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Manley, Jeffery J. – Isn’t It Beautiful?
Isn’t It Beautiful? Now Available! $6
This is one hefty pile o’ strips for six bucks. It’s essentially one year of Manley Days (1/17-05 to 12/31/05) and having these all in one place does the whole thing a world of good. I wasn’t completely sold on it after the first mini collection (if that’s what you’d call it) but I am now. Yes, it does get a bit schmaltzy at times, or possibly I’m just too damned cynical and it’s really heartwarming. Either way, he really hits his stride somewhere towards the middle of the book and it just flies from there. My previous grammatical bitches are completely gone, and the only problem with the book aesthetically are the occasional smudged pages, but that’s rare and it’s a printing problem, not Jeffrey’s fault. If you bought the previous book this one does contain all of those strips, so there are repeats here, but I think it’s smart to have a whole year clumped together like this. A big part of it is dealing with a pregnant wife and new baby, and this diary strip is different from most others in that Jeffrey isn’t even in some of the strips, as he devotes plenty of time to his wife and kids. He obviously dotes on them, or at least doesn’t show us most of the bad stuff if he’s really a horrible father/husband although, having met him a few times, he sure hides that evil side well in person too. His website or the previous book will give you a taste of the strips if you’re not sure of it, but if you are sure this is a pretty good way to spend an hour or so on a lazy afternoon.
Manley, Jeffery J. – Manley Days
Manley Days
Hey look, it’s more diary strips! Not to belittle it or anything. Here you have the life story of Jeffery and his wife going through their days from 1/17 to 4/8 of this year (2005). Sometimes it gets more than a bit schmaltzy, but I think that’s allowed when you have a pregnant wife. If that’s not a time for some sentimentality then when is?You have some funny days in here, some busy days, some slow days, and some days that probably shouldn’t have been put in here at all, but that’s kind of the nature of the beast when you run a daily strip. Sometimes there’s absolutely nothing to say and (this goes for all the diary strips I know, I’m not just picking on Jeff here) it shows. Still, the whole picture here is what this is about more than a collection of parts. Subjects in here include poverty, pregnancy,Shaun of the Dead, meatloaf, Beck, smoking, farting a bit too hard, shaving, taxes, and too many more things here than I can mention.Hey, it’s a pretty big book for $3, what do you want from me? Anyway, mostly good stuff, although by now you probably know if you like the diary strip style, so make up your mind based on that. If you like it you won’t be disappointed, or at least I think you won’t, but I’m also a guy who reads way too many comics to be taken seriously. This is also available in the online store and it’s $3…
Manley, Jeffery J. – Small Press Parody
Well, if you don’t know who Tony Consiglio, Andrew Robinson, Mike Dawson, Chris Radtke and Donovan Cater are, chances are this book won’t do much for you. If you do, however, I think Jeffery pretty much nails everybody in here. It’s a tiny book, only about 8 pages, but it’s a nice tribute to Mad Magazine and all the artists in here. Worth a look if you know the people involved in here. Oh, and I think Jesus is in here too, but don’t quote me on that…
Manley, Jeffery J. – Punked
Punked Now Available! $1
Ah, the 24 hour comic. The quality of these rare creatures varies wildly, as sometimes it’s a freeing exercise for an artist, not letting them dwell too much on making everything just right, which can lead to some profound insight. Sometimes it’s just a total rush job, something for an artist to do to say “look everybody, I did a 24 hour comic!”. Jeffery manages the former, even if he is a bit ham-handed at times getting there. This is the story of a young man trying to relate to his father. He takes advice from his evil side, chats with his other siblings, and finally everything works out OK (spoiler alert) with one of the creepier endings I’ve seen, or at least one of the creepier ones where it’s supposed to be sweetness and light. I was impressed by the art here though, as if he can make it look this good while rushing through a comic (and this was done in 2004), he should have a vast library of work available by now. For some reason Jeffery decided to alternate the page colors, which is a bit disconcerting, if only a minor gripe. As far as the story goes, it’s a bit simplistic, sure, but the bit of misdirection with the trash bag was a nice touch, and it’s too damned heartwarming to say much bad about it. If you like his other work this is definitely worth checking out, unless you’re too cynical to accept anything with some sort of a happy ending. $1
Manley, Jeffery J. – Joplin, Wyoming: Volume One
Joplin, Wyoming: Volume One
You guys know that I like Jeff, right? I’ve made that pretty clear with a bunch of other reviews on this page, I think. So, I did like this book, but I have more than a few criticisms about it. First off, for those of you who don’t want to scroll up a bit, this is the story of Jeffery (I mean “Miner”) meeting and courting his current wife Alexis and dealing with the opinions of her family members. It’s a touching story at times, and I still think that his artwork gets better every time I see it. And I didn’t even notice too many things grammatically wrong with it, which was a pleasant surprise. BUT (you knew it was coming)… it had a few problems. For one thing, the story was all over the place. First he has a big argument with Alexis about God, then suddenly (although years have passed chronologically) he’s praising God himself. Then they’re married and slightly bored with the routine, which makes the ending kind of anti-climatic. Not sure how I would have changed it to make it more clear, and it did help to break up a story that’s basically just about two people, but it seemed kind of messy so far. That’s the key part of this. the “so far” bit. He plans on doing at least a few more of these, and it’s entirely possible that he has a grand master plan and this review is going to look pretty stupid in a few years. Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time. Also, some of the shading looks crappy, and that’s not something that I usually notice. Looks like he’s inking in things with a marker that’s almost out, which would be fine for a mini, but this is a graphic novel for Christ sakes, so take your time! I also really thought that there would be more with Alexis’s family from the preview mini, but they were barely in here at all. Anyway, it’s still a great book overall, I just have a few minor problems with it. It’s only $6 for a pretty big book, and there are more coming, so check it out!
