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Mole #9

In case you’re curious what “trichotillomania” means, but you’re not curious enough to Google it, it refers to a disorder that compels people to pull out their own hair. It’s also a pretty solid hint about where the comic is going. This is the first issue of Mole that I’ve read where it’s all just one big story (granted, I’ve only read about 1/3 of these), and it works pretty damned well. Things start off with the horrific scene of a young woman cowering on the bathroom floor, blood everywhere, with an unseen man holding a bloody hairbrush. From there we flash back to how this all happened, and it all started at a drunken party. Two friends were trying to set another friend (Jimmy) up with the only lady at their party (Samantha), but they’d been trying for awhile and couldn’t get him to make a move. So after she passed out they decided to play a little prank on Jimmy, and things gradually spiraled out of control from there. She called him the next morning to hang out, but little did she know that Jimmy could not say no to… the hair. Vague enough for you? Good. It’s rare to see a genuinely new concept that still feels like it’s heading to one inescapable conclusion, even if it’s a conclusion you’ve never considered, but Andrew nails that feeling here. Yes, I may have made up that whole concept, but it’s true nonetheless. Some of his other books are definitely funnier than this one, but there are still laughs to be had here, and this is really more of a horror comic anyway. In my opinion, as the guy who guesses wrong about this stuff all the time, but you should know that by now. Anybody with any insecurities about your hair, give this one a shot. You’ll see that you could always have it worse! $10

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Mole #7

To the readers who are faint of heart and/or stomach: this one isn’t nearly as disgusting as the previous issue, so maybe this is where you should give Andrew’s stuff a shot? Spoilers for the end of the review where I say whether or not I like the comic, I guess. The bulk of this issue is once again the story of Moleboy, and he’s put together a quick and informative “previously on” section for new readers/people like me with short memories. All other small press comics creators with ongoing series, take note! In the last issue our hero had recently rescued some bird eggs with plans to put them in his own backyard and had been going around town making art in the sewer tunnels. This one starts off with him smoking pot with a friend and quickly realizing that he is hopelessly inexperienced compared to his friend when it comes to talking about the ladies. From there they go to a local convenience store but have the bad luck of running into a couple of cops who, sadly, have a keen enough sense of smell to tell what they’ve been up to recently. A quick conversation ends as these things usually do (with the cops searching their bags for little to no reason), and they’re both informed that they’ll be bringing tickets to their homes the following day. This means that their parents are going to find out, which is obviously a thing to be avoided. One set of parents find out, but one friend is able to phone the other one to give them a quick warning. But it turns out that this is happening at the worst possible time for a growing teenage boy! Oh, there’s also a spectacularly awkward scene at school where Moleboy is picked as the volunteer to work with a female self defense instructor, but that’s best left for you to discover. Also included are several short strips of varying degrees of funny, horrific and disgusting, but I’ll leave you to label them all according to your own personal preferences. I’m enjoying the series, but I’m also a well known weirdo. You know the drill: go to his website, check out some samples. $10

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Mole #6

If you like any combination of funny, bizarre and spectacularly gross stories, have I got a comic for you! Andrew has clearly been at this awhile, as he has 7 issues of this series (as of August 2022) along with a few other comics available, and this one has a number of images that are probably going to stick with me for a bit. I barely know where to start, so why I don’t do the traditional vague indication of the content of the stories and see how it goes? There’s one about how the lines on your face are actually literal lines of tiny people, which is probably the most “normal” one of the bunch. Then there’s a profoundly impractical tip for how to unblock your nose, one for how to get rich, and another about someone getting ready to go out. The bulk of the book is made up of a few longer stories, and telling you about these without giving anything away is going to be tricky. First up is the story of a fast food manager who trips on his way out, with his keys flying out of his hand and ending up in the fryer. Obviously he’s not going to dig them out himself, so who does that leave? It goes to a terrible place after that, is all you’re getting out of me. Then there’s Moleboy, which may be a continuing story? It’s “to be continued” after this, anyway. This was another deceptively normal tale about a couple of kids exploring and tagging the sewer, which again took a real turn at the end. Finally there’s the bulk of the book, which gives you no illusions about it being a comforting and quiet tale, about a guy whose face gets up off of his head while he’s sleeping, grows arms and legs and then goes exploring. This might end up being fine if the dude stayed asleep, but… he did not. There’s a lengthy sequence involving a faceless dude trying to make his own way to a doctor, full of hijinx that will amuse and terrify you. And possibly make you sick, I don’t know whether or not you have a strong stomach. So clearly this one is not for the easily grossed out, but for the rest of us there’s some really inventive stuff in here. It’s also not going to fool anybody who is easily grossed out, as that cover says it all, really. Give it a look, I say. $10