West, Max – Sunnyville Stories #2

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Sunnyville Stories #2

Max had a few simple good ideas that other comics folks should think about emulating that I should bring up before I even get to the actual comic. The first is that this is #2 and his first issue is up for free at his website. That gives people an instant excuse to check out his website and a whole new story for free to anybody who enjoyed it. The second good idea he had was to post synopses to the next two issues, both due to come out in 2011, on the back page of his comic. It gives the impression of a guy who is taking this comics thing very seriously, which may not be considered to be a sufficiently jaded approach to comics, but I found it refreshing. So fine, in terms or marketing, planning and preparation, the guy is a genius. What about the comic? Well, it’s anthropomorphized, so if you have a problem with that it’s OK to move on. Anyway, two kids are walking home from school when they decide to stop and get a soda. They run into a bully, give her what-for, then see her again as they’re leaving. She challenges one of them to a pinball contest and they get back to her place to discover a bunch of old pinball and arcade games. The showdown starts from there, the family members of this bully eventually get involved, and there’s even a message at the end which, again, may or may not be your thing. Some of the images of houses and perspective looked rough, but it appeared to improve as the comic went on. People who read this site regularly probably think that this book sounds too sweet for me, and in a way it is, but I’m willing to gloss over that to emphasize the things that Max got right. He clearly has a plan, and this is clearly the early days of that plan, so keep an eye out for that guy. There’s a solid story in here, it’s designed for people of all ages, and he even manages to keep it cheap, which is odd considering that it has a color cover and it’s magazine sized. $2.99