Manley, Jeffery J. – Jeffery J. Manley’s Tour Guide of Joplin, Wyoming
Jeffery J. Manley’s Tour Guide of Joplin, Wyoming Now Available! $1
There’s not a whole lot to be said for your average graphic novel preview, as it’s only going to be a tiny fraction of the story. This one is about Miner’s girlfriend accepting the wrath of her parents and staying out late with him, Miner’s new haircut and his girlfriend’s reaction to it, and the neighbor’s reaction to Miner’s penis. It did look good and I’m intrigued by the thought of a huge book with these characters, so I guess the preview did a good job. If I can make one request though: PLEASE get an editor for a graphic novel. Have a couple of friends read it or something, just to get rid of the obvious spelling mistakes if nothing else, “truely”. Although I seem to remember him saying that he did that on purpose, I’m pretty sure most other people don’t get the joke and it just doesn’t look good. It’s $1 and it has me wondering. And, as the book won’t come out for another year or so, this might be the only look you get at his stuff for another year. Contact info is up there, check it out!
Manley, Jeffery J. – Miner Distractions #1
Miner Distractions #1
One of the most gratifying things about this “job” is watching comics creators develop. I’d say this issue is the biggest single leap for Jeffrey since… well, since I’ve been reading his stuff anyway. That being said, you might find it hard to believe me when I tell you that the whole issue is about dog poop, but it’s true. The cast has been trimmed considerably, down to Lexi (his wife, basically), Miner 59er (himself, basically), Kiwi and Bat, which makes for a much simpler book. Or maybe it’s simpler because it’s all about crap? Well, whatever the case, his art continues to improve by leaps and bounds (and it wasn’t bad to begin with), and he manages to throw in cameos by all sorts of comics folks, as is explained by Tony Danza at the back of the book. Hey, I’m not making this up. The crap in question is being left by a neighbor’s dog, which leads to the conflict in the story. Good stuff, funny ending, the only thing I could suggest improving about it would maybe be to put a little sound effect in at the end. I’m not going to say what kind of sound effect, as that would give away the ending, but I know that some greeting cards use the technology, and in my opinion it would have made the comic one of the best things ever. Still, even without sound effects, this is well worth a look. It’s $2, I’m sure contact info is somewhere on this page, as it’s sure not in the book…
Manley, Jeffery J. – Stories of Kiwi Strips #3
Stories of Kiwi Strips #3
Looks like Jeffery has given up on the whole “diary strips” idea, as this one is basically some of his cast-off characters asking people if they think they should still be around. So does this mean he’s going to focus on autobio? Has he given up on comics altogether? Or is this just, what do you call it, a story in a comic book? Time will tell the answer to that one. In the meantime, this is $.50 and has a few laughs in it here and there. To prove it, here’s Jeffrey making fun of those wackos who think that the President should have a reason and, I don’t know, proof before he goes to war. Communists!
Manley, Jeffery J. – Stories of Kiwi Strips
Stories of Kiwi Strips
Well, the good news is that James Kochalka has inspired a lot of people to do daily strips. The bad new is… that James Kochalka has inspired a lot of people to do daily strips. I kid! I kid because I love. Well, maybe not love, but I do like this book. 60 different strips about mostly different things, primarily responses to a question of silly gag strips. And there are the ones that make no sense to me at all. Not sure if those are supposed to be funny or not, but I’m going with “yes” and assuming that I just don’t have the right experiences to make it funny for me. That’s called “the benefit of the doubt”, in case this is the first review you’ve ever read. They aren’t all great, but there are enough good strips in this to make it worth a look. Go to his website, learn more!
Manley, Jeffery J. – Stories of Kiwi #2
Stories of Kiwi #2
For those of you looking to order his books, I should just warn you that apparently he calls most of his series “Stories of Kiwi”, as this one isn’t the issue before the one that I had previously reviewed. I mostly picked this one for one to review for one reason:
There’s a quote, from me, covering his naked crotch. I’m not sure if I should be offended or overjoyed, so I think I’ll just go with “slightly creeped out” and leave it at that. This issue is about everyone at a comics convention. Yes, it’s been done a million times, but it’s always funny when the main guy gets beat with a bat in a bathroom. The art’s looking great, I still have a problem with his spelling and grammar, but such is life. He has a new e-mail address and I’m liking his comics more and more all the time, except for the “odds and ends” issue, of which I will speak no more.
Manley, Jeffery J. – Stories of Kiwi #3
Stories of Kiwi #3
This is kind of the adventures of a floating kiwi, except for the fact that it’s mostly the adventures of his friends. They’re all odd looking in some way or another, and that’s about all the information we get about them. This issue deals with one of the characters suddenly turning into a vampire and the complete lack of concern by his friends when he starts killing people. You’ve all read me complaining about grammar in these mini comics at some point, and you’ve all read about me bitching about the improper use of “you’re” and “your”, “there” and “their”, things like that. Well, in #0 (no, I’m not going to review all the issues. I didn’t think much of it, and it’s my discretion we’re going with here) he mentions that it’s done for the sake of an inside joke, which is all well and good, as mini comics are the most insider jokiningest things out there. Here’s the thing, and maybe there’s a nice way to put this… ah, screw being nice. It makes him look like a moron. That thought crosses my mind when it happens once or twice, when it’s constant I start to wonder if the guy has an education at all. All that wouldn’t make that much difference if the story was engaging or entertaining at all, and there wasn’t much to latch onto in the first few issues. Maybe I’m just in a pissy mood because I’ve had a cold for the better part of two months, but I really didn’t come away from this feeling like I’d gotten much out of it. E-mail him if you like or send him money at: 1092 E. U.S. 10 Scottville, MI 49454. I liked the art though…
