Ayuyang, Rina – Namby Pamby #4

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Namby Pamby #4

Ah, the joys of having older reviews live on the internets forever. Sure, I could just go back and make myself seem a bit smarter, but what’s the fun in that? Any qualms I might have had about Rina’s abilities to draw well or tell a good story get blasted to pieces in this issue. Meaning that either she took a quantum leap from #2 to #4 (possible, I suppose) or I was too hard on her to begin with. Oh well. Right off the bat here Rina has a different take on the cute cat stories that many people throw into their mini comics. You see, Rina never really got the fascination people had with their pets, and the whole thing always seemed insane to her… right up until she got a cat. If you have a cat, good luck not being instantly won over. Next up is a “coming out” party by two mysterious people who admit their obsession with, and scientific study of, Murder She Wrote. Next up is Rina’s version of the life of her brother, told mostly through her observances, so it probably ends up being a bit skewed. Still hilarious though, and a bit fascinating that she could cram a life into so few pages. Finally she tells the story of drifting into and out of friendship with a neighbor, revealing at the end that she did it all lefthanded. Never would have known that if she hadn’t mentioned it, as it’s a dark, atmospheric piece, more about the story than the images. This is a thoroughly great mini comic, done as they should be, with a variety of short pieces, each one with something significant to offer. $3