Monthly Archives: July 2011
Lapp, Dave – Window #10
Window #10
Stupid Window comics! It’s all their fault for constantly getting buried in the perpetual mound of comics on my desk. For anybody who hasn’t read any of the previous nine reviews (and go ahead, that’s why I keep the archive easily accessible), Window mostly deals with Dave’s life as an art teacher in an inner city school. Things start off with a beating in the hallway, as Dave tries to figure out what to do about it (the beaters are two giant teens who are bigger than he is). He’s not the only one wondering what to do, but the beating takes its course and the scene moves to a game of jump rope outside. The jump rope game, as Dave says, “really is a sweet scene,” but it gets a little uglier when the giant teens join in. Other stories include a confrontation about a hat, the “reason” behind the beating at the start of the comic, and another one of the giant teens taking a real interest in art. Much as I hate to ever give away the endings to these things, I have to at least mention that Dave’s befuddlement when confronted with a very casual signal for a fist bump was a thing of beauty. I don’t know if Dave has the resources/contacts necessary to put this Window series out in any kind of collected form, but the world would be a better place if such a thing existed. I think they would be handy teaching aids, not to mention a compelling collection of stories for regular old readers. As far as I know these things are still mostly out of print, but if I ever get my rental thing off the ground… ah, who am I kidding. I’d need some kind of a grant to get that thing started or I need to suddenly become wealthy, two things that seem distinctly unlikely. Anyway, hunt these comics down if you can.
Update for 7/27/11
New review for Man Man and Friends #5 by Gareth Brookes. I was able to scan a couple of dozen new comics for review today (as the saga of the scanner not working on my good computer continues), so if you’ve sent me books recently and I still haven’t reviewed them in the next few weeks, send me an e-mail so I can search around for them.
Brookes, Gareth – Man Man and Friends #5
Man Man and Friends #5
Ah, three cheers for comics that never fail to make my day. I’d say that this issue of Man Man is maybe a little behind past issues, but it’s a very tiny difference and an issue of Man Man that’s slightly less than perfect is still better than most other things going. My main problem was that his spelling and grammar was all over the place, and that’s not generally a concern for his work. Maybe he was making an artistic statement that I missed. Anyway, you people should know the drill for this comic by now, or at least you should if you’ve been smart enough to order some comics from Gareth. Stories in this one include the shitting ghost, a severely misinterpreted party invitation, Man Man being too drunk to have sex and his excuses for it, the wisdom of getting one of those permanent grocery bags in the shops, leg shaving sound effects, Valentine’s day, Man Man proving that he’s cool and Man Man grading himself on how many of his life goals that he set out in 1994 he’s actually accomplished. This issue also has a rare three page story depicting the inevitable marriage of Man Man and Woman Woman that was pretty much perfect. What were my earlier complaints again? Yeah, there are a few misspelled words and at least one “to” instead of a “too,” but that’s not worth discarding the whole comic. If you like his previous stuff then there’s no reason to skip this one, and if you haven’t read his comics yet, you’re in luck! By now there’s quite a backlog of comics that you can enjoy from the man. You should probably get to it. $2 (ish)
Update for 7/26/11
New review for SF Supplementary File #1 by Ryan Cecil Smith. Has anybody panicked about all this debt ceiling nonsense and taken all of their money out of the bank yet?
Smith, Ryan Cecil – SF Supplementary File #1
SF Supplementary File #1
Just to make it clear, it helps tremendously if you read SF #1 before reading this supplementary comic. That seems like common sense, but I’m just throwing it out there. That being said, it’s not 100% required reading. This comic tells the tale of Gorum, the rough outdoorsman of the SF group. But where does he come from? How did he get so rough and outdoorsy? How did he attract the attention of the SF group in the first place? All of these questions are answered here in what ends up being a surprisingly satisfying comic. Surprising because you never know what to expect from these “supplementary” type comics, as sometimes they’re just cranked out for a convention and they don’t stand up very well a few months after the fact. This ends up being another piece of the puzzle that Ryan is building with the whole SF storyline. I’ll just say this again because it bears repeating: keep up the series. Seriously, don’t tease the readers by putting out one regular issue and a supplemental comic and then moving on to different things. Well, unless Ryan gets hired by one of the big publishers that will be willing to pay him serious bucks, in which case go for it. But I will fly to Japan just to punch this guy if it ends up being two years from now with no new issues. Note: punch will be easily avoided due to jet lag and the fact that I haven’t thrown a punch in 20+ years. That and I almost certainly won’t go through with it. But still: threat of punch! It’s all his fault for getting me hooked on this story so early in the series. I’m just setting myself up for disappointment. $2
Update for 7/25/11
New review for The Eternal Conflict by Brad W. Foster, also available in the store for those of you who like buying comics.
