Krumpholz, Karl Christian – In The City #3

January 8, 2025

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In The City #3

Last time around I think I mentioned something about Karl’s comics making me want to grab a few drinks (in the “let’s get together with friends and talk nonsense” way, not the “sadly drinking alone” way). This time around I’d say he’s convinced me to somehow quit my job and go back to being a broke barfly full time. Logistically, this seems tricky! But it never hurts to have goals, right? This is more of Karl and Kelly’s late night tour of the city, with all of the horrors and joys that that entails. Like that sample image below. Would you believe that I picked it for the bottom part of the page, and the fact that that sleeping man had his middle finger up didn’t even register with me until now? Baffling. This time around the happy couple try to get their very drunk friend home safely (and discover a worrying long term problem along the way), end up on the wrong side of a gun (which, believe it or not, has a happy and hilarious ending), run into another friend and end up at a party on the top floor of a tall building where a game of chicken bingo breaks out (go ahead and guess the rules, then read the comic. Were you correct?), and eventually wind up in an excellent spot to see the sunrise. Of course, that’s only the big stuff. The charm of this series, the reason it might be the best thing he’s done (even with the shocking lack of Oola), is in the constant small interactions that make up the evening. I genuinely don’t know if he takes notes as he goes or if what’s depicted as one evening was actually several, but everybody he sees is a potentially completely unique situation, with the constantly increasing booze levels only raising the potential hilarity in each one. And there’s the possibility of danger, which he doesn’t shy away from here, but it helps that between the two of them they seemingly know everybody in town, which makes for a great safety buffer if they’re ever in a spot where they might need it. It’s another great issue and you should buy it. What else needs to be said? $15


Krumpholz, Karl Christian – In The City Part Two

February 23, 2024

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In The City Part Two

As always, it feels like cheating to tell the reader to refer to the previous review in this series, but yeah, do that. Everything I said there remains true, about how Karl is using the comic to show a city, warts and all, as only regulars in that city can see it. Honestly, his books these days make me want to instantly go down to the bar for a few drinks, which is awkward because I’m usually reading his comics in the morning hours. This comic is another glimpse inside of an average day, made all the more complete because he has an excellent ear for dialogue (I’m just assuming that he’s using overheard conversations and not just making all the dialogue up, but most of it sure sounds/looks real) and detail. Things again start off silently for several pages, as we see the routine of Karl and his wife as they get ready to head out on the town. There’s also a brief glimpse of Oola, but she’s not the star of this series, so take what you can get, Oola fans! From there we see some colorful locals, a band advertisement, the route that they walk, and finally a leisurely look at their bus route. An overheard conversation on the bus is the first dialogue we see, followed by the entire experience of eating in a diner. Observations, stories, even a doomed attempt to hit on a sad waitress, it’s all there. After they leave, Chekhov’s Middle Finger (or maybe I’m thinking about the rule about his gun), which was seen earlier, is now used as a weapon, and a depressing argument occurs. The rest of the book is a delightful continuation of an average day spent out in the world, or this city in particular. You know, I’m pretty sure Karl doesn’t say a word in this one, but I could be wrong. You know what kind of mood this comic would be perfect for? If you’re in the mood to go out but either can’t (let’s say it’s snowing) or can’t decide. If it’s the former, you get to live vicariously. If it’s the latter, chances are that it’ll help you decide to get off your ass and head out. For the rest of us, I’ll guarantee you that something in here will remind you of something YOU’VE seen while out and you’ll get a chuckle out of it. $12


Krumpholz, Karl Christian – In the City Part One

November 13, 2023

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In the City Part One

You know how sometimes you’re watching or reading a mystery and the answer makes perfect sense when you hear/read it and you feel a little stupid that it never occurred to you? Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, I was wondering which direction Karl would take after his years of putting out The Lighthouse in the City, which were collections of his regular diary strip, in case you’re new here. After all the stories and talking of that series, he’s moved on to this, which still keeps his love for a big city front and center, but lets the reader take a few steps back to take it all in. If you’ve ever taken a walk through even a mid-sized city (one that’s friendly to pedestrians, obviously) by yourself, and if you managed to do it without listening to podcasts/being so glued to your phone that you’d fall into any open manhole cover in front of you, a lot of this will seem familiar to you. The landmarks, the people (in crowds or alone, drunk or sober), new reactions to familiar sights from others, overheard conversations… it’s a real love letter to the idea of a busy night in a city. His wife joins him halfway through, so the perspective shifts slightly from one of silent observation to taking in familiar sights through a loved one’s eyes; a solitary glove placed on a fence post was noticed by Karl on his silent walk, but it’s given new meaning through her eyes later on. Honestly, it feels like cheating to use one of the few pages with dialogue as the sample image, that’s how contemplative this one feels. I’m not clear on how to actually buy his comics online, short of contacting him directly and asking him, but I think it’s worth reaching out for this one. Unless you’re looking for a big shoot ’em up type comic, in which case this is frankly a poor choice of a website to visit. Check it out, is what I’m saying. $12