Blog Archives
Kim, Alex – The Bird and the Bear: Doormats of Life
The Bird And The Bear: Doormats Of Life
You know what most superhero tales are missing? Great big piles of ennui. And acknowledging the absurdity of wearing odd face masks to fight crime. Well, those oversights are thoroughly taken care of here, as we get to watch the adventures of a couple, bored with life and each other, fighting crime. They occasionally (when they’re able to make themselves get out of bed) put on bird and bear masks to interrupt domestic disputes and drunk guys being jerks. We even get an origin story, which is essential to this sort of thing. This was a thoroughly enjoyable book all around, as we get to see the personal lives of these people, with all the awkward silences and furtive glances that accompany any long term relationship. It doesn’t hurt a thing that the art is gorgeous either. Well worth a look, no price but it’s a pretty hefty thing, so… $5?
Various I Know Joe Kimple Anthologies – Trivial
Trivial
Huzzah for another anthology from the I Know Joe Kimpel crew! Crap, did I give away my reaction already? Oh well. This is, as the title suggests, the depiction of 4 trivial events, often wrapped in far more dramatic events. Well, five, as Sean Ford has two short pieces. First up is a piece by Alexis Frederick-Frost about the second expedition to the South Pole (and no, I have no idea if this is fictional or not). He narrows in on an ongoing discussion among the group members about various dishes they’re inventing, continuing their arguments even while facing death. Next up is a creepy piece by Alex Kim which deals with the lead character relating his dream of his hands becoming giant sized and essentially going on a rampage. The piece by A.L. Arnold is my runaway favorite of the anthology, as it depicts a wordless struggle (unless you count grunts as words) between the last remaining protector of the earth and a particularly stubborn meteorite. The utterly thankless nature of the job, the grim resignation of the protector and that tremendous ending all make this a wonderful thing, and makes me wonder why I haven’t seen more from this guy. Or girl, as A.L. could be anything. Finally there’s the two pieces by Sean Ford, who everybody around here already knows as the man behind the series that is taking the small press world by storm, Only Skin. These pieces don’t reveal any of the mysteries of that series, as they’re just conversations between the ghost and Clay, as the ghost tries to get Clay to poison a girl (due to his own hatred of the world) and reminisces about times he’s never had drinking in a cemetery. This is another solid anthology, and I’m still mildly surprised when anthologies don’t have at least one weak piece in the collection. So it’s great and they managed to keep it at an affordable (for the impressive packaging anyway) $5. Hard to ask for much more than that.
