Monthly Archives: August 2010
Update for 8/31/10
New review for Monstrum Horrendum Volume 2 #2 by Leonie O’Moore, and my worst fundraiser/celebration ever ends today, so if you want that piece of original artwork, you have about 10 hours to order enough comics to get it. Note to self: maybe next time I should mention exactly who produced the original artwork instead of leaving it to the imagination. Oh well…
O’Moore, Leonie – Monstrum Horrendum Volume 2 #2
Monstrum Horrendum Volume 2 #2
Ah, to live in a small press comic book world where every book was as gorgeous as this one. Granted, the $8.65 price might drive some people away, but this is a huge book with a vast array of colors all over the place, and they’re used to illustrate lush landscapes, swaths of ocean and a couple of unexplained monsters. I mostly like the black and white nature of minis, but there are days when I just want to bask in a comic like this. In this issue the crew deals with recently taking over a “haunted” boat, the fact that their financier is broke and the free ride is over, discovers a giant prehistoric shark that seems to have a connection with the mysterious little boy, Ella (the captain) and her feeling that something is wrong with her father, another mysterious monster, and the ex-fiancee of the rival of Chester’s that was killed in the last issue. That’s a pile of stuff to work through, isn’t it? That’s all on top of the fact that Leonie manages to work more character development than should be legal in between all these tense situations. The mystery of that little boy is being opened bit by tiny bit, Chester is being slowly and reluctantly revealed as a human being after all, and even Montague (despite his desperate need for physical proof of these monsters) clearly has his heart in the right place. The basic plot of this issue deals with trying to track down an orca that has been killing people, in case you were curious, but that gets resolved so quickly and in a manner that so effortlessly shifts the story in another direction entirely that it hardly seems worth mentioning.  One minor complaint is the couple of typos in the book, as it makes no sense to me how something that is so clearly dedicated to the best possible artwork could be a little lax in checking the spelling, but at least there aren’t a lot of them. There, I have listed my legally obligated complaint. Everything else about this book is a joy to behold and, seeing as how this book came out in 2009, the next issue must be right around the corner. Right? &8.65
Update for 8/30/10
New review today for Pang the Wandering Shaolin Monk Volume 1: Refuge of the Heart by Ben Costa. If you get in on this now you’ll be able to tell all the cool kids that you knew how great it was way back when!
Costa, Ben – Pang The Wandering Shaolin Monk Volume 1: Refuge of the Heart
Pang The Wandering Shaolin Monk Volume 1: Refuge of the Heart
Finally! Now I can quit the reviewing business. It was all just a cynical ploy for me to get a free copy of a really fantastic hardcover edition about the history of Shaolin monks, so my work here is done. OK fine, I’ll put up a review for this one, but then I am out of here. There are times when it is dangerous to judge a book by its cover, and there are times when it’s a pretty safe bet. This is one of those latter times. If you can look at that cover without being instantly intrigued, I mourn for the lack of kung-fu in your formative years, but you’re probably beyond help at this point. If, however, you see that cover and can’t wait to crack open the book, you’ll be very pleased with what you find inside. This is the story of Pang, one of the last surviving monks from a devastating attack on his monastery who has been charged with keeping some books of shaolin knowledge safe. Pang has reason to believe that he is not the sole survivor, so he has set out to find the remaining shaolin monks. It is a problematic time to be a shaolin monk though (this is set in 1675), so he has to travel under a disguise. Pang settles in with a friendly innkeeper and his attractive daughter, and Pang eventually trusts her enough to tell her the story of what happened to his old temple. