Search Results for Less than hero
McNamara, Jason & Talbert, Tony – Less Than Hero #3
Less Than Hero #3
I officially really, really like this book. Even though it’s been months since I read the last issue, all the characters in here are familiar and distinguishable, which is a considerable achievement considering that huge cast of characters. In this one, as you can see from that fantastic cover, The Punk’s girlfriend has been impregnated, and everything else that’s been going on is coming to a head, as #4 is the last issue of the series. They better keep this up with another title, as they’ll be sorely missed if they just quit altogether. There are very few characters more quotable than The Punk, and I think you should find them out for yourselves, as this book has funny or insightful stuff on literally every page. $3, I guess you could wait for the last issue to have the whole story collected in one edition, but the covers are worth the price of admission in my book…
McNamara, Jason & Talbert, Tony – Less Than Hero #2
Less Than Hero #2
This is a preview edition, meaning that any complaints I might have about the art looking awfully scrunched up are useless, as I’m sure it was eventually put into a larger edition. Everything is noticeably starting to come together in this issue. The characters are starting to become incredibly unique, the art looks great (except for the fact that it needs a little room to breathe, but see the first sentence), and the dialogue is phenomenal. All kinds of quotable stuff in here, but I’ll just put up a good sample and let you check it out. I can see why they’d want to rush to get a preview edition out for SPX, as people reading this are much more likely to get hooked on this story than people reading the first issue. This is probably $3 and you’re not likely to find a smarter and more realistic superhero story. I almost hate saying that because I’ve gotten pretty sick of the “real people with super powers!” idea, but I promise that this is worth a look. Come on don’t you trust me?
McNamara, Jason & Talbert, Tony – Less Than Hero #1
Less Than Hero #1
I’m breaking with tradition here and putting the back cover up instead of the front. Why? Well, it’s better than the front cover, frankly, and I thought it would help anybody who’s reading this to refer back to this synopsis to try and figure out what the hell’s going on. This is the first issue of a projected 12-parter, so I’m going to reserve judgment on the storyline. I didn’t get what was going on, but that’s because there are all kinds of characters, they’re all kind of thrown at you without an introduction, and I think they were trying to introduce too much in too small of a time. Still, points for ambition, and it might all come together beautifully. That being said, it’s time to start complaining. I don’t know what it is that some people have against punctuation, but, seriously, use it. Plenty of sentences in here where it just went on and on and it’s not like I can say anything about that but doesn’t it help to have a comma here and there to break up the sentence throw a little inflection into it do you know what I mean? Ahem. Also, for some reason a lot of the “n”s were backwards. Not sure if that was a stylistic thing or just a screw-up, but it stopped me in my tracks and I think that’s a bad thing. All that bitching aside, it wasn’t a bad first issue at all. Tony was obviously influenced by a lot of the great older artists and the book looks incredible, even if I couldn’t tell what exactly the superhero guy looked like until the full page spread. The writing is solid and the dialogue is believable and funny, for the most part. Look, my only major complaint is that they should have taken their time, maybe putting only one character per issue for a while. Sure, that was probably impossible due to finances, but putting out a few minis before this might not have been a bad idea. Anyway, this is $3 and worth a look, although you might want to wait a few issues to you can have a fair shake at figuring out what’s going on. Send them an e-mail…
McNamara, Jason & Talbert, Tony – Less Than Hero #4
Less Than Hero #4
Here it is, the last issue of the Less Than Hero series. Before anyone gets sad, they say that they’re hard at work on a new series, so more is on the way. That’s great news as far as I’m concerned, as this is the first superhero series to hook me since… geez, does Preacher count? No? Concrete? Whatever the case, it’s been a while. The reason this one hooked me so thoroughly is that, even though there are costumes, dorky names and fight scenes, this is mostly about the people. And the first scenes, when they’re cool enough. This is the end of the story of this series, so I don’t want to give too much away (as I’m demanding that everyone at least look at an issue of this), but this has one of the best fight scenes involving a whole town that I’ve ever seen. OK, The Sleeper (the main villain here) has made everyone in San Francisco fall asleep, and when people fall asleep they fall under his complete control. The Punk, as he can’t sleep because of the accident that gave him his powers, is all that’s stopping The Sleeper from having complete control of the town. Citizens are thrown at him in a never-ending wave of carnage that has to be seen to be believed. This is $3.25 (I think it’s a little bit heftier than the other issues) and these two should be able to take over the world in the next few years, if they keep this kind of pace up. Contact info is up there, send them some love!
