New review today for The Portable Not My Small Diary, edited by Delaine Derry Green and featuring literally every mini comics person you’ve ever heard of. Go on, look through that list, see if you think I’m lying.
Derry Green, Delaine (editor) – The Portable Not My Small Diary
January 14, 2016
The Portable Not My Small Diary
Hey kids, or anybody who has started reading comics in the last few years? Are you interested in the history of mini comics, why they’re such a source of passion for so many people? Well, maybe not in numbers, but in level of interest and dedication in following certain artists? Your answer is this volume. If you have no interest in the history, away with you! This one can be for the old timers. This is a collection of the best of the “Not My Small Diary” anthology, and if you read small press comics in the 90’s and 00’s, you will recognize plenty of these names. In fact, good luck not getting lost in a Google hole or trying to figure out what so many of these people are up to these days. Notable names include (but are not limited to) Jeff Zenick, Dan Zettwoch, Patrick Dean, Raina Telgemeier, Jesse Reklaw, Carrie McNinch, Sam Spina, Roberta Gregory, Kurt Wolfgang… you know what, there are just too damned many names, and they’re all in the tags, so check that part out. If any of those names made you say “hey, I wonder what they’re up to these days” then this book is for you. These are mostly snippets of stories, but they’re all complete by themselves. Sometimes the stories follow a theme, like notable dates or moments in their lives, but really they’re all over the place. If it seems like I’m avoiding getting into specifics, that is entirely the case. If you were around for all these artists when they first started, you’re going to get lost in this instantly. If not, this is an excellent way for you to figure out what the big deal was about these people all along. I guess it’s possible that it’s the nostalgia talking and that people might not connect to these stories now, but screw that. These are tales of human weakness (and occasionally triumph), and those stories are universal and timeless. Most of the original issues of this series are out of print, so this is your best option all around. The book itself is $7.50 if you see Delaine at a convention, but if not $10 should be enough to cover the shipping, and I really can’t recommend this enough. It’s rare for any anthology not to have a weak story or two, but these are all golden.
Leave a Comment » | 
Reviews | Tagged: Adam Pasion, Alec Longstreth, Alixopulos, Allen Salyer, Andi Watson, Andrew Goldfarb, Andrew Lorenzi, Androo Robertson, Ayun Halliday, Ben Snakepit, Bobby Tran Dale, Brad Dale, Brad Foster, Brian Buniak, Buzz Buzzizyk, Cara Bean, Carrie McNinch, Chad Woody, Cindy Rehm, Clutch McBastard, Dan Moynihan, Dan Zettwoch, Dave Kiersh, Dave Roman, David St Albans, De Kwok, Delaine Derry Green, Derek Ballard, Donna Barr, Ed Repka, Edward Bolman, Erin Tobey, FC Brandt, Frederick Noland, Hellen Jo, Hilary Barta, Ian Carney, Jeff Zenick, Jeremi Onsmith, Jerry Sims, Jess Smart Smiley, Jesse Reklaw, Jim Siergey, Joe Decie, Joe Marshall, Joel Orff, John Isaacson, John Miller, John Porcellino, Julia Wertz, Kalah Allen, Kelly Froh, Kevin Friend, Kevin Van Hyning, Kurt Wolfgang, Kyle Bravo, Lark Pien, Lee Green, Liz Prince, Lizzee Solomon, Lucy Knisley, Margaret Suggs, MariNaomi, Mark Campos, Max Clotfelter, Mike Tolento, Missy Kulik, Misun Oh, MJ Hammes, Noah Van Sciver, Not My Small Diary, Onsmith, Patrick Dean, Patty Leidy, Peter Conrad, Raina Telgemeier, Ramsey Beyer, Richard Cowdry, Richard Visick, Roberta Gregory, Ryan Holgerson, Sam Spina, Sarah Oleksyk, Scot Baldwin, Scout Finnegan, Shannon Palmer, Shawn Granton, T. Edward Bak, Tim Doyle, Tom Motley | 
Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 1/13/16
January 13, 2016New review today for Electric Transit #3 by Danny Ferbert. More reviews tomorrow, then I’m taking a very long holiday weekend. Just in case you were planning your week around these things, which would be very strange indeed.