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about the story at all, as every last bit of it would be left as a surprise if it was up to me. Then again, if that was the case maybe nobody would give it a chance. OK, how about this: the dialogue had me laughing out loud several times, which is unusual, especially in a book that is about 3/4 serious stuff. Or perhaps you don’t want to give it a chance because Pang looks “too cartoony”. Not that I’ve heard that complaint, but I have heard it for other books. Pang is a bald, fattish monk with a round head, so that’s what he looks like. Detail is not skimped on the rest of the huge cast of characters. What about the history, maybe Ben just made it up as he went along? Nope. There are footnotes all over the place, frank admissions that the history of shaolin monks is largely a matter of guesswork due to events like the attack depicted in this book, a list of books he used for research and a thorough afterward on the story. Actually, that’s my one complaint, although it’s one of those useless complaints that doesn’t have an answer: sometimes the footnotes were distracting, as they were on the bottom of the page and not all clumped together in the back of the book. I’ve probably complained about the bother of having to flip back and forth in other books, but the constant factual information was a little distracting from the story. Yep, that’s my big complaint, which should tell you plenty about the quality of this book. And the fights! They were tense with a feeling of real danger, which is often difficult to pull off in a “named” comic like this (it’s not like you think Batman is ever going to get killed in his comic, although I guess he did recently, but he’s probably back by now, and I’ve gone off on a tangent. Sorry), and the attack at the temple was sheer chaos, but the kind of chaos where you as a reader can somehow keep up with what’s happening. This was altogether quite an achievement, as plenty of things could have gone wrong here but somehow, some way, nothing did. I’m just happy that I got in on the ground floor, and if Ben decides to drop this comic business for greener pastures, he better be practicing on his Iron Crotch technique to guard against some serious kicks…
Update for 8/29/10
New review for Khaki Shorts #24, a Glasgow-based anthology that may or may not be edited by Mark Sampson. Two more days left to order comics and get original artwork, after that I’m burning whatever is left out of spite.
Sampson, Mark (editor) – Khaki Shorts #24
Khaki Shorts #24
First thing first: I have no idea if Mark Sampson is really the editor of this comic. He wrote the intro for the book and introduced everyone, so I’m just assuming here, and am hoping that the fine folks who sent me this comic will be nice enough to correct me if I’m wrong. This is an anthology out of Glasgow, and the fact that it’s up to #26 (I checked the website) is pretty damned impressive. And, apart from the strange obsession with “arse” and “bum” being the apparent pinnacle of humor, there was a pretty funny pile of stories included. Stories in here include a superhero that patrols the red carpet by Rob Miller, Martin and Adam Smith’s piece about two guys stuck out of time that seems to think a giant fart is the funniest thing in the world, Rob Miller with a mostly incomprehensible piece, Rob again sticking it to the man, a story by some guy (this is what happens when you don’t put a table of contents in your book or at least clearly label the creators) about nostalgia and shallowness, another piece by Rob that insists on making the reader wallow in shit, Larned Justin on traveling to Glasgow after being accepted to do a strip for the book, some other guy with a piece on the lion and the crocodile, Rob (who is, at the very least, nice enough to sign his pieces) with a longer story that’s a bit on the incomprehensible side, A.J. Smith with a sad drunken guy (and at least they made note of the fact that this particular strip used up their allotted scatological humor for the year), some other guy with time traveling priests, and Rob again with a brief Star Trek parody. See how much better this might be with a table of contents? I could look up each individual artist, compare styles and try to figure it all out, but it’s not like I’m getting paid for this gig. It still ends up, on balance, being a pile of funny, and I realize that dry descriptions are not the best way to explain comedic tales. The poop humor gets a little old, then tiresome, then annoying, but if you can get past that (or if it’s your thing) then there’s plenty to like about this comic. That price is, I believe, right around $2 in Americaland, which is a steal for this much content.
Update for 8/27/10
New review today for Memory Foam #1 by Toby Jones, and you’re running out of time to get some of this original artwork from my August comics sale. Every 9 comics ordered get a free piece of original artwork from famous (in the context of the small press comics world) people!