Harukichi – Hero
How many times can DJ Cat Gosshie save the day? However many times you’ve guessed, it’s probably going to be more. He (or she) is a hero! Things start off with Gosshie selling his LP’s on the street; we are shown early on that he is a fair street merchant, stopping someone from accidentally paying him too much money for an LP. Next is an impossible traffic jam after an accident. What can DJ Gosshie do, how can he help? Well, different LP’s have different colors, and those colors can be used to help direct traffic. From here all this cat wants to do is to take a nice peaceful nap while listening to his music, but then a woman and her baby come along to screw that up. Can he solve this problem as well? Well, yeah. Spoilers! There are two more calamities yet to come, one of which the cat is well equipped to solve on his own, and the other which involves, well, water. And everybody knows water is not a thing that cats like. So how does he solve that one? Obviously you’ll have to read this to find out! I’m hopelessly biased towards almost all comics that involve cats as heroes (there are more than you’d think!), so I’m not the most objective voice here, but this one was a blast all the way through. Quick on his feet, willing to help everyone regardless of personal opinion, while still managing to maintain that certain catness all the way through. Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed. $7
French, Dale – French Lessons #1
French Lessons #1
Most people out there who’ve rented apartments have at least one story about a horrible roommate. Sometimes it’s some random stranger who you were forced to live with out of convenience, sometimes (and this is the worst case scenario) it’s somebody you’ve known and trusted for years and they suddenly become a rampaging asshole/lunatic. My last roommate in Champaign certainly fit that bill, as he went gradually insane. Unlike this comic, however, I was never threatened with physical violence, or at least not until I was safely out of his house and he knew that he would probably never have to make good on his threats. He was a real hero! Anyway, enough about me. I’m rambling, believe it or not, to make a point. Some of the best comics for me are the ones that I can personally relate to, and at least try to learn something from. This one certainly fits the bill, and it was even based in Chicago. It looks like he’s planning on doing these on a number of different subjects, but he certainly has my support. Oh, the synopsis, in case I went around it without actually telling it: Dale moves to Chicago and basically only knows one person, the old friend that he moves in with. Said friend goes insane, threatening physical violence, and Dale moves in with another friend. He goes back to the apartment to get the rest of this stuff to find… but why ruin it? It’s a good read, and it says a lot about the value of true friends (and they’re harder to come by than you might think) in more ways than one. Here’s an e-mail address, this is $4 because it’s huge!
Banks Jr., James Matthew – Doctor Leviathan #1
Doctor Leviathan #1 Now Available! $3.99
Sometimes my willingness to accept anything for the store gets me in trouble. Looking at that cover, I was already willing to trash this, as blood n’ guts generally isn’t my thing in comics, which is odd, as I’m all about it in movies. Anyway, right away this seemed different from the norm. The first five pages are giant splashes of a large group of villains standing around, looking menacing. This could be awful, granted, but there was enough distinction between these characters that made me sit back and give it a chance. The story is that a young girl has been kidnapped by a group of villains, led by a villain who apparently can’t die (and doesn’t mind bugs crawling all over his face), Siege. It turns out that Siege wants revenge for the death of three of his men, who were put to death after killing around 23,000 people. No, the man does not skimp on the details here, going into graphic detail of what a giant and an Electro clone (who looks like Mysterio, oddly enough) could do to a town if they were lunatics. Siege, after telling that story, sets his men on the girl and they tear her apart… but she doesn’t die. In fact, nothing that they do seems to kill her, and what follows then is a pile of sheer carnage. This, finally, is when we’re introduced to our hero Doctor Leviathan, but then only briefly, and we’re left with a heap of questions. Look, if you’re not into this sort of thing you probably stopped reading when you saw the cover. If you’re willing to keep an open mind, there is potential here. Granted, James will have to work past his obsession with having everything going on in front of a featureless white background, and some of that dialogue is downright dopey. Still, his website says that he has eight (!) issues done already, so there should be plenty of chances to see where this goes from here in the near future. It may turn into a Faust clone, or it may get repetitive in a hurry. There’s also the minor fact that most of that fascinating array of villains was gutted (um, spoiler alert), so I guess he’s going to have to come up with a new pile of bad guys. Judging from the imagination shown in those first five pages, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. $3.99
Doctor Leviathan #1 by James Matthew Banks Jr.