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Ferbert, Danny – Electric Transit #3
January 13, 2016
Electric Transit #3
Can you read the title of that comic from the cover or was it just me who was completely unable to make it out? The back of the book mentions the previous volumes, otherwise that title was going to remain a mystery. And I don’t know if the pages were shrunken down from a larger source or if they just came from a terrible copy machine, but there were several places where this was just completely unreadable. It took me back to the days before computer printers or the several other options available for putting out your book. Maybe you’re nostalgic for those days, but I’m not. Wow, look at that pile of negativity to start a review for a book that I didn’t hate! I didn’t love it either, but I get unduly annoyed when the basics aren’t covered, and that’s with me leaving out the spelling errors on the first page. Anyway, there are several smaller stories in here and one larger story. It’s probably my fault that I had a lot of trouble following it, as that’s what happens when you jump into the third book of a series first, but a synopsis somewhere never hurt anybody either. That larger story deals with two people who are hitchhiking their way… somewhere. We learn eventually that they’re going to New York, or at least that’s where they end up at the end of this story. Um, spoiler alert? They met up with some interesting characters along the way, but this was also the section of the book that suffered the most from bad copies/shrunken images. Other stories are usually either a page or less than that, but subjects include being forced to socialize, a new baby, porkratamus, a zombie dog, non-organic chicken and a complete lack of the giant robot that was promised on the cover. Overall I’d put this one in the “so-so” category, although it probably would have been upgraded if I could have read the whole thing. Here’s to #4 being more legible!
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Danny Ferbert, Electric Transit | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 1/11/16
January 11, 2016New review today for Revolt to What? by Daniel Landes & Karl Christian Krumpholz. Once again, the call is out for review comics, if you have any you’d like to get the tiniest bit more attention.
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Landes, Daniel & Krumpholz, Karl Christian – Revolt to What?
January 11, 2016
Revolt to What?
OK Americans with no interest in history, bear with me on this one. Also please note that I am not assuming that no Americans have an interest in history, and particularly the people who read websites about small presses tend to have more eclectic interests than most. But the dumb American is a valid stereotype. I also know that lots of people from other countries read this website… ah, enough already. Remember when the Czech Republic formed in the early 90’s? I was a young student back then, so I knew the Soviet Union fell apart, but the details were hazy to me. Anyway, even if you did know the history and what came from it, this is still an entirely new perspective. Why? Because it’s based on a conversation set in a bar among a group of dissatisfied former revolutionaries who are more than a little sick about what came next. There’s a fair amount of philosophical chatter, and the question of how things could have turned out perfectly in any case lingers over the whole conversation, but it’s a fascinating chat involving stereotypes, the behavior of the victors, how quickly it all fell apart and the strong, constant state of drunkenness of much of the population, with no hope of any further positive steps. Still, the bar scene covers the gamut; I had no idea that the frat bros type was something that anybody else in the world actually aspired to, although it’s nice to see that it’s mocked universally. It’s a fascinating chat and it makes me wonder what else these two creators can do, so it’s a good thing for me that they were nice enough to send along another book for me to ramble about later. $5
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Daniel Landes, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Revolt to What | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 1/7/16
January 7, 2016New reviews today for Monkey Squad One #14 by Doug Michel and A Story For Desmond by Jason Walz. Also I found out today that there’s an “Optical Sloth” page on Facebook that isn’t done by me, but is instead for a made-up optometrist in Champaign, IL which uses an old address and phone number. Which is just odd. Anybody know how to get in touch with the complaints department in Facebook, annoyed non-user edition?
