Wright, Chris – Ink Weed

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Ink Weed Now Available!  $16

If there’s one thing I can complain about in regards to doing this site (and even this is probably a bit of a stretch), it’s the fact that great comics can fly right by me and I never seek out anything else from that artist.  You can see from the review below that I loved the mini I saw from Chris, but that was at least 5 years ago and I haven’t seen a thing he’s done since.  It’s odd that I would follow people I liked more closely before I had this website than I do now.  Somebody should really speak to management here and get that fixed.  I’m going on about it because this book is a thing of brilliance, another one of those books that should be on the bookshelf of everyone who loves comics.  From the consistently rich and textured art to the sheer poetry involved in the writing of damned near every panel, you’re not going to find a more completely rewarding comics experience.  This is a collection of short pieces, most likely former mini comic, and plenty of original art in between the stories and at the end of the book.  First up is The Unmerciful Gift, in which an aging artist paints masterpieces that only he can see while never quite understanding why it’s happening.  Next up is Tapestry, and another old man watches the stars and lives his life with an attractive young assistant.  Ach!  Even in generalizing these things to a ridiculous degree, I feel like I’m giving away too much.  Other stories in here involve smoking out of a “toilet bowl”, an attempt at reconciliation going as wrong as it possibly could, a senile sea demon unexpectedly finding love, and quite possibly the best story of drunkenness and the consequences that I’ve ever seen (and yes, I am aware that there are many contenders for the title).  It’s all wrapped up with a few short pieces, an excerpt from a new book (?), and a series of new individual pieces.  The truly haunting parts of this book are best left out of a review, but believe me, they’re there.  That image in the bedroom, the tiny gun, what Simon is driving at…  It combines to make pretty much a perfect comic.  If you haven’t seen his work yet, this really needs to be picked up toot-sweet.  $16