Sometimes my willingness to accept anything for the store gets me in trouble. Looking at that cover, I was already willing to trash this, as blood n’ guts generally isn’t my thing in comics, which is odd, as I’m all about it in movies. Anyway, right away this seemed different from the norm. The first five pages are giant splashes of a large group of villains standing around, looking menacing. This could be awful, granted, but there was enough distinction between these characters that made me sit back and give it a chance. The story is that a young girl has been kidnapped by a group of villains, led by a villain who apparently can’t die (and doesn’t mind bugs crawling all over his face), Siege. It turns out that Siege wants revenge for the death of three of his men, who were put to death after killing around 23,000 people. No, the man does not skimp on the details here, going into graphic detail of what a giant and anElectro clone (who looks like Mysterio , oddly enough) could do to a town if they were lunatics. Siege, after telling that story, sets his men on the girl and they tear her apart… but she doesn’t die. In fact, nothing that they do seems to kill her, and what follows then is a pile of sheer carnage. This, finally, is when we’re introduced to our hero Doctor Leviathan, but then only briefly, and we’re left with a heap of questions. Look, if you’re not into this sort of thing you probably stopped reading when you saw the cover. If you’re willing to keep an open mind, there is potential here. Granted, James will have to work past his obsession with having everything going on in front of a featureless white background, and some of that dialogue is downright dopey. Still, his website says that he has eight (!) issues done already, so there should be plenty of chances to see where this goes from here in the near future. It may turn into a Faust clone, or it may get repetitive in a hurry. There’s also the minor fact that most of that fascinating array of villains was gutted (um, spoiler alert), so I guess he’s going to have to come up with a new pile of bad guys. Judging from the imagination shown in those first five pages, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Update for Jason McNamara & Tony Talbert
I just reviewed the last issue (#4) of the Less Than Hero series. Also, as far as all the problems go, the webmaster (not me, the other guy) has hit a rough patch at work, but he’s going as fast as he can, so it might be a couple of days yet before everything is fixed. The (unrelated) good news is that I’m getting word from a bunch of folks that they’re going to send comics for the online store, so the selection there should increase substantially in the next few weeks. Also, I’m getting reports that finding the review is still a major pain, so here’s the easiest way that I know to get there under the current set-up: go to the search bar, type in "Jason McNamara" and click on it. Sorry, this will all be so very much easier soon…
Pixin, Weng – The History of a Toss
The idea behind this one is specific, and while it seems like it probably hasn’t affected that many people, this one will hit hard for certain folks. Have you ever been enjoying some quiet time, either alone or with others, when suddenly a large heavy object comes flying through the air and strikes you, seemingly for no reason? Like I said, that just lost a good chunk of you, but for those of you who are nodding your heads right now, you’re in luck! This one starts off with our hero the bunny trying to enjoy a cup of tea when they’re suddenly struck by a phone book. It turns out that the roommate (the frog) was just trying to throw the phone book away, but they’d misjudged both how hard they threw the book and the distance to the garbage. After a sudden clobbering like that, it’s hard not to feel a little targeted, and this might bring up memories of previous conversations with your roommate about their family members throwing things in anger. This might also bring up a defensive reaction on their part, as they see it as an unfortunate if innocent mistake. From here there are two main possibilities: either the offending party sees that what they did was at best thoughtless and apologizes, or they dig in and use the opportunity to bring up all kinds of irrelevant grudges, both real and perceived. And if the aggressor takes that second tack, well, things are probably going to get ugly. This book is an exploration of that conversation, and how “heroes” and “villains” in this situation don’t necessarily mean a thing in regards to who “wins” the argument. It’s a fascinating and more than slightly uncomfortable book, so yes, we can add another mini kus book to the “yeah buy that why don’t you?” pile. $7.95 (for this comic, it’s $22 for this and the next three in the series. I know which one sounds like a better deal to me!)