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Walz, Jason – A Story For Desmond
January 7, 2016
A Story For Desmond
This one says on the back of the comic that it’s “the (sort of) epilogue to the Eisner-nominated graphic novel ‘Homesick,'” so if you haven’t read that yet, maybe do that. Also kudos to the man on the Eisner nomination, as it was very much deserved. I wrote my review for Homesick three years ago, so some of the details are a little hazy to this sad excuse for a memory of mine, but the heart of it stayed with me, and this is a sweet, perfect little epilogue to that story. And, like the best epilogues, the original story still works fine without it, but this unabashedly sweet story is the perfect capper to Homesick. If you haven’t read that, and are stubbornly avoiding it for reasons only you can understand (seriously, you could borrow a copy from most decent libraries, you cheapskate you), this comic still works just fine on its own. The story here is basically Jason trying to calm his very young son down during a crying fit. Nothing he tries is going any good, until Desmond spots a picture of Jason’s mother on the wall, which inspires Jason to tell his young son a story of what his mother left behind for Desmond and how that will help him get through life, all told in a way to appeal to a very young kid. Like I said, this is an excellent final chapter for the original story, optional though it may be. The only even slight issue I have with it is that the cover makes it seem a lot more grim and dour than it actually is (although the back cover of the toy monkey mitigates that quite a bit). Anyway, parents of young kids especially will enjoy this, but it’s really one of those rare “all ages” book that actually can be enjoyed by people of all ages. $5
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: A Story For Desmond, Homesick, Jason Walz | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Michel, Doug – Monkey Squad One #14
January 7, 2016
Monkey Squad One #14
Oh Monkey Squad One, I am clearly going to need to spend an afternoon reading you all in a clump to set everything straight in my head. The series has been getting more, well, serialized as it goes on, with this issue being the second part of a (projected) six part storyline. Various characters are scattered, other fake versions are around, some heroes are underground and robots have taken over St. Louis. Oh, and their occasional Hulk is reluctant to even try to hulk out again. Welcome to the world of Monkey Squad One! Doug does put a synopsis at the start of each comic (and three cheers to him for doing it), but even with that it’s tough to keep track of all of the characters at this point. Anyway, this issue features a few single or even double page spreads, which is going to look fantastic in the completed edition but is a bit maddening when the story is coming is small bits like this. But hey, I can complain about just about anything, so don’t mind me. The story this time mostly deals with the robot invasion and what life is like for the remnants of Monkey Squad One (the ones who aren’t on the planet made up entirely of ladies). And, yeah, that’s most of what I can cover without giving important bits away. I loved the little throwaway gag of one character cheating in a video game while the other character’s back was turned; that doesn’t give anything away! And those full page spreads did have a story purpose, as they showed the vastness of the hideout and some of the things in the hideout, so it’s not like Doug was just killing pages with all that. As has been the case for several issues now, I recommend this series highly, although you’re better off buying a chunk of them. Actually, looking at their website I don’t even see an area to buy comics, but I do see that most of the older comics are available for free by clicking on the cover, so just do that I guess.
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Doug Michel, Monkey Squad One | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 1/6/16
January 6, 2016Well, based on that last update, I’d say things didn’t go as planned around here for the holiday season. Two new reviews to make up for it a bit, with Buffalo: High Hopes & Dead Elm Trees by Caitlin Cass and It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time #1: How to Draw Trevor by Trevor Waurechen. Should be back to normal for a bit, whatever that is around here. Also if you have new comics out this year or coming out soon, send them my way for review! Since it’s an election year there will certainly be gaps in review times, but a goal for the new year is to do more reviews. After all, it’s the 15 year anniversary of the site in August. Yes, kids, some people who had a website 15 years ago are still at it…
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Waurechen, Trevor – It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time #1: How to Draw Trevor
January 6, 2016
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time #1: How to Draw Trevor
Have you ever wanted to draw Trevor Waurechen? Granted, this question is limited to people who know who Trevor is, but bear with me here. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to do that using (mostly) common household items, this is the comic for you. Hey, come to think of it, this is titled “how to draw Trevor” and it actually has nothing to do with actually drawing the man. It just shows you how to put together a rough composite of Trevor using a variety of oddities. False advertising! Anyway, for a comic this tiny it feels like cheating to actually list the items he uses to make a (pretty good, actually) approximation of his face, which doesn’t leave me much to work with as a reviewer. How about the fact that this comic somehow shifted to the bottom of my car and was only recently uncovered during a rare (obviously) cleaning of said car, making this comic possibly ancient? I know the reviews for the other issues of this series have already been posted. As for the comic itself, it’s funny and worth it for that last page alone. No price listed, but I’m guessing a buck or two.
