Well, so much for that plan to use this week to review whatever I didn’t get to from SPACE last year. Work is still a madhouse (yes, things do still happen at a Board of Elections after the actual election), so probably no more reviews until next week, or more likely the week after that. But SPACE is still this weekend, and I’m actually going to be there in an official capacity for the Board of Elections, handing out voter registrations and absentee requests, from noon to 4 Saturday and Sunday. We’ll be at a table with a big sign, so we’ll be hard to miss. Stop by and say hi!
Update for 3/31/16
March 31, 2016Hey look, I did manage to sneak a review in before the end of the week. New review for the first of a new batch of Mini Kus comics from Latvia, and this time around it’s Unwell by Tara Booth. Next week I’m going to try and make sure that I’ve reviewed everything I got from SPACE last year, time permitting…
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Posted by Kevin
Booth, Tara – Unwell
March 31, 2016
If there’s a better use for dogshit, I’ve certainly never seen it. Getting ahead of myself a bit with this review, but that’s definitely the standout image of this mini comic. This is the story of a young woman going about an average (probably) day in her life. It’s wordless and starts off with this woman waking up to what appears to be a strange man. She does everything possible to avoid waking him up, anyway, which certainly implies “stranger” to me. From there we see her triumphant escape and her journey home to a waiting dog that is clearly overjoyed to see her, as is the custom of dogs with all returning owners, no matter how long they’ve been away. The rest of her day consists of her taking a shower, going through a bunch of outfits before finally picking one out, taking her dog on a walk (this is where the dog shit bit comes in, but I’m not going to spoil the context) and finally stopping to get some liquor. The art is gorgeous throughout and Tara really nails the most important aspect of a silent comic: emotive facial expressions. This is fantastic tale of a day in the life, warts and all.
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Posted by Kevin
“Update” for 3/30/16
March 30, 2016OK, so clearly my job got a little crazy over the last few weeks and I haven’t been able to post any reviews. My apologies, and the next few weeks should see things getting back to normal (i.e. me posting 2-4 reviews a week, let’s be honest). But just in case you haven’t heard, SPACE in Columbus Ohio is back to being in April this year, specifically April 9th and 10th. If you’re remotely within driving distance, you should stop by! All kinds of great comics people will be selling their stuff.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/9/16
March 9, 2016New review today for Future Shock #0, an anthology edited by Josh Burggraf and featuring all kinds of artists you know and love. And if you don’t already know and love them, expand your horizons!
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Posted by Kevin
Various Artists – Future Shock #0
March 9, 2016
Before I get into any of the content, I just want to point out that this is one of the most beautifully colored books that I’ve ever seen. Granted, a lot of small press anthologies are in black and white, but every story in this collection is colored beautifully, up to and including the collages by Josh Burggraf. So hey, what about the content? This is a collection of science fiction stories on a variety of different themes. Some (but by no means all) of my favorites included Vincent Giard’s tale on perspective in movement and meaning, Jason Murphy’s conceptual struggle, Lala Albert’s piece on mutations caused by a certain type of water and what people do with said mutations, a lengthy wordless piece by Alex Degen about virtual reality and the consequences of dreaming, William Cardini’s depiction of the death of a planet and the aftermath, Pat Aulisio playing around in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with mad dogs and killer lizards, Aleks Sennwald and Pete Toms showing the lingering effect of ads on the environment (even long after humanity is gone), and Anuj Shreshta’s story on the increasing ease of blocking out all bad thoughts and opinions and the consequences of those actions. Aside from being just damned pretty, this is also one of the more thoughtful science fiction comics I’ve read in ages. The last two stories I mentioned alone had several comments and images in each of them that made me stop and think or examine an assumption I’d had from a different angle, which is always welcome. No anthology is ever going to be perfect for everybody, but if you can’t find several stories in here to love then maybe the fault is on your end. $18
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 3/7/16
March 7, 2016Sorry about the gap in reviews, but they’ll be sporadic for the next few weeks, what with the election in Ohio and all. Yes, that is exactly like the review posting schedule for roughly the last few years, so there’s no point in mentioning it, but I just did anyway. New review today for Run Boys Run by Michiru Morikawa.