Shuler, Darin – Piggy Fire
Long time readers of this here website will know that I’ll often dance around in a review of a comic when something is so wonderfully shocking that I don’t want to spoil even a hint of it, and that is rarely more true than it is this time around. I’ll just say that that title? It means a whole lot, and almost certainly not in the way that you might be thinking, no matter what way that is. So, what can I say about the comic? Things start off with our hero in bed with his wife, who’s being attacked by their two children. Well, they just want to snuggle, but our hero sure makes it seem like an attack. We see a few pages of their (rather stifling, to my childless eyes) domestic life, and our hero heads out for a planned trip with a friend. We see them enjoying some loud music on the road (I recognized Smashing Pumpkins, but not the other song), and on a whim they decide to get something at a gas station that’s meant to liven up their campfire, i.e. give the flames some color. They set up their campfire, tell a few stories, and finally decide to use the “Funny Fire” on the campfire. This is where we get our first glimpse of full color, and it’s also where things start to get really weird, and it’s ALSO also the part where I have to stop talking about the comic. Will the payoff here be as perfect for you as it was for me? I can’t guarantee a thing, and maybe if you’re in your early 20’s or so it won’t hit as hard. But anything past that (and possibly any age), you’re going to agree with me that the last page of this comic is the most solid ending of a mini kus book in awhile, and they often nail their endings. Look, I’ve been rambling about comics for almost 23 years now. Trust me on this one, OK? $7.95 (or cheaper if you get a bundle of four different comics, which you should always do)
Petre, Greg & Fake – Santos Sisters #4
I confess, although I think Greg and Fake have this business figured out by now, the pessimist in me wonders with every issue whether or not they can keep up this pace. Funny, innovative, and never the same thing twice, all while using the same characters? With every issue? Well, this issue is probably the best one yet, so maybe I should cut it out with the doubts, huh? Once again, the big picture stuff (the stories) are engrossing and hilarious, and once again there are enough little touches that make it feel like these comics would get even better with repeat readings (“Robert Liefeldteeth” got a legit chuckle out of me). There are a few stories again this time around, and while overall we maybe get less of the actual Santos Sisters than ever before, the bits we see of them shed a whole lot of light on their lives outside of the costumes. First up is the story of a gang of car thieves, meaning we get several scenes of innovative ways to steal cars before the Santos Sisters finally get involved. That one is “to be continued,” but since the next issue is coming out literally a few weeks after this review, it seems like a safe bet that they’ll wrap things up. Next is the story of Antz-Man, which is appropriately horrific, considering the subject matter. Odd how Marvel never digs into this aspect of ants for their movies! Finally the ladies are just trying to get a burger (and working through an early morning hangover) when they find out that the president is visiting their preferred burger joint. Does everything go smoothly for our heroes, and can they just get a burger in peace? Well, there wouldn’t be much of a story if that happened, now would there? I feel like I should frame an issue of this series to point to for the few remaining humans who still judge books by their covers. Sure, this might seem like a standard super hero comic to a casual observer of covers, but there are at least a few hints on this cover that should make anybody question that assumption. Like I said, the next issue is coming out very soon, and they have a Halloween special coming out shortly after that. I’m assuming these two still find time to sleep, but three cheers for keeping up this pace. The world needs more Santos Sisters! $5
Suerte, Adam – Brooklyn Tattoo
He’s back! I always feel like sending out an alert of some kind when I see a new comic from somebody that I haven’t heard from in a decade or more. If you’re new around these parts, or even if you only starting reading around 2010 or so, Adam did a four issue series in the aughts detailing his year of apprenticeship at a tattoo parlor. It was fascinating stuff, with my only (minor) complaint being that if it took him most of decade to tell the story of his year as a apprentice, it didn’t seem likely that we’d be getting the rest of the story. Well, I’m thrilled to report that he proved me wrong, as this tells the tale of everything that happened after that. He also included a few pages/bits from that series, as this is meant to tell the whole story of his time as a tattoo artist. One more thing before I start talking about the actual comic. I just went back and read my reviews for Aprendiz (I actually still have a few issues of that for sale, so if you’re interested I’ll check with Adam to see if he’d like to sell them or would prefer to have them back) and I said maybe the dumbest thing I’ve ever said in a review, and boy howdy is that ever saying something. In the review for the second issue I mentioned