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Aulisio, Pat – Revolution With a Catchy Phrase #2
Revolution with a Catchy Phrase #2
OK, this one isn’t as good. The comics are hilarious, don’t get me wrong. They’re growing on me in a big way. This one is about an old man, a clown, a ninja, Scott Baio, some monsters, and LeVar Burton. I’m not even going to try and describe it, but I’d like four pounds of whatever he’s on, unless it’s just plain old human kindness, in which case none for me, thanks. There are also a couple of short comics by Simon Kugel, one of which is funny, and one of which mostly isn’t. Still, enough to spend a dollar on, as long as you don’t bother with the essays. There’s one by a newcomer, Justin Klugh, which might have been good (it was about video games), but the copy was screwed up and it cuts off the first few letters of every line. I tried, but it was just too annoying to deal with. Alan Ferich talks about his life and Simon Kugel talks about shoes. Neither one of those is as dull as I’m making them out to be, but they’re sure not as exciting as you might think. Still, the comics make this completely worthwhile, and I liked the other essays from these guys, so they could definitely put something good together for #3. $1!
Aulisio, Pat – Revolution With A Catchy Phrase #1
Revolution with a Catchy Phrase #1
I’m almost positive that I already have something from this guy up on the site, but I can’t find it. How sad is that? Anyway, this zine is ridiculous, and I mean that in the best possible way. The only comic story is about zombies who come to life while some people decide that they want to try and steal Tom Selleck’s soul. Jesus comes down to help and mayhem and hilarity ensue. It looks like crap, mostly, but there’s a sense of fun here that hard to completely ignore. Worth a look if you like old horror movies and Jesus. Then there are a couple of essays by Simon Kugel (and I know he’s around here somewhere) that tell about why a revolution isn’t going to happen and stuff about Capitalism. Throw in one final essay by Alan Ferich about why Adam Sandler and David Spade are stupid and you have a zine! It’s OK, overall. Not going to set the world on fire or anything, but fun. Oh, and there’s an interview with the band This Radiant Boy, another indie band I’ve never heard or. You damned kids! Here’s a website, this is $1.
Aulisio, Pat – Boot Legs
Boot Legs
Wow, this page is so old that I didn’t even have a spellcheck option. Huzzah for clearing out ancient typos! This is the first book I’ve seen from Pat in ages (and there were plenty more in the package), and he mentions in the letter that I’ve been reading his comics since he was 14 (he’s 23 now). Yes, I am indeed getting old. This comic is just what it looks like from that cover: a parody book of Marvel and DC heroes. There are a few stories in here, all of which have at least something to recommend them. First up is Spider-Man hanging out with Lizard, eventually getting MJ in on the action. Next you have the X-Men (Gambit, Wolverine, Cyclops and Storm in this case) drinking, going to band practice and accidentally blasting a hole in the wall of the girls bathroom. The story with Daredevil and Punisher ends up about where you’d expect it to if you’ve ever read the comics, as those two are so clearly in love with each other. Next is my personal favorite: Ghost Rider versus Aquaman. Ghost Rider has gone green, switching to a bicycle, and is almost run off the road by an inexplicably driving Aquaman. A hilariously brief fight ensues. Finally there’s a Batman story in which he tries to convince Superman to drink and smoke pot, gets Catwoman drunk and has sex with her on a pile of money. It’s great to hear from Pat again, even better to get some good old-fashioned parody stories of Marvel and DC big shots. No price on this but I’d guess a buck or two…
Aulisio, Pat – Pat Makes Drawings #2
Pat Makes Drawings #2
Here’s hoping that Pat keeps up this business of making drawings, because he sure has a knack for it. The images in this issue were consistently remarkable, to the point where I’m going to ramble about them in bit of detail, so be warned. First, the cover is full color (obviously), and he takes advantage of that fact on the inside cover but, as you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that it was a drawing of flowers, I won’t mention it. Then there’s another solid page of color in the middle, which means that there’s a full color centerfold. Much as I hate tearing apart comics I might just have to pull this one out and put it on my wall, as it’s a smorgasbord involving what appears to be a sun (vomiting geometric shapes), a creature wooing a snake monster, clipped images of people dancing and laughing, and a hollow giant. Or something like that. The other color images are of a hairy man and his boombox and a jam session involving Teen Wolf, Mr. T and E.T. He could have just left the rest of the comic blank and I would have been happy, but wait, there’s more! You have the summit of the kings, elephant pants, flower eyes, a fire creature reaching the top of the mountain, and the Creature From The Black Lagoon sharing a tender moment with his child. That still leaves plenty for you to discover, and I once again thoroughly enjoyed a comic without much of a coherent story. That’s still a rarity, so it should at least slightly stand out. No price again, but with the color pages I’m guessing $4 this time.
Aulisio, Pat – Pat Makes Drawings #1
Pat Makes Drawings #1
Quick, what’s this comic about? Yes, this is the case where the title gives it all away, although technically that title could apply to every comic ever made. This isn’t a sketchbook though, as all the drawings in here are of higher quality than your average sketches. Pat starts off with drawings of cute animals (although he can’t help but put odd things on them) and moves on to kinky sluts. From here he has some regular old comic stories, dealing with two creatures walking on an indescribable landscape and talking religion, the strip I sampled below (and that “thumbs up” made my day), and the eternal question of whether that is, in fact, a banana in your pants. Throw in a few more drawings towards the end (which I’m keeping a mystery, as why not save a few surprises?) and voila! It’s a comic. Oh, I almost forgot the best part: the post-breakup letter to an ex (no idea if this is really Pat’s letter but I doubt it) that descends into madness involving mandatory metal teeth for all. His drawings have gotten a lot cleaner over the years, but he’s managed to hold onto that overall sense of unreality and insanity that suits his stuff so well. If you’re one of those comic readers who prefers all stories, all the time (like I usually do), there are plenty to choose from on this page, including a few things I still have left in the store. If you’re just a fan of his stuff there’s more than enough in here to make it worthwhile. No price, so let’s say $2.
Aulisio, Pat – Untitled
Untitled
This is a collection of some of Pat’s shorter pieces and also includes Quotidian, which I reviewed ages ago and it’s way, way at the bottom of this ridiculously massive page. Short recap for today: I don’t remember it being nearly that, for lack of a better term, fucked up. I’d also swear that he either cleaned up the art a bit or he was better than I thought at the time, as the story really looks amazing. Tons of small details that I either didn’t see the first time through or have since forgotten because of the ravages of age. Other than that the short pieces include the joys of crossing the streams, the matter of perspective when it comes to giant creepy monsters, and how it’s always best to lull a creature into complacency before bashing its head in with a rock. Quotidian also comes across after those short pieces as being something of an epic, what with the love story, fighting off evil monsters and starring in a rock band. I liked it just fine as a stand alone comic (back then Pat was mostly doing comics with all kinds of stories), but these little pieces really serve to contrast that story. It’s probably worth picking up even if you already read Quotidian, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess most of you missed it the first time around. No price, but what with that fancy cover I’d say it’s at least $2.