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Posted by Kevin
Morikawa, Michiru – Run Boys Run
March 7, 2016
Quick, judge a book by its cover. Put together what you think this book is about in your head based on that cover before I say anything about it. Ready? This is a comic about three friends who run to and from school every day. One is a cyborg of some indeterminate origin, one is the displaced prince of a strange realm who can also transform into a giant wolf, and one is the magical descendant of a powerful witch who is also bad at running. Right around what you had in your head, right? Michiru does a fantastic job of setting these characters up right away, then delves more into their origins and how they met with shorter stories later in the comic. To start things off we get the explanation of why these kids never ride the bus (although their classmates remain in the dark): because they’re hunting shadow monsters. That the wolf prince can detect by smell, so he’s the one leading them around. That’s the only area where I wish I had gotten more information out of this comic, as I don’t get the motivation for the monsters or what their overall deal is. Then again, it’s perfectly acceptable for the motivation of a monster to be “being a monster,” so maybe I’m overthinking things here. A confrontation is had with this monster, battle ensues, and we get to see how all three of them handle themselves in a crisis situation. And like I said at the top, there’s a lot more to this comic than one measly monster fight, as we even get detailed bios for some of the side characters, which implies to me that there’s more coming with this crew/artist. Here’s hoping, as that was an intriguing first issue and I’d like to see more. If this is all there is ever, well, it is self-contained, so no worries about a lingering cliffhanger or anything like that. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/29/16
February 29, 2016Happy Leap Day! Is that a thing to celebrate? Eh, we can figure it out in 2020. New review today for Mixmen Hyperworld #1 by Bob McHenry, Alister Blackthorn and Molly McHenry.
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Posted by Kevin
McHenry, Bob; Blackthorn, Alister; McHenry, Molly – Mixmen Hyperworld #1
February 29, 2016
Mixmen Hyperworld #1
I should make one thing clear early on in this review: this comic series is more or less intended to be an origin story of sorts for characters and settings that are going to be used in a tabletop game that the creators of this comic is putting together. I’m still going to judge the comic on its merits, but it should be noted that the people responsible for this have big plans and show every sign of having their act together enough to make this happen. That being said, this is a #1 of a series and there’s still no #2 listed on the website. Let’s just say that I’ve learned to take this sort of thing with a grain of salt over the years until I see tangible proof that things are progressing. Anyway! This is the story of a planet that was terraformed (for lack of a better word; giant aliens put this planet together seemingly from scratch) for the purpose of being used as a prison planet. There were three zones and one warden (i.e. character with super powers) was put in charge of each zone. As time went on the population exploded, necessitating several more wardens, and after many years pass the place seems to be clearly broken down into three groups: the dominant group, the “police,” and the scholars. All this information is neatly laid out before we meet the hero of the story, or at least our introduction to this world: Takota, a “recycled” former warden. We also get to see him trying to figure out his powers, which was handled about as well as I’ve seen in comics. The guy was delightfully out of his league in testing his limits and it was nice to see our hero being fallible right off the bat. Yes, I may have seen one too many “instant savior” science fiction movies over the years. I still have lots of questions after reading this, but the creators seem very aware of potential questions and sure seem like they know what they’re doing. I’m hoping for the best, as this series intrigues me, but one issue isn’t really enough to judge a series one way or the other. I think it’s worth a look, although $7.50 for a comic seems a little expensive to me. At least you can get it for $5 from a convention, so try to find them there.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/24/16
February 24, 2016New review today for Men’s Feelings #2 by Ted May, just in case you were wandering around in your daily lives without knowing that Ted May had a new comic out.
