Optical Sloth

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Veggie Dog Saturn #6

Has anything contributed more to creating small press comic artists than long lines for more established creators at comic conventions? This issue is an origin story of sorts for Jason, as it details his first big comic convention in Chicago, where he was finally able to meet his hero (Bob Burden of “Flaming Carrot” fame). But it was the mini comics of Paul Koob (“Hamster Man”) that seemed to make the biggest impact on his life at the time, and he only happened across that table because the lines for the people that he really wanted to see were too long. Anyway, this comic starts off with Jason tensely waiting out a bomb scare at his place of employment when he was 16. The comics that he wanted to get signed were in the pizza place and, even though nobody thought that the bomb threat was real, he still theoretically risked his life just to grab his comics before they left on the trip to Chicago. Off he went with his older brother and a few of his friends (although the afterword mentions that the contingent that actually went off to Chicago was shrunk for dramatic purposes), and Jason did a really fantastic job of building up Chicago after he had seen it (mostly in the background for Cubs and Bulls games on WGN) for years. The reality matched his dreams, as they had a hotel room on the 30th floor of the convention center and he got a hell of a view of the city. From there he goes on to describe the experience of finally getting to a gigantic comics convention, and there’s no sense of my ruining any of that. It’s a thoroughly engrossing story, one that will no doubt seem familiar to just about anybody reading this review, as most of you must have gone through a similar experience to cross over to the small press stuff. Except for those of you were awesome enough at 11 to start off buying Fantagraphics books, and I honestly think that you people missed out a bit, as it’s hard to value the really great stuff unless you have at least some background in the crap. I was wondering why there aren’t more origin stories out there, but it’s probably very similar for a lot of people. Still, an anthology with this theme would most likely be fascinating. Just saying… $3

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Veggie Dog Saturn #4

I made a conscious decision ages ago not to show wraparound covers (although I’m sure you could find examples of me breaking that “rule”), mostly because it’s a nice reward for the people who actually buy the comic.  Covers like this make that decision seem stupid, as the marching band following that leader is a wonder to behold.  Well, like I said, if you buy it then you get to experience it too!  The last issue of Veggie Dog Saturn was a travelogue/retelling of a crisis, this time around Jason is back to a bunch of shorter pieces.  Either way is fine with me as long as the stories are entertaining, informative or at least embarrassing, and Jason wins on all counts here.  Stories include getting hit with a rock in the head as a kid (and the excessive amount of blood compared to the severity of the wound that followed), a childhood lesson in using rare spacemen toys as currency and how the market collapsed when his brother got a paper route, a friend he knew as a very small child but lost touch with very early on (possibly due to a racist bank/doll in his house, something that his mother kept around not even knowing it was racist), pooping in the bathtub, and his first experience with a swimsuit magazine.  Oh, and there’s the sampled strip, which I can only hope is completely true.  Jason is also starting up a podcast, because what other medium would such a talented visual artist want to go with?  I’m sure it’s lovely and I’ll check it out soon, but get back to work on the comics!  Issues like this are a vivid reminder of what a talented artist the guy is, and also a reminder that when I rule the world I’ll be chaining such people to their drawing desks.  So I guess it’s best that he get this podcast business out of the way now…  $2

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Veggie Dog Saturn #3: Jason’s Quest

There’s one glaring problem with this comic that didn’t occur to me until I had finished reading it and was scanning the cover for this review: what exactly is Jason’s Quest?  It would make sense with a different cover, but that one makes it look like he’s desperately searching for either love or sex, and this book doesn’t seem to have anything of the sort.  This comic begins with Jason, about to “celebrate” his 31st birthday, freaking out about the fact that the degree he was going for was something that would probably end up making his life miserable (looks like some kind of advertising degree, and Google “Bill Hicks Advertising” to get the perfect quote for that (nothing personal to Jason)).  There was also the fact that “all he had to show for it” was a few comics very few people have seen.  Maybe in a calmer moment he saw that the sum of our lives is not just the things we produce and consume but the effect we have on those around us, or maybe he didn’t.  Works for me anyway.  Jason, on the spur of the moment, accepts an invitation from some friends to go bike riding in Toronto after the semester is over, and the rest of the comic deals with Jason’s lost ticket home, a friend who lost a passport, the other people in the hostel, a naked bike ride (consisting mostly of middle-aged people), and all of the calamities that come with being far from home and without a solid home base.  It’s a hefty thing at 30 pages, there’s a suitably bleak ending, and there’s even a more uplifting message on the color strip of the back cover: maybe sometimes you should take some advice from your cat.  That won’t make sense to most of you and that’s fine, but believe me, his ending message is excellent.  I’ve seen plenty of these travel comics in my years of running this website and this is one of the better ones.  There’s a moment when he “figures it all out”, but there’s nothing preachy about it and it’s the kind of quiet conclusion that’s perfect for this story.  Good stuff, that’s what I say.  $3

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Veggie Dog Saturn #2

I’ve read many, many comics over the years, but this one might just win the prize for having the title and cover image have as little as possible to do with the contents. Not that that’s a bad thing, as this is a thoroughly terrific story about Jason’s one and only night as a limo driver, and that does happen to be a great cover, just thought I should point that out. Jason has only ever worked one job in his life, at a comic store (the lucky bastard… or wait, maybe not so much), and when he gets the chance to drive a limo around for a night, well, why not? Things go well for the first half of the night, Jason is having an excellent time, making money, getting paid to do homework, and then decides to end the night at a Steak and Shake. This leads to a group of teenagers offering him money to drive them around for a few hours, and what could possibly go wrong with that? It’s impressive that it works as a heartwarming little tale about kids scrounging enough money together for a prom limo AND as a rowdy misadventure involving a group of assholes. Most comics would go with one or the other, but Jason takes the whole mini and really makes it work. I know, in this modern age, that people may not like not having an e-mail address to click on, but he has a few other quality books available too, you know. Send a few bucks in the mail, the old fashioned way, and get some decent comics. $2

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Veggie Dog Saturn #1

Fans of reviews done in chronological order must have a hell of a time with this site.  On this page alone I reviewed #2 first, then another comic, then #1, which made me realize (through matching e-mail addresses) that both Jason Young’s on this site really were the same person.  Any of you antiquated thinkers assuming that reading something top to bottom will make any sense as a whole better find some other website.  So how about this comic?  I’m glad that I read #2 first, as this one was OK, but #2 was where the man had me thoroughly engaged for the whole story.  It’s mostly because of subject matter, as this one is all about Jason getting over a failed relationship and trying to start another one up after months of zero interest.  The end of the relationship seems to be a mutual thing, but unfortunately he had met his ex through a mutual friend, so she remains a part of the picture.  As for his new love interest, it turns out that she has an excellent reason to not want to be dating him, but it takes him quite a while to find that reason out.  Jason could have used a bigger comic here, frankly, as this is the sort of story that cries out for a range of facial expressions.  He chose story over expressiveness, so while the backgrounds and people still look great, it’s damned near impossible to read faces.  An odd complaint, granted, but it’s all I have this time around.  It’s a good story, all too familiar to anybody who has had an ex stick around the social group after a breakup and to anybody who ever wanted to start dating again with someone who just wasn’t into them that way.  Oof, what an awkward sentence.  Well, that’s why they pay me the big bucks…  $2