Foster, Brad W. – The Eternal Conflict
The Eternal Conflict Now Available! $1.25
How much effort have you ever put into eating the last pea on your plate? At least I think the object of Brad’s frustration is a pea, it might also be a matza ball or some other perfectly round edible object. The title for this mini tells the tale, as each page is a wordless panel of Brad (actually most likely Brad’s stand-in) first trying to eat the pea in a civilized fashion, then combining utensils to try and get the food to his mouth, before things start getting ugly. That’s it, really, but I don’t want to just gloss this over as “man tries to eat pea for the entirety of a comic” to leave you with the impression that it’s worthless. His comedic timing is perfect, and if you get me to laugh a couple of times during a comic you’ve done something right. $1.25
Update for 7/24/11
New review today for From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. I’ve been meaning to get to this one for weeks now and my apologies for the lack of a sample image. Stupid non-functional scanner. I recommend typing “From Hell Eddie Campbell” into the Google image thingie and seeing what you can see, on the off-chance that this book is somehow entirely new to you.
Moore, Alan & Campbell, Eddie – From Hell
From Hell. Christ, talk about a nostalgia overload. I first saw From Hell in any form when I picked up a copy of Taboo #4, which I believe had the third chapter of the story. This was probably in 1993, so this along with the suggestions of Dave Sim led me to hunt down everything I could find from Eddie Campbell (I already knew all about Alan Moore, as Watchmen was one of the books that got me started down this independent comics path). Eventually I picked up a few more issues of Taboo before that publishing company went under, then over the years I successfully managed to get all of the individual issues when they came out for Tundra and Kitchen Sink Press, two more companies that are no longer active. The point of this extended introductory ramble, outside of letting you all in on what this book means to me, is to point that this is the first time I’ve read the book in its collected form. Sure, I read through the comics all in a row once, but that includes all of the letters pages and asides that come with individual issues. Reading this all in a chunk is a revelation. I remembered loving the book, obviously, but it’s only when you have it in a chunk that you can really see all of the tricks that Moore was trying to pull. For those of you who have never heard of small press comics but have somehow hit this review, From Hell is Moore & Campbell’s version of what happened with the Jack the Ripper murders. I say “Moore & Cambpell” because even though Moore is obviously the writer, this book would have been something else entirely under the hands of a different artist. Eddie’s depictions of the steady rains, foreboding shadows and the brutally graphic murder scenes is what I think of even today when somebody mentions Jack the Ripper. If you’re a history buff and think you have a good theory on who committed the murders, might I suggest reading the lengthy appendix with Moore’s notes? These things are meticulous and list his thoughts practically page to page, and they answered every question I had about why he went in certain directions. Most people are content to call it a day after 400+ pages, but Moore instead offers a peek into his writing process that feels like a necessary epilogue instead of a tacked-on filler piece. As for the execution of the story, again the word I would use is “flawless.” The idea that nobody in authority was able to figure out these murders was always a little hard to swallow, so Moore has come up with a more plausible explanation. He’s the first to admit every step of the way that this is all fiction, but he also clearly took the time to learn all of the fine points of the murders and the investigation. If you’re reading along and have noticed that I’m not going into any kind of chapter by chapter analysis, that’s for a reason: this is in my personal top 10 (probably top 5) and I’m thrilled that Top Shelf was nice enough to send along a review copy. Picking it apart piece by piece would take weeks and kill some of my enjoyment of the book, so why bother? It’s an entirely different experience from reading it issue to issue, and it’s also clear that they fixed up a few panels here and there. Oh, and just in case this giant book with a lengthy appendix isn’t enough content, they also included the rare “Dance of the Gull Catchers” story. If you’re a fan of this medium and don’t already have this book on your shelf, the only excuses I can think of are excessive poverty or ignorance. One is more easily rectified than the other, granted, but there are always local libraries that tend to have this on the shelf if all else fails. $35
Update for 7/21/11
New review for Lost Kisses #21 by Brian John Mitchell. I need to scan a batch of new minis, so I may or may not have reviews up tomorrow. Probably, though.
