Lauren Ipsum #32
It’s been a little while since I’ve reviewed a comic from Charles (the pace he puts these things out at puts even Brian Canini to shame, and if I were to review everything he makes this would become a Charles Brubaker exclusive website in a hurry), but I do like to check in occasionally to see how things are going. Big picture: yeah, the guy is still pretty funny, even battering his way past my natural indifference to the four panel gag structure to get a few genuine laughs out of me every time. That’s no small task! Smaller picture, or a review of the actual comic: yep, he’s still getting laughs out of me. I’m genuinely astonished that this is the first issue of Lauren Ipsum I’ve reviewed here, especially since it’s #32 (!!!). I was also curious about how far he’s gotten with his various other series, and was mildly baffled to see that the only books he has listed for sale are his graphic novel collections of these (and other) minis. I’m guessing that you can contact the man and ask for specific issues, but that’s just a guess. This issue has a few stories running through it, all neatly wrapped up by the end. There’s an ongoing (and hilarious) story about a man and his sidekick who go house to house, stealing used books, in one of the more unrealistic get rich quick schemes I’ve ever heard. As a man who just tried to sell two very full paper grocery bags of books/graphic novels and was pleasantly surprised to end up with $60 in trade-in value… let’s just say that it’s a very funny premise for a thief. There are a few assorted strips in the middle dealing with Lauren as an author and her general inability to relax, and the last chunk of the comic deals with Lauren summoning the spirit of Zeus, which gives Charles the opportunity to have a whole lot of fun with Zeus as a sex creep who can’t even help pestering inanimate objects. Some genuinely funny stuff here, even more so if you’re familiar with the myths. So yeah, the man still puts out comics that are well worth checking out. If you’re just a little bit curious I’d suggest checking with him to see if you could get a grab bag of minis, if you’re willing to dive right in maybe start with his Ask a Cat omnibus and go from there? $2 (probably)
Posted by Kevin 
