Well well well, looks like we got us an old fashioned anthology comic! With no obvious website to be found or easy way to purchase it either. Still, what am I supposed to do, NOT talk about it? I’m going with the theory that the links provided will be more active soon. There are a few different stories in here, as “anthology” implies, and the names are linked in the tags if you’re curious. If you want more details, first up is a Steve Willis story about the wonders of a food dish from the perspective of a cat, followed by a story (illustrated by Charles Brubaker) showing how a man in a giant cat costume responds to being challenged by three talking dogs. No, the “talking” part never seems to bother him, but the guy was being threatened, so maybe he was a bit distracted. Next is a story (illustrated by Bob Richart) about a very protective elf who guards the secrets of a statue, and does so by transforming the noses of anybody who asks. These noses also apparently grow into a second body coming from the person’s head, which could have been played for horror but was instead more about the farting ability of the new body. In an anthology like this one, that was clearly the right way to go. Next (with Jack Lattemann) is a story about the journey of artwork through the mail service, which anybody who uses the post office can sadly relate to. The last story in the comic (with Buzz Buzzizyk), is more of a musical piece, and in keeping with my habits I’ll leave that one up to the reader. Finally on the back cover there’s the story of a perplexed wizard, with an anonymous artist so I can’t say much about them. It’s a solid pile of funny stories, and what more can you ask for really? If you can find it, give it a shot why don’t you? No price, but $3 maybe?
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.
Posted by Kevin 
