Blog Archives

Website

Eyeland #10

I’m breaking one of my usual “rules” to review #10 long before I review #3-9. Why would I do such a thing? Well, Eyeland isn’t (at least so far) a linear story, and I needed some help in deciding whether or not to go back and review the rest of the series. So after reading the latest issue, my conclusion is… yeah, maybe, if I have time! Riveting stuff, I know. So what’s this comic about? Nick was going through a move in New York while he was trying to put this issue together, which was going to make sticking to his monthly schedule difficult, to say the least. So he pulled together various sketchbook pages and stories about his experiences together to meet his deadline. I’m always and forever impressed with anybody who keeps up a monthly schedule (Dave Sim, for all of his MANY other faults, kept it up for decades, which actually may not be the best endorsement for the schedule considering what happened to his brain, so never mind), but it looks like he’s dialed it back a bit since, as there’s only one new issue out so far in 2023. My mind is clearly all over the place for this one, so let’s finally just get to the comic, shall we? There are several short pieces (anywhere from a panel to a couple of pages) about every aspect of moving, and since we’ve all been there to some degree, there’s some relatable and funny stuff in here. Also he said he’s moved 30 times in New York City, which maybe earns this man some sort of medal? He also talks about finally giving up coffee, giving up on screens for books, and finally ends up with a piece about how he’s done standing in his own way and is going to “take the path of liberation for all beings.” But a lot more complicated and nuanced than that, as I’m trying to summarize rather than plagiarize. It’s probably required reading if you’re ever planning on moving to New York, and even if you’re not there’s still plenty to like in here, as always. Aw, what the heck. I’ll review #3 in a few weeks and see where that takes me. $5

Website

Eyeland #2

I have got to find a way to review comics more quickly. Looking around the internet doesn’t reveal any available copies of this issue, and Nick himself doesn’t have anything available until #5. But what am I supposed to do, NOT read these in numerical order? Madness. So far in these Eyeland comics the title on the cover is a pretty big hint: the first issue was mostly funny, this issue is mostly introspective. Things start off with a fascinating color strip on the inside cover questioning what exactly moves people to make decisions. Experience, gut, or something yet undiscovered? Now that the possibility has been brought up, you’re thinking about it too, right? If that intrigues you, get ready for an issue of existential questions. From there we get a strip on the absurdities of modern life (with a special emphasis on doom rectangles) and a series of three panel strips on the basis of reality. The rest of the comic is presented as single or double page stories, but it’s really one continuing narrative about our hero wondering about how not doing anything frees him from having anything by which to judge his self worth, finding a way to accept himself, and building his own work on the work of others to make something new. Am I missing a meaning somewhere, or misinterpreting something? There’s a solid chance, as I find myself becoming less and less introspective as I get older. Which is maybe a bad sign, but it’s not the issue at hand. The rest of the issue depicts his philosophical journey as a physical trip, which does involve an actual wizard and ends with an extremely disquieting finale. I’m enjoying these comics, and I saw on his website that he made 10 of these issues in 2022, which is incredibly impressive. Give it a shot, and with these two issues you have a stark choice to make: do you want funny, or do you want philosophical? Keep in mind that neither issue is 100% of one or the other…

Website (Instagram)

Eyeland #1

Quick, how much do you relate to the sample strip? Just checking to see how much we have in common, and I’m asking as somebody who’s been known to toss my phone across the room rather than stop reading (onto a bed or pile of clothes; it’s not like I’m made of money). This is a collection of strips that are mostly about Nick (as portrayed by a giant eyeball), and it looks like he both has plans to do this monthly and, if his Instagram page is correct, is already up to #6. Which is amazing, if that’s true; for all I know they’re just prospective issue covers. Anyway! The first strip is a full page recap of the first few months of 2020. Awful as that year was, even I had forgotten some of the horrors he mentions here. The strip also just kind of… ends, which was odd, but it was still terrifying/funny. There’s a lot of covid stuff in here, rightfully so, and it appears to be broken down into daily three panel strips and weekly (maybe?) full page strips. I do wish that he’d listed the dates on all the strips, but I’m a weirdo like that and doubt that anybody else would notice. It mostly stood out because the two strips where he went to heaven were interrupted by a full page strip about a different subject entirely. Other subjects include life in New York, his art, maybe starting a business and, like I said, a whole lot of covid. There’s plenty of insightful and/or funny stuff in here, although I worry about keeping up this pace on a monthly basis. Then again, he’s maybe banked a lot of strips already, so I should step back and let the man do his thing. Give it a shot, unless you’re really freaked out by a giant eyeball with a human body. $5