Mitchell, Brian John – Lost Kisses #21
Lost Kisses #21
Here it is, the comic that started the Brian John Mitchell media empire. Or did he start a whole bunch of minis at the same time? I should really study my history of the guy for when he sets and then breaks the record for most mini comics produced in a year. Get Guinness on the phone! This is the comic that Brian draws himself, so that means stick figures, public domain images and pasted-on faces. Still, these comics are also all about the inner workings of his brain, and that shit is fascinating to me. In this issue Brian talks about his desire to find a safe method to travel through time, and how he thinks he’s done it a few times through seizures but it always ends up being his future self coming to him and not the other way around. He also discusses various physical aids for putting his brain on a different level. IÂ discovered while reading this one that if you just read the text boxes, then the message comes through clear as that proverbial bell. It just adds to the experience to read the pictures above it, but I liked the entirely new perspective on one of his comics. The comic as a whole is fantastic, as there’s also plenty of theories on how he can unlock the puzzle of his brain and detailed descriptions of his seizures. Yep, it’s another great Brian John Mitchell comic that you should probably read. Water still wet, sun still bright, etc, but hey, I’m still excited about pointing out great comics. Why else would I be writing about them? $1
Update for 7/19/11
New review for Two Days Away From Staring at Birds From a Park Bench by Kelly Froh. Hey, quit it bold text!
Froh, Kelly – Two Days Away From Staring at Birds From a Park Bench
Two Days Away From Staring at Birds From a Park Bench
Would somebody send me a crappy mini comic? I’m getting tired of all these great minis. Well, not really, but variety is the life of spice and all that. From the title I was thinking that this was going to be a comic about aging, but no, it’s all about Kelly losing her job and trying to find another one. There’s her initial reaction to losing it (laughing out loud, as the man firing her was apparently a moron), sitting around at work during the transition period with nothing to do, and her entirely too honest spiel at a family reunion. Then the unemployment really kicks in and Kelly starts finding it hard to bother getting up in the morning. There’s also the reactions of friends and family, Kelly’s ongoing freakout about the lack of employment (that even she was surprised by), and the utter lack of a response from all her applications. More than anything this comic demonstrated how pretty much all of us are hanging on by a thread that could be taken away on a whim from somebody that we’ll never meet. Creepy, huh? Things do take a hopeful turn towards the end, more or less, but then she includes a block of text on the back cover talking about how unemployed people aren’t even counted in the statistics after they stop looking for work (like me!) and how long it’s going to take, even under ideal conditions, to get it all back to “normal.” It takes skills to make this funny and insightful instead of just depressing, but she managed it. No price that I can find, but I’m going with $2.