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, Trevor Waurechen | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Cass, Caitlin – Buffalo: High Hopes & Dead Elm Trees
January 6, 2016
Buffalo: High Hopes & Dead Elm Trees
Three cheers for Caitlin, who I hope later makes a pile of money by getting these educational but still thoroughly entertaining comics into the school system somehow. This is the rough, stupid history of Buffalo which, come to think of it, is probably why it will never be taught in schools. It’s too grim for the kiddies to learn how stupid and shortsighted the designers of this city were after cars came along. To make a long story short, some dummy came along who didn’t live in Buffalo and then redesigned it around the cars, taking out most of the elm trees (one of the main claims to fame for Buffalo before that) and eventually taking out most of the houses around downtown. And then wondering why people were no longer walking to shops. The elm trees get their revenge later, sort of, but I’ll leave that for you to discover. She also goes into detail about President McKinley and his unfortunate visit to Buffalo, where he was assassinated. What I didn’t know about that assassination was that he was there for a fair, and after he was killed the enthusiasm for the fair had understandably dimmed. And that the financing for the fair was tied up pretty strongly in the future of Buffalo. Anyway, yeah, that’s a lot for a tiny comic to unpack, but she does a fantastic job of it. If you’re curious about the specifics of the printing, this is a fairly basic (but full color) mini comic, with a fold-out insert included. One side of it details the history of the elm trees, the other shows Mckinley’s assassination and the local aftermath. If you want to put both of them up on your wall, you’ll need to get two copies!
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Buffalo, Caitlin Cass, High Hopes & Dead Elm Trees | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 12/18/15
December 18, 2015New reviews today for Pyramid Scheme #2 by Josh Burggraf & Victor Kerlow and Kuzu by Mitzi Akaha. Probably a short week of reviews next week with the holidays and all, so happy weekend everybody!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Akaha, Mitzi – Kuzu
December 18, 2015
Where does all the bird crap go? That’s right, this week I’m apparently fixated on starting reviews with hypothetical questions. Most of it is washed away by rain, but what about all the places with minimal rainfall, or places like California that have been in a drought for years? I have no idea what happens in the real world and am frightened of the Google search that would answer that question for me, but in this comic, on a tiny island called Bomei, a man called Card Keeler deals with all of the bird shit. That involves cleaning it up, sure, but there’s also a lot of city planning that goes into where and how often birds shit on things, like gutter placement and the slope of roofs. Card liked his life, and he eventually met a woman on a boat ride that he later married. Their life was good; he did his thing and she was happy to stay at home. At first, anyway. She was reluctant to tell her friends what her husband did (it is a ridiculous job to say out loud) and he was out a lot, so they naturally started to drift apart. And that’s when a giant storm hit their island, bringing with it the mysterious vine that you see on the cover, which changed everything. Yep, that’s as far as I go in recapping the story, but I have to imagine that’s plenty. It’s a nicely understated tale of how the little things get in the way of a good life, how other little things can crop up to change things again, and how shouting into the void can cement a marriage. $5
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Kuzu, Mitzi Akaha | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Burggraf, Josh & Kerlow, Victor – Pyramid Scheme #2
December 18, 2015
Nude beach! Have you ever wanted to watch a talking dog, a golem (or maybe a Cyclops; the back of the book calls him Robot) and Kid Space Heater (who is able to cook hot dogs or play music) frolic about the beach, all seemingly indifferent to the seas of nudity surrounding them? If so, you’re in luck! Everybody has some fun, which seems to be the entire point of this comic. If that’s not enough of a comic for you, or if you’re looking for more substance, I guess the meaning of life was not uncovered in this comic. But there was hijinx, and dancing, and a very short fight. I’m fine with calling that a successful comic and had a blast reading it. Talking about it, on the other hand, is impossible much past this point, so… enjoy! Or don’t, I’m not the boss of you. But I have a hard time imagining somebody reading this without enjoying it.
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Josh Burggraf, Pyramid Scheme, Victor Kerlow | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 12/16/15
December 16, 2015New reviews today for Supercar #1 by Brandon Berry and Butter and Blood by Steven Weissman. Double reviews for the rest of the week if all goes well, and this thing about not starting reviews until Wednesday is not a habit I plan on sticking with. In case anybody was curious!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Berry, Brandon – Supercar #1
December 16, 2015
Supercar #1
OK, this comic looks gorgeous. That loopy art style, the shifting angles, the attention to little details on the characters, all damned solid. I want to emphasize that up front, because this comic really does have enough to get by on looks alone. As far the story goes, however, you really don’t get much more in this issue than you see in the title. It would make a great first chapter of a longer story (and I’m assuming that’s the plan), but as a stand-alone story there’s just not a whole lot of meat to this. The story here is about our hero as he gets a new upgrade for his vehicle. From there we see him speeding away, then we see him catch the attention of the local law enforcement. And that’s it, really. This would make a ridiculously compelling cartoon, and may very well make up a genuinely great graphic novel down the line, but as a single issue it doesn’t add up to a whole bunch. That little bit of negativity aside, I do still recommend that people buy this comic. Sounds crazy, right? But if people don’t support stories like this when they’re getting started, sometimes the creator thinks there’s no interest, and this joins the endless piles of comics series that starts and stops at #1. Don’t let that happen with Supercar!