Jones, Toby – Memory Foam #1
Memory Foam #1
What an f’ed up nose. Sorry, I shouldn’t start off with something so meaningless to the quality of the book, but it’s just sitting there. These are autobiographical stories from about a year of Toby’s life (7/08-8/09), dealing with all sorts of things, so if you’re a hater of all thing autobiographical you should wander off somewhere else. As for me, I’m always up for some angst. Stories include Toby wondering if he has always been this much of a hermit or it’s more of a recent thing (and using the lyrics of Frank Black’s “Hang On To Your Ego” to illustrate his point at the end was brilliant), the desire to kill a mouse versus everybody else thinking it’s barbaric, a series of short strips dealing with the sickness and death of the mother of his girlfriend (and his own ineffectiveness in dealing with it; I love how this subject was dealt with using a series of three panel strips, which are generally reserved for “jokey” topics), how his master plan to hide in dorkiness in college to get girls was ruined when he met a girl who was equally dorky, handwriting analysis, a hilarious primer on how to deal with “your” Toby model, his top 10 video games (and getting a fancy new PSP just so he could mod it to play old games), dessert over job hunting, and trying to find a decent job but ending up (briefly) with the notorious Kirby salespeople. So let me just get my autobio checklist over here… it’s insightful, funny, revealing, and it looks much better than you might suspect from that cover. Yep, I’d say it’s a winner. Toby was also nice enough to send along the most recent issue (there are only 2 so far), and I look forward to seeing if he kept it up with the second issue or became a totally unreadable hack. No, I can’t remember the last time that happened either, but it’s best to keep an eye out for these things…
Update for 8/26/10
New review for The City of Abacus #1 by David Allain, VV Brown & Emma Price. Sorry about the missed update yesterday, but I’m doing some odd writing jobs because my anniversary sale/celebration has been going nowhere. Of course, if people flooded me with orders in the last few days of the month that would eliminate the need for such things, however briefly…
Allain, David; Brown, VV; Price, Emma – The City of Abacus #1
The City of Abacus #1
You know what I like to see in a small press comics series? Other than talent, writing that will blow my socks off and genuinely innovative concepts, that is? Ambition. This series is trying to put out 7 issues between May and November (and they only have 2 on their website as of the end of August, so it’s not looking good), followed immediately by a graphic novel. Here’s a tip for other people who are trying to pull this off: try to have a few issues “in the bag” before you announce such a plan. That way you have 6 months to produce 3 or 4 issues instead of 7 and everybody goes away impressed at how forward-thinking you are. Anyway, nobody ever meets their deadlines in this business anyway, so it’s not that big of a deal. How about the comic? Well, this is clearly the start of something much, MUCH grander in scale, so I am instantly not allowed to complain about any of the little things that could have used more explanation. They’ll get around to them later, or I will complain at the appropriate time. This is the story of a society that has gone creatively stagnant, as once a week a computer scans the mind of all the citizens and removes any dangerous thoughts. In this issue we meet the daughter of the man who built this computer ages ago and abandoned her (why she is allowed to keep potentially subversive memorabilia isn’t explained, but I’m sure they’ll get to it), another man who is leading what seems to be a one person resistance, and something that looks kind of like a winged monkey. It’s off to an intriguing start, but that’s the trouble with reviewing something like this: it is clearly just a start. I will say that they may have given too much away with the synopsis on the back cover and possibly even with the character descriptions, but that is only if it all goes in the direction that I’m thinking. Oh, and if “VV Brown” sounds familiar, that’s because she’s a fairly famous as a singer. Go ahead, hit You Tube and search for “Shark in the Water”. You’ll have that song stuck in your head (in a good way) for days… $5ish
Update for 8/24/10
New review for The Island by Desmond Reed, and yes, that sorry excuse for an anniversary celebration/fundraiser is still shambling on until the end of the month.
Reed, Desmond – The Island
The Island
Here’s a little bit 0f “inside reviewing small press comics” trivia, in case you were curious. If you were not curious, my apologies. Reviewers have an unspoken ability to use images from comics for review purposes, provided that they don’t cross the line of using too many images or (at least in my case) posting images that give anything away. I’ve been doing this for 9+ years and no one has ever asked me to take images down from their review, although I would be happy to do so (and legally obligated) if asked. I bring this up because Desmond has a request that lines right up with my thinking when it comes to using samples: “You have my permission to use the cover art or the inside art for your review as long as what you use doesn’t ruin either of the endings of the stories”. ( I should also mention that he sent along another comic that will be reviewed in the coming weeks.) Couldn’t have said it better myself. So why go off on such a long tangent of something that is probably self-evident? Mostly because the true genius of this book isn’t disclosed until you know how it ends, and there is no way that I can tell you that. This is the story of two beings who are trapped on an island. How they got there isn’t discussed, but it isn’t relevant. We do learn at the beginning that they have been there for five months, that the food is gone and that things are getting tense. And then things happen! The end. It’s a shortie, and I wasn’t fully convinced until the ending that I probably should have seen coming but, really, didn’t. The artwork is simple, as that’s all that’s needed here, but effective. There is also a distinct lack of backgrounds, but hey, they’re on an island in the middle of nowhere. Not too many backgrounds in that type of setting. Right now Desmond (and raise your hand if “Desmond” and “The Island” being that close together brought “Lost” memories into your brain) is selling this along with his other mini (Aloha) as a bundle for $2, but you could maybe convince him just to send you this one for $1 if you asked nicely.
