is much improved from the last time they saw each other, but still skittish and unwilling to put himself out into the world. Wieland attends a small party, and I’m in danger of giving away the entire comic in a review, but he gets into a fascinating conversation. From there he convinces John to go with him to meet an artist he’s heard of but not seen, and anybody familiar with John’s life story would know the importance of this meeting. Which I assume we’ll see in the next issue, coming right up (probably)! Katherine is slowly and meticulously building up these people and their place in this world, and I’m constantly amazed by how much she can convey in a single wordless panel. The look on Wiel’s face when he’s reunited with his brother, the joy but also the concern about how or if he’s recovered, that’s what comics can be when done right. It’s well worth a look, so get both issues and get caught up! $5
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Posted by Kevin
“Update” for 3/25/18
March 25, 2018Sorry about the lack of reviews lately, real life has gotten in the way. I’m hoping things get back to whatever normal is within the next week or so, at which point I have some comics to talk about, so please bear with me. In the meantime, wander around the archives! All kinds of comics you’ve probably never heard of if you didn’t read the review the first time around.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/8/18
March 8, 2018New review today for Kingdom/Order by Neil Psaltis, and what the heck, I’ll just post this message here since email doesn’t seem to work: hey Secret Acres! You’ve been sending review books to my ex for several years now! Luckily we’re still friends, but my address is over there on the right hand side of the website. See? Oh hi, everybody else! You can also use that address to send me review comics, if you’re so inclined…
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Posted by Kevin
Psaltis, Reid – Kingdom/Order
March 8, 2018
So there’s one thing I figured out for sure after finishing this book: trying to figure out how much of it is meant to be a dream versus how much of it is meant to represent reality is a waste of time. It’s irrelevant to the point of the story, and you’re bound to get different opinions anyway depending on who you ask. Meanwhile, here’s my subjective opinion! This starts off with us seeing nature, with each of the various creatures making a different type of sound, as represented by the various images in their word bubbles. Well, they’re usually word bubbles; this comic is wordless. Anyway, we establish the various ways these animals communicate, and we soon see a car drive through their environment, represented by a droning noise. One wolf in particular takes an interest in this vehicle, and we’re then taken to a large city, complete with pigeons and their own way of communicating. They try to make themselves known to a nameless man in the street, who gives the impression of being so beaten down by life that he can’t even register it when something amazing is happening around him. Rats in the subway finally get him to take notice, and this is where we could start having a debate about what is real and what’s imaginary, as he pictures himself following them down the tiny hole they used before being snapped out of it by his train arriving on the tracks. Our hero, back to normal in his own mind, takes the train to his car and starts to drive home, as we see small signs of the nature all around him, followed by bigger signs. Finally one of the crows takes matter into his own, um, hands I guess, dropping enough leaves on his windshield that he’s forced to stop out in the wilderness. He has a brief conversation (for lack of a better word) with the crow, tries to go back to his car and finds it completely disabled. All that’s left for him to do is try to make it home through the wilderness, which is where his real trouble begins. If you think that I gave too much away up there, how dare you! I wouldn’t do such a thing, and that only covers maybe the first 20 pages of this book. From there natures takes control, possibly of reality itself… or maybe none of it was real? Again, don’t ask such questions. Give this book a chance, as this might be all the “getting back to nature” that you really need.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/6/18
March 6, 2018New review today for Resident Lover by Roman Muradov, which is the last of the current crop of mini kus books. But don’t despair, these folks are like clockwork. Give them another few months and there will be more tiny, amazing comics for you to enjoy…
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Posted by Kevin
Muradov, Roman – Resident Lover
March 6, 2018
Sometimes comics leave me feeling a certain way, and I’m never quite sure if that’s the intent of the artist or if it’s just what the comics brings out of me personally. Maybe somebody else reading this would come away feeling something else entirely, but for me when I set down this book a wave of melancholy hit me. The comic feels a bit like a dream, like the details might change if I were to go back and read it again. Not possible, granted, but we’re talking feelings here, not physical reality. This is the story of a young man who sets out with his lover, his former lover and her current lover. They all get to talking, and another former lover down the line was supposed to be good at bocce, but since the star of the comic had never heard of him, this set off an argument that led to him getting out of the car and leaving them to go on their way. Meanwhile, it left our hero alone in the dark at 3am, in the wilderness and surrounded by things that he was allergic to. He wandered until he made his way to a department store, and the surreal nature of the place led him to go up to the roof. The roof was covered in thousands of tiny candles, which led back to the story of the two women who put the candles up there every night, why they do it and how they came to that place at all. Which I’d rather not get into here, to preserve at least a little bit of mystery, but this really feels like one of those comics where you could know everything about it going in and still get plenty out of it. Check it out, and if you end up feeling anything other than melancholy when you’re done, let me know. Who knows what’s all in my head and what’s left over from a previous lovers’ quarrel? $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/2/18
March 2, 2018New review today for Master Song by Francisco Sousa Lobo, which leaves only one more comic from this current mini kus pile for me to review. Happy weekend everybody!
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Posted by Kevin
Sousa Lobo, Francisco – Master Song
March 2, 2018
Hey, who’s up for a comic that’s done entirely in verse? Wait, come back, it’s actually thoroughly engaging! This is the story of a young lady who’s just trying to live her life. Her life happens to be that of a sub who’s trying to find dominant men but unsure on how to go about it, and her life is also her being antisemitic while caring for Jewish children as a nanny. As far as antisemitics go she’s pretty self-aware about her issues, she even keeps a diary where she spells everything out. She’s also terrified of anybody seeing her diary, which makes sense. The overwhelming sense I got from this story was that M was an incredibly sad person; every aspect of her life seems like at least a little bit of a struggle. Still, it’s hard not to root for the lady, which is a little odd when you consider her (at the very least) mild racism. Maybe it was the rhyming that made her impossible to dislike? Or maybe it’s just the fact that it’s hard not to relate to anybody who’s in such a struggle to get by every day. Check it out, wrestle with your own moral dilemmas, it’s not like I can solve all the moral conundrums of the universe all by myself. $6
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/28/18
February 28, 2018Hey look, 2018 is already 1/6 over. Everybody out there is registered to vote and ready to clean up this mess during the elections this year, right? New review today for The Hanukkah Fire, 1992 by Rachel Scheer!
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Posted by Kevin
Scheer, Rachel – The Hanukkah Fire, 1992
February 28, 2018
The Hanukkah Fire, 1992
It’s a pretty rare occurrence for a comic to also be shot on film, but that’s what you get with this one. Granted, that wasn’t the plan all along; the original film was from 1992, when the events in the title happened. No spoilers possible in this review! Rachel’s father had a new camera, and when the fire broke up he never bothered to put it down while dealing with the fire. So now, in 2018 (or whenever you’re reading this in the future, or the past I guess if you’re a really boring time traveler), you can check the video on her website after reading this comic. Still, there’s more to the comic than just putting out a fire decades ago. Rachel also talks about growing up Jewish, the early days of camcorders, how her parents ended up meeting each other and then quickly getting married and having kids, the best parts of Passover when she was a kid, the story of how her grandfather survived the concentration camps, learning how to drive, and how the number of Jewish activities she participated in declined as she grew up. So yeah, she’s packing quite a bit into this mini. That’s actually the only complaint I have about the comic, and it’s a minor one: it feels like parts of this might have better served with more room to breath. Still, if the worst thing I can say is “I wish there was more of this comic to read,” I’d call that a solid recommendation, wouldn’t you?
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/26/18
February 26, 2018New review today for Collection by Pedro Franz, another one from the mini kus pile.
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Posted by Kevin