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Posted by Kevin
May, Ted – Men’s Feelings #2
February 24, 2016
Men’s Feelings
Ha! I just started writing the review for this issue, checked back to my website to make sure I had already reviewed the first issue (yes, I do sometimes use my own website as a resource), and realized that I had started writing the review exactly the same way that I started writing that review. I wonder how often that happens? Never mind, I don’t want to know. Anyway, this is a new comic by Ted May, which is always a good thing. All of these stories refer back to Men’s Feelings in some way or another, sometimes obliquely, sometimes straight up. Subjects include a man going on a walk with the son of the woman he’s dating and trying to win him over, what goes through your head on a flight in regards to the person sitting next to you, the efficacy of wake-up calls in hotels, a bad pick-up line, the option of going towards the light, technically following mom’s order with eggs, football, and praying. The story of the man trying to connect with the son of his girlfriend was my favorite, mostly because that’s as hilarious of an ending to that scenario as there is in the world. I also laughed several times, which is always welcome in the realm of comic books. It’s a great book, that’s what I’m saying, which you should already know if you’ve read Ted’s other comics. If you haven’t, there’s still time to rectify your terrible error in judgment! $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/23/16
February 23, 2016New review today for 30 Miles of Crazy: Another Round by Karl Christian Krumpholz. Internet connection spotty for no good reason, so here’s hoping all this goes through…
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Posted by Kevin
Krumpholz, Karl Christian – 30 Miles of Crazy: Another Round
February 23, 2016
30 Miles of Crazy: Another Round
If there’s one rule about autobio comics, whether they’re daily strips or regular old comics, that everybody should stick to, it’s this: have something to talk about. That’s it! The “something” could be deeply personal, or absurd, or just observances of the people around you. I’m happy to report that Karl nailed that last one, as this is a collection of stories told (usually) at bars, or at least dealing with drunken people. And, if you’ve ever been to more than a few bars, you know that that is where the best stories often come from. These were originally single page strips that were published on a weekly basis on his website (and he’s still keeping up with them as of late February 2016), so there’s no greater narrative arc here, but who needs it? Some of these stories are funny, some baffling, and some are downright sad. Subjects include the various ways that people get kicked out of bars (as a recurring theme in these strips it’s hilarious), what counts as an ID, eating a sandwich that was left at a bus stop, getting lectured by a bum about forgetting the lesson of Super Size Me, drunken acrobatics, drunkenly hitting on ladies on a bus, picking the appropriate area to vomit in, finding his people at a comic convention, and the troubles with a language barrier while trying to find a little person prostitute. That covers about half the book anyway; the other half is up to you to discover. Unless you just read them all for free at his website, you cheapskate you. Overall this is a fantastic collection of stories and overheard conversations and I defy anybody not to enjoy reading this. As for me, I don’t go to bars much lately, but this comic actually has me missing them, which is no small feat. $15
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/19/16
February 19, 2016New review today for the welcome return of an old favorite: You Can’t Get There From Here #35 by Carrie McNinch. Happy weekend everybody!
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Posted by Kevin
McNinch, Carrie – You Don’t Get There From Here #35
February 19, 2016
You Don’t Get There From Here #35
Hey daily diary comics artists, you think you have it rough? You think it’s tough to stick to a daily drawing schedule? Well, Carrie sprained BOTH of her wrists and still didn’t miss a day. Good luck topping that! Granted, for all I know she went back and finished the strips when she was healed, but I didn’t get that impression while reading the book. She did sometimes go more minimal with her images, but only slightly, and not missing a beat after having that happen is incredibly impressive. If you have no idea what this series is you have some serious catching up to do, as very few small press comics outside of King Cat can boast about getting up to 35 issues in a series. Basically these are diary strips about Carrie, and she’s a master of the format and could teach some young cartoonists a few things. A lot of her strips are regular three panel stories, but when she goes on vacation or has a lot to talk about she seamlessly switches over to using between a few and several pages to cover the events of that day. She even puts the date and the concept of the comic at the start of each issue (this one covers October-December of 2014), so anybody who does stumble across this will know quickly what they’re picking up. Subjects in here include spending time with her cats, babysitting the kids of her friends (I think; the danger of missing a few issues of a daily diary comic is that some of the specifics fly out of my head), taking a trip to Oaxaca (and then reading the Steve Lafler comic set in that area), and dealing with menopause (mostly the hot/cold flashes and what she calls her “menopause belly”). It’s a great comic by a great artist, and if you have any sense you’re already following her series. If not, now’s your chance to get caught up! You can buy most of her books through Spit and a Half (from John Porcellino) or she has plenty of samples up at her website.
