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Papke, Maryanne Rose – Politics of a Twig

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Politics of a Twig

No insects were harmed in the course of this comic. Are there insect rights groups? It wouldn’t surprise me, but if there are, even they won’t be offended by this story. This one starts off with a bug trying to kick some leaves off of his branch by using his super powers. How does this bug have super powers? They were given to him by a preying mantis, as bugs taste better when they’re drunk with power. Other bugs stop by to attempt to reason with the bug that’s mad with power, interesting conversations are had by all, then this tiny comic ends. Maybe my saying that no insects were harmed is a bit of a spoiler. Well, harm is certainly implied, so you have that to look forward to. It’s a funny little story, and it makes me wonder why there aren’t more stories about insects out there, as most of them have to be easier to draw than humans. That comment right there probably explains why I write about comics instead of making them. Anyway, this is tiny, so I’m guessing a buck or two will get you a copy.

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Papke, Maryanne Rose – Ghost Castle

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Ghost Castle

I might as well start this one off with my only complaint: I’ve never been a fan of covers of only one color. Granted, your main thought should not be of how your comic would look on a shelf at a comics store, but the question should still be considered. Other than that (meaning “the actual comic”), I thought this was damned near perfect. It’s a mostly wordless tale of a young man who is… OK, it’s not exactly clear what he’s doing. Which is fine! We meet him as he’s bringing a flower to a castle. He gives the flower to the giant beast that is guarding the door, who then proceeds to let him in. As the young man is exploring he hears something begging for help, but in front of that door there’s a very large man in full armor, so our hero takes a good look at the situation and decides to keep going without discovering the source of the pleas. He comes across a clump of flowers, decides to take one to the guard in the hopes of repeating his luck at getting into the castle, and I can’t keep going with this or I’ll ruin all the surprises. Of course it doesn’t all go smoothly or there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell, right? The art is gorgeous; the shadows of those solid blacks really bring out the mysteries of that castle, and you’re right there along with the hero in trying to figure out what could be in them. I was under the impression that this was her first comic for whatever reason, but she has a few more listed on her website, which I’m now really curious to see after reading this. But check this one out first, as it’s a sweet and terrifying little story that is perfect all by itself. $4

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