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Weiser, Joey – The Unremarkable Tree Frog
The Unremarkable Tree Frog
Short comics like this don’t exist to be analyzed to death, so why bother? Anybody who reads reviews here knows that I’m a bigger fan of impressions than I am of going through everything in minute detail. This is a shortie about the tree frog up there falling in love with Thievery Girl from afar, only to learn that his idealized version of the woman was far from the reality. That’s three for three that I really liked from Joey, so that’s about as high a recommendation as anybody gets on this page. Contact info is up there, this is probably $1, but it looks professional as hell (as do all of his books), so it could easily be $2. Worth it either way!
Weiser, Joey – Tales of Unusual Circumstance #3
Tales of Unusual Circumstance #3 Now Available! $2
Joey has decided to go with one big story and a couple of little ones in this issue, which has led, sadly, to a slight drop in the funny. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of great stuff here, including the opening story about a man giving a survey to a room full of baby seals and the last bit about The Unremarkable Tree Frog having his fragile ego crushed yet again, this time by the guy working at the local comic shop. The meat of the issue, though, is Peach Boy, a story based on the Japanese Motomaro legend. There’s a bit of a problem with the demon population (who live on an island filled with garbage) and the locals over who gets day-old bagels from a local shop. This escalates into some serious beatings, so Peach Boy decides to go over to the island and teach the demons a lesson. Along the way he picks up a hungry dog, a cowardly pigeon and an angry monkey. If I tell much more there won’t be anything left to the comic, but it’s safe to say that a lesson is learned by all. Still a great comic, don’t get me wrong, I just have this irrational personal insistence that people who can be funny should be funny as much as possible in their given field. Stupid, as it’s not like artists are vending machines where you can just pick “funny” every time out, but I am occasionally stupid, what can I say. $2
Weiser, Joey – Tales of Unusual Circumstance #2
Tales of Unusual Circumstance #2 Now Available! $2
Should I be disappointed because there isn’t an actual scene in the comic involving Caesar fighting Wolf Man? I am just a little bit, even though that punch on the cover is all that you really need to make the concept funny. On to the stories! There’s a surprisingly adorable tale about dinosaurs finding a magic lamp millions of years ago, an old man who steals vision and hearing from people while they sleep, Joey’s dark vision of his own future if he ever gives up on comics, and the Unremarkable Tree Frog running into his crush, Thievery Girl, and actually having a decent conversation with her. This one is also traditional mini comic size, not the wee things that were #1 and his other shorties on this page, for those absolute nerds who really need to know this kind of thing, if you do in fact exist. If you enjoy the funny, this man is certainly a good place to go to get it. $2
Weiser, Joey – Tales of Unusual Circumstance #1
Tales of Unusual Circumstance #1
OK, two comics into my getting to know the work of Joey Weiser and I’m damned glad that I did. I think I have more of his work from FLUKE, which also makes me happy. Why? Because I lilke funny comics, dammit! Sure, the quiet, introspective comics are fine, and sure, the whiny ones about all the reasons their lives are so horrible are fine (sometimes), but there are times I just want to laugh at my comics, and I’m thrilled that that’s the case here. The first story, covering half the book, is about the sons of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon (does he have a shorter name than that?), playing in a sandbox and then trying not to be murdered. Trust me, it’s funny. Then you have Joey’s trip to the dentist, followed by the true story of white-out, and how the son of the creator of white-out started the Monkees and then, later in life, helped create MTV, which has been marginalizing originality and intelligence for, what, 20 years now? And we wonder why this generation is so stupid. Anyway, there’s another page of panel comics, and that’s your comic! Funny, insightful, and with just a pinch of social commentary (while not too heavy-handed), there’s not much bad to say about this. This one is $1, worth every penny, and contact info is right up there.
Weiser, Joey – Zoomorphic Funnies
Zoomorphic Funnies Now Available! $1
Who loves one page strips about animals in various situations? Well, I do, as long as it’s this funny. This is a bit of a shortie, but for $1, who cares? In here you have a racist space monkey, Ugly Elephantingston, Electric Fish God, Raymond Roadkill and a pig who just can’t seem to be a hero. I don’t know his name but he tries over and over to rescue the damsel in distress, even though it gets him into all sorts of trouble. No, I’m not going to tell you what sorts of trouble. That’s called a “tease”. A couple of the comics in here are available on his website, including the largest one in the bunch about that pig flying during a war. Like I said, it’s only $1, and there’s more than enough funny in here to make it worth your while.
