Logusch, Fiona – Pretend

April 28, 2010

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Pretend

This is one of those cases where the title sums up the book perfectly. This is all about a young girl going out for a walk and pretending that she’s a mermaid. Not to give anything away, but that should be fairly obvious by the cover. Her mother decides to join her, and most of the book is basically them frolicking. There is a conflict too, but it’s the happy times in this that I like. Fiona has worked with Dave Kiersh and it’s obvious that she’s been influenced a wee bit by his drawing style, as she has similar, meandering backgrounds at times, and I only mean that in the best possible sense. Anyway, I thought it was a great comic and I think she has big things ahead of her, as who on earth could go wrong by being influenced by Dave Kiersh? Is it obvious that I’m just a bit biased? Oh well, I think it’s obvious to any regular readers of this site that some people would literally have to poop on their comic before they sent it to me to get a bad review. I’m guessing, based on the size and the fact that the cover is colored, that this is $3. I could be very wrong, but why not send her an e-mail at fionaoksana@hotmail.com to find out for sure?


English, Austin – Windy Corner Magazine #2

April 23, 2010

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windycorner21

Windy Corner Magazine #2 edited by Austin English Now Available! $10

Why on earth would you put out a magazine like this (as it contains brilliant and vibrant colors throughout) and give it a black and white cover?  Sorry, I just felt the urge to get my one tiny complaint about this issue out of the way early.  This is more of an anthology than a traditional magazine, if that makes any difference to any of you.  There are two pieces here that are full of text, one of which is Austin discussing the art of Lois Lenski at length and the other is an interview between Onsmith (interviewer) and John Hankiewicz (interviewee).  This interview is absolutely priceless, as who in the comics world would you want to see interviewed more than John?  OK, it’s possible that there are people you’d rather read about, but John’s work contains so much in every panel and every issue that it was greatly informative to see him break down what he’s doing (or trying to do, in some cases), how he manages to put that level of detail and crosshatching into every panel and how his creative process has evolved through the years.  Then, of course, there’s the comics.  This begins on the inside front cover with two short pieces by Mollie Goldstrom (contemplative pieces on the outdoors) and quickly moved to three stories by Austin.  There’s a trip to the Planetarium as a child and his innocent and wide-eyed reactions, the second part of a series called Francis (and I really should have read the first issue before this), and the memory of a trip to the movies with his parents as a child.  For anybody who complains about the price of these magazines, and they are a bit steep in these times, the fact that Austin’s work is able to be produced in color because of it is worth the price of admission.  That still leaves two comics: a piece by Fiona Logusch about the entanglements of relationships and how hard it is to get free and an autobiographical piece by Dylan Williams about his mail relationship with Alex Toth, what he learned from him and Dylan’s own progression as an artist through the years.  As a whole it’s damned near flawless, assuming you’re a fan of the people mentioned above, and why on earth wouldn’t you be?  Even if you’re not, picking this up and reading this will make you a fan.  Don’t take my word for it; a glance around this website will show you work from everybody in this issue, then you can make up your own mind.  $10

windycorner22