Update for 8/23/10
New review for Robots Are People, Too #3 edited by Greg Vondruska, and yes, I am still pushing the August sale/anniversary celebration, widespread indifference be damned.
Vondruska, Greg – Robots Are People, Too #3
Robots Are People, Too #3
Here’s a useless fun fact to start off my ramble: I’ve been going through my old comics recently, trying to see what I can sell or otherwise get rid of, when I came across my sole copy of Heavy Metal. Oddly, the cover did not have giant robotic breasts on it, which I thought was a requirement for that magazine. This comic has one giant cyborg breast, so I guess it’s not the same thing, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Greg Vondruska is all over the place in this one, to the point where it will be easier for me to point out the stories that Greg doesn’t take part in more than anything else. Stories in here include Flesh Or Me (Greg, Steven Mangold & Jim Fern’s tale of a robot trying to become human after humans have given up on themselves), Phobo Agogo (Frank DiBari’s piece on the universe expanding too much to keep up with), Face The World (Greg’s simple silent story of a robot trying to keep a brave face), The Whole World (Frank and Greg’s… I can’t say anything without giving away that great punch line), Facebots (Fran Matera and Greg with a silent series of robot faces), and The Helpers (Penny Clark and Greg’s piece explaining that cover image). There are also three Rodney strips (by Jason Franks, Greg and J. Marc Schmidt), , as Rodney joins a cult, goes on a date and gets a makeover. These pieces are quickly becoming a favorite of mine, as what’s not to love about a sentient computer trying to explain the flimsy differences between religion and cults, his trying to use logic to convince a woman that dating a computer would be a good thing, and his trying not to be vain for a makeover. Another solid issue, and I see no reason why there can’t be a million of these robot comics out there in the world. Greg might need to get the word out to more comics creators, assuming he hasn’t given up on this, so if you have a robot story up your sleeve, why not contact the man? $4
Update for 8/21/10
New review for Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2 by E. J. Barnes. I’m still having my wildly unsuccessful August anniversary sale/comic giveaway, so keep those orders theoretically coming. There’s also another place to get a great deal, as the people who put out the comics anthologies Side A and Side B desperately need to clear room in their house and are offering these books for %50 off. What a steal!
Barnes, E.J. – Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2
Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Master #2
I seem to have found another character that will always cause me to enjoy a comic: a very large living burrito that is set on revenge. Of course, as I’ll almost certainly never see that in another comic, it is a tough theory to prove. This is another collection of stories adapted from the tales of Blaster Al Ackerman, and once again it is a pile of thoroughly unique and bizarre tales. First up is The White Bat, in which a neighbor of the Ling Master (and please see older reviews for the story on that guy, or just read the comics) calls for help, as he’s being prevented from leaving his apartment or going to the fridge by what he thinks is a giant, man-shaped bat. The Ling Master, as always, puzzles out the possible solution to the problem, but not quite in time to prevent a murder. I’ll leave the identity of the murderer a secret, if that’s OK with you. The second story is called “I, The Stallion”, which I reviewed many years ago as a stand-alone mini. A man tries to convince a friend to break his arm, as he believes the only way to bring some magic back to the world is through being able to kiss his own elbow, and such a thing can’t be done without the arm being broken. Finally there’s “Miss Mantis”, in which a paranoid man seeks to get away from his bank and a female teller that he sees as secretly being a giant malicious mantis. The Ling Master, as always, is there to help/feed paranoia (depending on your perspective), and gives the man the advice to burn his large collection of dried turkey sphincters in a public place and to hump the firemen when they come to put it out. This works like a charm… at least briefly. Once again, I absolutely love the ambiguity in these stories. Is the Ling Master a crank, preying on irrational fears for money? Or does he actually offer useful information to people in their time of need (for money)? I have my theory, but yours may differ. Regardless, these are required reading for anybody who needs their entertainment just a little bit odd. $3