that he must be having a tough time as a tattoo artist making comics, because I didn’t see a lot of overlap in the two areas. Holy shit was that stupid. It’s significantly more rare to run into people at comic cons without a tattoo than with one, and I’m thinking that was also true in 2004 or whenever that review came out. Whatta dummy I was/am. It’s always nice to throw in reminders like that, just in case people start to think of me as an authority or something. Nope, I’ve just been doing this a long time. Easy to confuse seniority with expertise. Anyway, what about this comic? It’s the comprehensive story of his time in art school, meandering a bit with a soulless job, and eventually taking a gig as an apprentice to tattoo artists. That story is told in the other series (I still don’t think it would be a bad idea to collect it, but that’s obviously his call), and this is mostly focused on getting his own business off the ground and then keeping it running. One fascinating subplot is that Sophie Crumb, through mutual friends, ended up working as an apprentice at his shop. She was young and new to New York, so she did what most young people do in that situation, and word eventually got back to her dad. There’s a hilarious scene where Robert Crumb did everything but accuse Adam of ruining his daughter, despite the fact that they never hung out outside of work (there was an age gap), and all the while Adam was starstruck while being lectured by one of his comics heroes. Interest picked up quickly wherever his shop ended up (not just his, he did have partners), but doing all this in Brooklyn meant he was bound to run into one completely unethical conglomerate that bought his building. This meant a series of annoyances, large and small, until he eventually got a new place, and boy am I ever shortening that nightmare down for the review. There’s so much more that goes into every aspect of being a tattoo artists than I ever expected, not the least of which is all the business nonsense. Also I loved his art style before (I confirmed this by reading the old reviews), but I’d say he’s gotten even better since then. And the amount of detail! Every page, every panel, looks like it took about a week to do. Even the backgrounds (that would be solid black in a lot of comics) are packed with little doodads and icons. It’s already a lot of story at 140ish pages, but this is absolutely a book that rewards you for taking your time with each page. There are also some short pieces after the story by Sophie Crumb, Jason Mitchell, Myke Maldonado and Mark Bode about their time at the shop, and I’ll leave them as a surprise to the reader. Except for Myke’s, as the finale to that story was terrifying. So basically if you’ve been wondering whatever happened to this guy, good news! Everything worked out for him, more or less, and he even got through the pandemic OK (but that’s apparently going to be the story for his next comic). If this is your first time hearing about him, you are in luck. This is a hell of a read, and has me once again contemplating getting a tattoo with his artwork, especially if my plans work out and I get to New York in September for a visit. Check it out, you will not be disappointed. $20
Hamil, Brett – Slight Return
I figured going into this that this is one of those comics that had the potential to end up going very wrong for me, or maybe I’d end up kind of liking it. Turns out that I loved it! Just another reminder in a lifetime full of them that it’s best not to assume anything based on an intentionally vague description. I was afraid that this was going to be one of those “aged punk and/or hippie returns to their hometown, wanders around aimlessly until the book eventually ends” kind of things, but I was wrong. There are elements of that, sure, but for good reason, and there’s a whole lot more going on with it. It’s a slow build, but things start off with our hero (Kevin) having sex with an old acquaintance after returning to his hometown. We gradually learn that he had had some success as a musician (enough that a large number of people recognize him when he’s walking around town) and that some great calamity has befallen society as a whole. Not bad enough to derail civilization entirely, but there’s no internet or phones, getting food is expensive and you have to “know somebody,” there was an incident where people were butchering a cow in the field right next to the other cows, etc. This is all an undercurrent to a fairly simple story, as Kevin really did come back to town to get away from everything and basically just wants to sleep, ride his skateboard, have sex and read comics. Armed fascists are also a constant underlying threat, so not too far off from our reality now, I guess. I loved the pacing of this book, as there’s no rush to do much of anything and nothing feels all that important, and the absence of constant cell phones and internet is always welcome in stories; it almost always feels like it opens up possibilities other than what you’re used to. The underlying story here, such as it is, is that Kevin gets talked into performing at an outdoor concert, but even that ends up being a very minor event. The ending shocked me, but it was one of those endings where you can’t really see things going any other way if you think about it. It’s a book that I wasn’t expecting to captivate me, but here I sit, captivated, and still thinking about various scenes hours after finishing it. If that’s not a solid endorsement, I don’t know what is. $15