Gennis, Emi – Spaz! #4
Spaz! #4
Huzzah for Spaz! I should point out that the sample below is messed up, as apparently I forgot to crop it when I scanned it in the first place. As the scanner only works on my other PC, and as it would take a good half hour to get it going and then get back to this one (as that one is too virus-ridden to use for very long), I suggest that you go with the theory that you’re actually getting a bonus sample. Sure, it’s only half of an extra page, but that’s 1/2 more than you usually get! Yeah, even I’m not buying that as a bonus. Oh well. If somebody would like to send me a fully functional PC I won’t have to worry about this problem. So how about the comic? You all know that I’m biased to like this one by now, right? Good. After completely loving her last book that was an adaptation of one of the “List of Unusual Deaths” from Wikipedia, this comic has two of those stories and more comics to boot! These two stories involve the Boston Molasses Massacre (which was exactly what it sounds like,depending on what your particular brain pictures for that one) and a brilliant mathematician who was paranoid that people were out to poison him and would only eat meals prepared by his wife. When she got too ill to take care of him, well… Other stories include Emi’s horror story of trying to use a “toilet” in China (seriously, it’s 2011, troughs of shit should just be embarrassing for an industrialized nation), a righteous rant about how people have gone way overboard with the anti-bacterial lotions, and a detailed guide for how a teenager could sneak out of the house for a party and get back in undetected. But wait, there’s more! She also has a few single page strips dealing with things she worries about, things she probably should be worrying about but isn’t, and three places where she’d rather not see hot guys. It’s a damned solid comic yet again with no real weak spots and you guys should probably buy it. $3
Update for 7/14/11
New review for Rashy Rabbit #7: Droppin’ Anchor by Josh Latta. Sorry about the missed review yesterday, the good old PC decided that it had enough for the day and it took me ages to get it going again. Gotta love these stupid things…
Latta, Josh – Rashy Rabbit #7: Droppin’ Anchor
Rashy Rabbit #7: Droppin’ Anchor
I have to give Josh some serious credit. I really didn’t think that a series about a foul-mouthed rabbit (named “Rashy Rabbit” of all things) would be able to last. Or, if it did last, that Josh could keep it interesting. It seemed like your standard one note premise, something that would be fun for a few issues and then get old. Then a funny thing happened: character development. Oh sure, it was there to see from the beginning, but Josh is still clearly trying to make single issues accessible to new readers (which is my guess for why the numbers stopped appearing on the covers a few issues ago) and that’s a delicate balance to keep up. Well, he’s done it. This issue starts off with Rashy falling out with his girlfriend. She wants him to grow up, so he sets out to sea to become a man. Meanwhile, Benny tries to horn in on the situation, with the ex offering plenty of resistance. This wouldn’t be a Rashy Rabbit comic if crazy shit didn’t start happening at this point, so we get mermaids and a strange land where nobody ever ages. But Rashy, what with his improvements to becoming a man, isn’t content to spend eternity surrounded by half-naked mermaids who haven’t seen a man in years. No, he’s mostly concerned with getting back with his ex and setting things right. Still, Josh had plenty of chances to screw up the ending, and he navigated all of it to end up with a very satisfying and funny comic. With hints of more character development to come! I’m impressed with how this comic has matured over the years while still holding onto what made it great to begin with. If you’re a delicate flower and have been holding off on checking it out because of the title, well, I think it’s time to lighten up a bit. $4
Update for 7/12/11
New review for SF #1 by Ryan Cecil Smith, and it is again too hot to leave the house. Gather up your comics and stay indoors, that’s what I say!
Smith, Ryan Cecil – SF #1
SF #1
What I wouldn’t give to have all the money in the world so I could finance comics like this. Seriously, as comics reading fans, we get cheated big time when all these artists have to have actual careers instead of being able to roll in dough from the brilliant works they produce. While I’m shooting for the moon I’d also like a time machine so that I could convince Frank Woodring not to give up on “Frank” for so many years because there was no money in it. And a pony! OK, irrelevant aside over. This one starts off with a couple of pages that satirize the old “Wolfenstein” game (kids, ask your parents). Suddenly this story vanishes and we’re on a street with a young alien trying to get home to his family. His house blows up, then someone tries to assassinate him in the hospital but the SF steps in. Actually, the title should probably be SFSFSF (Space Fleet Scientific Foundation Special Forces), but that’s noticeably more clunky. Anyway, our hero stops the assassination attempt and tries to get back to his team, but he gets ambushed along the way, leading to my favorite bit of science: “Every scientist knows that bodies explode with a ‘fssshhh’ and a ‘poof,’ not a ‘boom.'” The team finally gets assembled, and what a team it is! That’s an impressive cast of characters right there and I have high hopes for them getting more page time in future issues. There’s also a few character cards in the back, so at least you can learn about four members of this crew. From there a plan is made, motivations are explained a little bit, and the first part of the plan is hatched before the end of the issue. It’s hurting me not to tell you how that goes down, but it’s worth reading it for yourself. I will caution you about reading this in public places, as you’re certain to laugh out loud unless you have no sense of humor at all. So I clearly loved it, and Ryan even sent along a supplement for this issue a few weeks after I got this, which I am now dying to dig into. Oh, and the point at the start of this review? If Ryan was a rich man he could just focus on putting issues of this out. I’ve seen way too many #1’s that never make it to a #2 or #3, and I’ll be downright cranky if that happens with this series.
