Monthly Archives: November 2016
Update for 11/29/16
New review today for What Happened by Simon Moreton. Don’t forget to shame a Trump voter today!
Moreton, Simon – What Happened
I’m going to end up trying to make a bigger point about the nature of art and minimalism, so be warned, and maybe abandon ship on this review while you’re still able if that sounds insufferable. Here, I’ll even give you a short review to make it easier: I liked this comic, and you probably will too, assuming you have normal human feelings and a memory of how confusing things were back before you knew all the rules of social interactions. Because that’s what this comic is about: a six month span in 1995 (found that bit out from Simon’s website) when he was trying out different friends and what was and wasn’t OK to say to them. We get glimpses of a day spent watching a VHS tape on UFO’s, a walk through the woods, a day at the beach, a quiet day inside reading comics and watching TV, a brawl between a friend and his brother, and losing himself while listening to a cassette with a friend. Some or all of those vignettes will probably trigger a memory in you, probably from a time that you can barely remember… which has become something of a specialty for Simon. His minimalistic style, the choice that he makes to portray the past this way, mirrors faded memories remarkably well. Go on, try it out for yourself. Picture a memorable day from when you were a kid. Now picture the faces of the people around you and your environment. Really picture both; try for details. You’ll probably end up with something that looks a lot like what he’s drawn here, in one way or another. So yeah, this is another really solid comic from Simon. But it’s also one of the better representations of the fog of older memories that I’ve seen recently. $6
Update for 11/28/16
New review today for Meat Locker by Michael DeForge, and I think things may actually be back to normal enough to resume regular reviews.
DeForge, Michael – Meat Locker
What’s your relationship to physical fitness? Casual gym person? Utterly indifferent to the very idea? Or fanatical health freak? This comic has three strips that deal with the more rabid side of that spectrum, although if you’ve somehow managed to combine being addicted to the gym with the ability to be easily offended if people are poking fun at you, you might have a little trouble with this comic. First up is a series of testimonials from personal trainers, giving their best pitch as to why people should choose them for training. If you’ve ever even been around a personal trainer for more than a minute you’ll find this hilarious. Next is a piece about a personal trainer as the equivalent of a sex phone operator, and the two are a lot more closely aligned than you might have thought. Finally there’s the story of the struggles that jocks go through in their daily lives, how they have to hide who they are and how even the children are forced to choose sides. It’s a dystopian jock nightmare world, which was a welcome change of pace from the actual jock nightmare world. If you’ve ever thought of an obsession with physical fitness as being a sort of mania, you’re going to find plenty that’s funny and/or mildly unnerving about this one. Oh, and Michael is yet another Adventure Time artist who makes incredible comics on the side (or is it the other way around?).
Update for 11/20/16
That’s right, an actual update! Mostly because this is my first day off in a month. New review today for The Plunge by Emi Gennis! As far as the recent election goes, I’ve had some time to think it over (even if my job requires me to relive the trauma every day by looking at ballots), and I’m torn between wanting to go down fighting and wanting to flee the country entirely. So if there are any single ladies in Europe or Canada who are looking for access to a ridiculous comics/graphic novel collection that spans 20+ years of small press comics from all over the world, get in touch with me! At this point I may even be OK with a loveless marriage just to get to a country that isn’t turning into a banana republic in a couple of months.
Gennis, Emi – The Plunge
So how much do you know about the first person to go over Niagara Falls and live? If you’re anything like me, it’s probably something along the lines of “some woman did it first, right?” If you already know everything about it, congratulations! Even so, I’d be willing to bet that Emi has uncovered a few things in here that you didn’t already know. The first woman to go over the Falls and live was Annie Edson Taylor. She lied to reporters and said that she was 43 when she was really 63. And, as was the case with damned near everything in those days, the man who did it after her ended up much more famous and financially set for life. It’s odd not to want to give spoilers for a historical comic, but that habit of mine is too hard to break at this point. Bits of information in this comic include the story of Annie’s early life, the various unexplainable holes in her biography, her reasoning behind wanting to go over the falls, how she got the barrel constructed and her life after the event. I had no idea that the first person to go over Niagara Falls was in her 60’s, which makes an already impressive feat downright ridiculous. This comic is a fascinating bit of history that I knew nothing about, something that Emi has come to specialize in for the last 5 years or so, and, as always, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. $6
“Update” for 11/1/16
I’ve mentioned several times that I work for the local Board of Elections, right? Because that explains the lack of reviews lately. I do have comics here that I’ll start reviewing, most likely in the next few weeks, or if I unexpectedly get a day off I’ll sneak a review or two in. If not, pick a random letter of the alphabet and start going through the archived reviews. Some of them are so old that they’ll feel new again! Also, especially if you’re in Ohio, vote! Let’s maybe make it clear as a country that we’re not willing to elect the most famous con man in America as president, and that’s not even mentioning all his Russian connections and all those sexual assaults. Vote!