Petre, Fake and Greg – Santos Sisters #2
Huzzah, the “#1” on the first issue not being a cruel trick! #3 is also here waiting for review, and #4 is coming out in June. They’re unstoppable! If you didn’t read my review for the first issue, get to it; that’ll clue you in on the basic concept here. Now that you’re all caught up, there’s just so damned much to like about this series that I hardly know where to start. It’s all printed on newsprint, and it’s the size of “regular” comic books, which really contributes to the feel of the book. This issue also has more than a few ads, and while it would fit right in with the aesthetic to have fake funny ads throughout, that wasn’t the deal here. All of the ads are legit (unless they snuck a few in on the page full of tiny ads), and they’re all for other small press comics, publishers, shops or other things that might actually be useful to the type of person reading this. Just excellent work on the overall look of this comic. Oh, and they were also nice enough to send me a small poster of the centerfold, featuring all of the characters and a few that haven’t been introduced yet. Yep, I am easily bribed! So the comic looks great, which is nice I guess, but what about the stories? Oh no, it’s more excellent work! The first story deals with Weird A.I. Ankhovic (congrats to the people who get it) sending a couple of his minions (Spit and Shine, and I am very curious to see their origin story) out to infect as many people as possible. This will enable him to take over the town, and the people are infected by being shot by the villains and turned into what are basically purple zombies. No munching on brains in this one, just steadily increasing infections. An excellent touch is that Spit and Shine used to date but have since broken up, so they’re both being very mature in their interactions with each other. Their dynamic gradually falling apart was one of the highlights of the book, as was the use of poor Todd by our heroes. The other story deals with a baby dragon suddenly appearing in front of an old lady, which eventually terrorizes an anthropomorphic duck (think Howard, basically) and his pal. Our heroes have to fly to the rescue while being very drunk, which is the type of thing that should happen in more comics. I’m completely sold on this series (this is one of those reviews where I’m barely scratching the surface on all the small details that make it great) and might even review the next issue next week, even though they’re designed to be stand-alone issues. We’ll see! $4.20, but it seems to be selling out fast, so don’t dawdle!
Berry, Brandon – Cat #3
It’s dangerous for me to say something like this considering how long I’ve been reviewing comics, but I’ll say it anyway: this is the closest I’ve come to just putting up an image of the cover, a link to the comic and using the sample image for the review. Because really, what could be more perfect than that? But hey, that’s not why you pay the big bucks (I’m talking to you, future millionaire who buys the website and lets me devote more of my spare time to comics). Our hero is still trapped on a strange planet, but he lucks out and has somebody named Xen come by and offer him a ride. Is it luck or a nefarious plan? Still unclear! As they’re traveling through the cosmos they run into a space whale, which gives Cat a better understanding of the universe (and raises a few questions about his place in it and what happens to him after he dies). After that we get an object lesson in the wisdom of questioning the phrase “do you mind if we get to know each other better,” then a few more brief bits that I shouldn’t mention to avoid too many spoilers. I will say that I maybe jumped the gun on reviewing these weekly, because I only have one more issue left and it sure doesn’t look like this story is going to be wrapping any time soon. Ah well. Maybe the clamor from the hordes of people who love the weekly reviews will motivate Brandon to start cranking these out. What’s that you say? Rushing works of art is a terrible idea that more often than not leads to mediocre (at best) results? OK, fair enough. Either way, it’s still a fascinating series and you should still be reading it. $5
Zahradkova, Klara – Jumping Things
Be honest, who among us hasn’t wanted to wander off into another world every now and then? That’s the story with this comic, more or less. Our hero (we learn later in a brief origin story) had what appears to be an MRI on her leg, heard the sound of a train and then popped up in a different world. Along the way she meets a floating head, which may or may not be a part of her from another world. Sometimes it’s a floating balloon, sometimes it’s a head attached to a foot, and along the way it appears to go through male pattern baldness. There’s also more than a bit going on with the mysteries of the universe, and how they tend to get obnoxious when you’re confronted with them all the time. I’m very tempted to describe some of these new worlds now, as they’re filled with delightful surprises, but nah. If you end up with a copy of this book yourself (and you should, it’s a hoot) take your time with the various panels/pages, as Klara has packed them full of oddities that will reward those who pay close attention. Is this the part of the review where I say “mini kus, you’ve done it again!”? Yes, it is, and yes, they did. Oh, and in case I’ve somehow neglected to mention this so far in these reviews, they’re also selling bundles of four of these minis at a time, which is very much something you should look into. Meanwhile, give this one a look! $7.95