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/18/16
February 18, 2016This week got away from me in a hurry, but there’s a new review today for Macro Groan #6 by Sara Lautman. More tomorrow probably!
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Posted by Kevin
Lautman, Sara – Macro Groan #6
February 18, 2016
Macro Groan #6
Right off the bat, I have to commend Sara on her use of panels. Yeah, that’s not something I usually notice/make note of, but her characters (and words) flit in and out of them so regularly that it’s impossible not to notice. You could say that they’re just the usual rushed strip comics, and the mess with the panels is actually sloppiness, but I don’t think that’s the case. What it actually means I’ll leave to the fine folks at The Comics Journal or some other suitably erudite operation, but I liked the effect that it had on her strips. On the other hand, some of these strips come from sources that don’t come across very well in a comic form (usually lined graph paper or sometimes maybe just bad copies), but that’s an occupational hazard whenever you make mini comics. Enough about the margins, how about the content? These are mostly single page strips about Sara’s life and whatever is going through her head at the time. This book covers the end of her 20’s, to give you some idea of where her head is at, but subjects include how The Simpsons never fails to center her (I can relate there), how Portlandia is barely even satire, shouting “buffet style!” everywhere she goes, enjoying being an adult on Halloween (and not enjoying the day after), the embarrassment of giant yogurt containers, swimming, bonding with her plants, and incest. And that’s just (roughly) the first half of the book! It’s a solid collection of strips, and since this is #6 it’s clearly something that she’s been doing for awhile. My only remotely negative comment would be that a few of the strips get awfully dark (literally, not in terms of subject matter), but it was very few strips and I could still read them all. Overall I’d recommend this highly to whoever still loves mini comics out there. $5
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Posted by Kevin
Update for 2/12/16
February 12, 2016New review today for Nothing Whatsoever All Out In The Open by Akino Kondoh. Happy weekend everybody, if you’re near Ohio it looks like a good weekend to not leave the house at all. Unless you like freezing!
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Posted by Kevin
Kondoh, Akino – Nothing Whatsoever All Out In The Open
February 12, 2016
Nothing Whatsoever All Out In The Open
Ah right, this is the part where I have to boil this comic down for you. I was sitting here and absorbing what I read when I remembered that that won’t be enough for a review. The theme of this comic seems to be the moments when you’re almost out of reach of a feeling or event, but still consciously aware that it might be a real thing. Too vague? OK, how about “stories about surreal happenings that are more real to the person that what is actually happening around them”? That’s closer, maybe. Anyway, this one contains three stories, and after the first one you have to flip the book over and read the remaining stories like manga (i.e. right to left). First up is Metamorfosa, in which we see a young woman cleaning her apartment for a date. While she’s doing this something hard and round falls from her eye, which leads to her entering this thing with her mind, leading to some problems with reality when her date shows up. I probably missed some of the nuance from the other stories because my American brain isn’t trained to handle reading right to left (either that or the sideways text blocks threw me off), but other stories include this young woman interacting with her child and an enticing black hole, and a feeling she has right before sleep that someone is trying to drag her away. This someone starts off as a child and becomes more menacing as the story goes on, but I won’t ruin the ending for you. After reading these stories I’m mostly left with a vague sense of unease, that I’m missing things out of the corner of my eye while I’m concentrating on writing this. After all, for all I know there’s somebody behind me too, waiting for me to drift off just a little bit so they too can drag me away into a cabinet. In other words, read this and enjoy! $6
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Posted by Kevin