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Brandon Berry, Supercar | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Weissman, Steven – Butter and Blood
December 16, 2015
Full disclosure time: there are comics where I feel like I have no business talking about them. Mostly from people like Eddie Campbell, Dan Clowes, Chester Brown, or the Hernandez Brothers, people who influenced my comic tastes so completely that it feels silly to even pretend that I have anything of value to add to the conversation. Then again, if I start thinking of reviewing comics in those terms I’m doomed, so it’s best to ignore that impulse. Still, Steve Weissman is not far removed from that list, with his L’il Tykes books being read to pieces (literally, in one case) by me and various friends back in the 90’s when they came out. I’d kept track of his work in fits and starts, but Butter and Blood has made finding out what happened in those missing years an instant priority. This is a collection of short stories and also a bit of a sketchbook, but the single page images here are past the level you find in lots of sketchbook comics, so maybe it would make more sense to call them “uncategorized.” Sounds gross, but also more accurate than sketchbook. Anyway, his style has changed over the years, but there’s still lots of little things tying him to his roots. Lots fewer little kids running around and more adults (and assorted odd creatures), but there are still some kids, mostly in his “trading card” pages. I could do the whole review on those pages alone, but it’s best for you if they stay a mystery, so I’ll just say that they’re single pages with nine images of cats in clothing, or babies, or a cat and a rat becoming friends, or a baseball team made up of snacks found at a ballpark, and I already feel like I’ve given too much of the mystery away. Stories in here are all over the place, but some subjects include a haunting lightning storm/frightened horse beatdown, a recurring gag of Slash and some other members of Guns and Roses working at a diner, the rabbits from Watership Down all grown up and wearing clothes, the embarrassing origin story of Eagle Man and Hatboy, and a literal condiment fight. If you’ve read any of Steven’s other comics over the years, you are in for a real treat here. If you’ve somehow made it this far into your life without ever hearing of the man, maybe start with Champs first or one of his more linear comics/collections, but really this would be a fine introduction to his work too. $13
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Butter and Blood, Steven Weissman | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Update for 12/11/15
December 11, 2015New reviews today for Legion of Peace House by Luke Herr & Joseph Tenney and Ninja Bunny Assassin #1 by Lorenzo Ross. Yep, finally got back to the forsaken SPACE pile, and I’m hoping to clear that out next week. Unless work goes nuts again. Hey, I work for the local Board of Elections, things are bound to get crazy soon. Happy weekend everybody!
Leave a Comment » | Site News | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
Ross, Lorenzo – Ninja Bunny Assassin #1
December 11, 2015
Ninja Bunny Assassin #1
You know what’s instantly odd about this comic? The writer and artist (if they’re even different people) are nowhere to be found. I’m sure there will be something on the website, but for a comic that’s this professionally put together, that is just strange. But hey, it’s only weirdos like me who care about things like that, so how about the quality of the actual comic? It’s good, mostly. It depends entirely on your tastes. See that title? Yeah, that gives you the gist of it for sure. This comic is about a ninja bunny assassin who goes around fighting other ninjas (and sometimes regular people). He meets another lady who helps him, and she leads him to a sensei he already knew and their hideout. From there it looks like they’re going to set up shop to fight crime, but the specifics are still a bit vague. That might have something to do with the fact that this comes from a web comic that was apparently put out page by page, so telling a long term story maybe wasn’t the highest priority. Following the action was also sometimes difficult, which is crucial in a book with this much fighting. There was an early scene where a big bad guy apparently got cut around the eyes, or possibly had something thrown in his eyes, but the previous panel just had him fighting the bunny with no indication of a sword going anywhere near him. Still, if you enjoy ninja fights mixed in with a healthy dose of slapstick, you could do a lot worse than this. If you don’t like those things, like I said, there are an awful lot of other comics out there for you to choose from.$6
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Lorenzo Ross, Ninja Bunny Assassin | Permalink
Posted by Kevin