Update for 8/20/10
New reviews today for 27 by Macedonio and Go Wildlife! by Gill Hatcher. Two completely different comics, worth reading for completely different reasons. That’ll wrap up the double reviews, but I should be able to get regular reviews up over the weekend. And order some damned comics! I have some unique artwork I’m just dying to give away with every nine comics a person orders, or I’ll just be forced to hoard it all for myself…
Macedonio – 27
27
I occasionally get actual letters with review comics, things that people have clearly put a lot of time and thought into. I rarely respond to these letters, partially out of some vague desire to keep the reviewer/reviewee separate (as if there’s a line in this business) and partially because they often say such nice things that I’m too embarrassed to answer. This time around Macedonio (that’s the name he gave me so that’s the name I’m using) took the time to relay a good chunk of his life’s story, how he was in prison from the late 70’s to early 80’s, and how he made comics while inside and got 5 pages published in Weirdo #5 (kids, if you don’t know what Weirdo was, you have no sense of comics history at all). He more or less stopped drawing when he got out and worked at a job that he loved for 25 years… until he got sick. You’d think a lengthy stay in prison would be the crappiest thing that happened to somebody in their life, but his illness took a toll on him. In the “silver lining” department, at least it got him back to drawing, and now he’s trying to get his name out there a bit again. This comic (and he sent a few more that I look forward to getting to in the coming weeks) deals with what he remembers of his time in prison 27 years ago. It opens up with a letter from the parole board back in the day, and it looks like he actually had his parole denied several times because he was making comics dealing at least partly with his life in prison. That’s some harsh, nonsensical shit right there. Anyway, his memories include a horse gnawing on him (with a guard on its back) as he was working outside, how stealing in prison is OK as long as you’re up front about it (it’s a dominance thing), the pitcher/catcher debate, and how time itself becomes irrelevant in jail. There’s more, but I think anybody reading this should think about supporting him by buying a few of his books. That linked website above is a collection of 84 pages (!) of pretty much all of his comics and well as some paintings, as it’s the easiest thing in the world to go there and kill 15 minutes looking at some really fantastic stuff. Seriously, go take a look, or bookmark the page for when you have some free time at work. No price listed, but I’m guessing this is a couple of bucks.
Hatcher, Gill – Go Wildlife!
Go Wildlife!
I’m a big fans of comics as entertainment, obviously, but I’m an even bigger fan of entertaining comics that also teach me something. This comic taught me plenty and was funny throughout, so I’d call that an unqualified success. Some of the best stories were done as two page spreads, otherwise picking the sample page out would have been a lot tougher. This is, as you probably guessed from that exuberant cover, a series of stories about animals. There are pieces about the junglefowl (a skinnier ancestor to chickens), pet robber crab (the largest land-living anthropod, and it turns out they’re strong enough to de-husk and open coconuts), puffin (and how they can carry so much fish in the corners of their beaks), kakapo (and how it was brought to Codfish Island), great auk (and the stupid, stupid manner in which they were driven extinct), red kite (and their propensity to steal clothes hanging outside), and moray firth bottlenose dolphin (and the theory that they may be able to actually transmit images to each other). Other, less fact-based pieces include an ongoing story of see otter revenge against humans (primarily for the Exxon Valdez mess), a series of rhymes for a series of animals, and a rather stupid lion. Gill also listed a series of sources for her facts, as this is clearly a subject she loves. I thought it was a fantastic comic and here’s hoping she makes a bunch more of these things, as there sure are a lot more animals out there that don’t get nearly enough attention… $4ish
Update for 8/19/10
New reviews today for Yo! Burbalino #3 by Greg Farrell and The Experts #2 by Kenn Minter & Clarence Pruitt. Has anybody had problems with the store while trying to order for my current anniversary sale/celebration? It seems to be fixed, but you guys would tell me if you were having problems, right? OK, good…