Turunen, Marko – Dawn of the Living Dead Near Kotka Morgue
Dawn of the Living Dead Near Kotka Morgue
It seems like it was only a few months ago that I was wondering where all the coronavirus stories were, but look out! They’re coming fast now. Of course, this is a mini kus book, so you’re not likely to get a straightforward tale about isolation, thoughts of mortality or when to get the vaccine. No, this is the tale of a young man and his dog as they wander through a world of maskless or poorly masked people and are then left to panic about whether or not they were exposed. It’s also a stretch to call them “people,” as the first exposure our hero gets is by an octopus with a mask under their chin, which he meets after walking through a bleak landscape of giant coral, traffic and a moose that’s bigger than the cars. I get the feeling I shouldn’t spoil any more, but it’s fighting hard with my desire to mention the giant cat with the erection who’s reciting the current covid figures and the Donkey Kong on top of the building with a giant skull on it. Dammit, looks like the second impulse won out. It probably would have helped if the actual pandemic was as surreal as this, but since we all got stuck in the real world the best way to remember those times is to get this book. If you’re lucky, these images will replace the images of the actual pandemic, which will help make it a more whimsical, unnerving time in your head. $7
Pettinger, Josh – Goiter Comics #6
Looks like I have a bit of a Goiter gap (I didn’t pick up #4 or 5) on this here website, proving once again that it’s not possible for one person to follow every single comic artist that’s worthwhile, or even most of them, or even more than a few of them. Once again, if there’s a single billionaire reading this that wants to give me a measly few million dollars to do all this full time until I drop, I’m ready at any time. Anyway! The earlier issues of Goiter were solid, but this seems like a leap up in quality. Several stories in here, in a comic that’s the size of a regular comic book, so the whole thing feels a bit nostalgic. Until you see the (perfectly reasonable) price tag of $8, which kills that nostalgia dead. Stories include a mopey man who learns quite a bit about the history of pilates, the terrifying feeling of watching your dog run away from you after they get off their leash and not knowing if you’ll ever see them again in one piece, the spectacularly questionable viewing habits of a young Josh and his mother, and finally the bulk of the comic. This one is grim, and just barely fiction, in that Black Mirror “if this isn’t happening exactly this way right now, just give it a few years” kind of way. Our hero is a worker drone in an Amazon warehouse (in all but name), where every aspect of his job and life are monitored. Sleep patterns, television habits, recreational activities, all are monitored and all are factored in whenever a dip in performance is detected. It’s hard to read because (outside of a few fantastical elements) Amazon is already doing at least half of this to their workers, and we’re all just waiting for confirmation that an Alexa in the house is basically a license to spy. Terrifying but engrossing, that’s what I’d call that story, and you might as well read up on it, as it’s the likely future for all of us. Unless climate change gets us first. On that cheery note, better wrap things up, so yes, I’d absolutely recommend this comic, and it doesn’t seem to be connected to past issues, so don’t worry about being lost. $8
Nieminen, Essi – 10 Sim Lane
Who out there has played a Sims game? Or one of the equivalent games that asks you to control the lives of various avatars that generally do nothing more complex than what you do in an average day? Well, this one is for you! This starts off with a misdirect, as we’re introduced in the game to what appears to be our hero. Well, surprise, our hero is being controlled by somebody else! The mundane tasks that the avatar was doing are then carried out in real life by the player, and the juxtaposition of the two of them really brings home the banality of his “life” (and the question of why he feels compelled to play out the same events on the screen). Still, it wouldn’t be much of a comic if that’s all that happened, so eventually the player has to make a trip to the grocery store. While he’s out he runs into either an old girlfriend or somebody he has an interest in (it’s not spelled out), and his first foray into live human interaction in possibly several days goes quite poorly. But that’s OK! When real life goes wrong, he always has the simulation. There were some creepy bits, but generally of the “harmless creepy” category, as no humans were harmed. Maybe call it a cautionary tale of playing too much Sims? Sure, let’s go with that. It’s an oddly compelling story, considering how little actually happens. Give it a shot, you can’t go wrong with mini kus! $7
