April 27, 2010
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Bullies and My Bike
Here’s a collection of bullies and all the ways that they destroyed various bikes of Mark Todd, set in poetic verse. This is probably going to be something that resonates with a lot of people, although I mostly managed to avoid this part of growing up. That cover didn’t come through as well on the scanner as it could have, but it looks great. Anyway, five bikes in here, or maybe it’s just five different bullies, or maybe both, who knows? Good stuff, but a very quick read. Contact info is up there, $2!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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The Pain Tree
“Angst-ridden” indeed. This is a collection of poems from teenagers, only one of them being Mark, about how bad everything is in the world and how man is destroying things. Which would be kind of dull after a while, frankly, without Mark’s drawing to liven things up a bit. Poems in here are about television, rain, pain, a polluted river, a fool, a mistake, and a savage beating, among other things. It’s worth the price just to see Mark’s interpretations, and there are some OK poems in here too, if that’s your thing. It’s $2, contact info is up there!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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Things I Grew Up With in Vegas
Well, this might be the first comic I’ve ever seen where the title is longer than the actual comic. This is very very short, and the cover sample is only slightly longer than the actual cover. Like the title suggests this is a list of a few things he had growing up in Vegas. A fairly neat book, with some color on the inside. The problem is that there’s not much of a comic here, obviously, and if it’s too expensive you might not want it. If it’s cheap though, go for it. Contact info is up there, you should start with his book at the top and work your way down if you want to see what the man can do…
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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35
So let’s say that you see a comic, with drawings of 35 different plants, with either a word of a phrase under each drawing that seems to be just the first thing Mark thought of when he saw said plant. Exactly how is the average reviewed supposed to comment on something like that? It was kind of interesting, I guess, but there’s nothing here remotely resembling a story, and that’s the kind of thing that I’m usually shooting for. Still, if you like plants, you could do worse than to check this out. It’s not actively bad or anything, it’s just hard for me to get too interested in this one way or the other. Contact info up there, $4!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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Troy #2
I’m guessing this “#2” business just means that it’s the second in an ongoing series of profiles of people that Mark has known in his life, and I may even be right, but who knows? More importantly, who cares? This one is about Troy, a young metalhead Mark knew as a kid who loved to shoot things, drive erratically and play pranks on whoever they could find. Everybody knew somebody like Troy growing up (hell, I have a cousin Troy who bears more than a superficial resemblance to the guy portrayed here), or at least you probably did if you grew up in a small town. So, for everybody who fits that description, this comic is going to feel like a trip down memory lane. For everybody else, it’s the fascinating story of somebody who’s not quite a loser, but also still pretty far from being one of the “cool kids”. Great stuff, as has been everything I’ve seen from Mark so far. It’s… oh, let’s say $2, and contact info is up there. He has piles of stuff that you can order, just piles!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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Malcolm #3
This comic is about Mark’s Dad and a variety of stories about him and his (Mark’s, mostly) family life. Stories in here include a fugitive hamster, suntan lotion in the eyeball, a u-turn on the freeway, a pus-filled welt, Rod Stewart, a dead parrot, being drunk with the wrong socks, Dean Martin and Bob the Slob. Interesting stuff, and I’m happy to see that there’s 2 other issues of this floating around at least. I’ve been nothing but impressed with this guy so far, and he sent me a pile of comics, so I should have an ample opportunity to check out a whole smorgasboard of his stuff. Contact info up there, or here, an e-mail!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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The Incredible F-Man! #1
One of the best superhero comics I’ve ever seen! Not to spoil my review in the first sentence, but there you go. For one thing, my god, that costume… he’s literally wearing underwear outside of his costume, has blocky knee-pads, flippers on his hands and feet, and a lazy eye. Can you come up with a better superhero? I didn’t think so. In this issue F-Man foils an evil plot that involves his double, saves Dionne Warwick and beats up a lot of people who never see him coming. Also, the sound effect “Smoosh” to indicate flying is nothing short of brilliant. I haven’t even mentioned the dialogue yet, mostly because I feel like I should leave something out of this wonderful thing to be discovered by you guys, who are going to buy a copy of this ($2) right now. No website or e-mail address that I can see, which is a shame, but here’s his contact info: 325 N. Adams St. Sierra Madre, CA 91024, phone number: (626) 836-2210. Wah!
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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Flip-Tard (with Esther Pearl Watson) Now Available! $6
Have you ever wanted to see Skeletor wearing a bikini? Or perhaps Michael Jackson with a robot body? Your dream has come true. Here’s the basic premise of this book: there are four panels on each “page”, cut separately. There’s artwork on the front and back of each panel, with all sorts of different people, animals and things involved. It goes about the way you would expect, with a head up top, a torso below that, legs below that, and ending with some variation of feet. And yes, there’s even text here and there, just in case you need that for this to qualify as a “comic”. This either sounds like a blast to you or it doesn’t, probably depending on your opinion of the previous work of Mark and Esther, but I liked it. It’s on that short list of comics that would be good to have hanging around your apartment if you were hosting a party, as drunks could have hours of fun with this thing. $6
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Posted by Kevin
April 27, 2010
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Comic Characters! Now Available! $5
Were you (or are you, I suppose) one of those kids who made up their own cast of heroes and villains while in school? Usually it would happen in lulls in class while you were supposed to be doing something else, or at least that’s how it worked for me and my friends in school. Chances are those notebooks are now long gone, but lucky for you Mark Todd seems to have not thrown anything away from when he was a kid. This is a fat book of poorly drawn oddballs, with a few thrown in here and there that still manage to be awesome. Giraffey, Splopy, Wobbler, Trylox and Sloth are some of the many highlights, but the stats accompanying all the characters are the real prize. Who are their friends and enemies? What are their special powers? How about their overall rating and strength level? If you’re looking for a coherent story, obviously this isn’t the place to go. If you’re looking to kick back with a bit of nostalgia and/or have kids, this book is a blast. $5
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Posted by Kevin
