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Green, Dragon – Skully Flower #2

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SkullyFlower #2

The improbably named Dragon Green has kept things moving along nicely with this second issue, and this also shows some clear improvements from the first issue.  Not that the first issue was bad, mind you, but improvements are supposed to made from issue to issue (artistic growth, don’t you know), so I’m always happy to see that pattern hold true.  If you haven’t read the review for the first issue or seen this comic before, I recommend clicking on that website link or finding the old review, because I’m just going to get right into it.  Stories in here include trying to find a food source for the plant, adopting the proper state of mind to be able to deal with one of those big box hardware stores, almost being killed by a stupid woman on a cell phone, getting free stuff due to some corporate butt-covering, teaching the plant to skateboard (and Dragon actually managed to make this plausible; no mean feat) , and discovering that the plant could fly.  That last one might qualify as a spoiler but, then again, it may not.  Reading over her website, it sounds like she’s in a bit of artistic paralysis at the moment, as she sees herself as unable to complete a satisfactory background.  As somebody who often complains about the lack of quality backgrounds in comics, I have to say: don’t let that stop you.  Unless the format changes completely in later comics (and it might, this one is from 2006), she’s doing such a great job on the humor of the book that backgrounds aren’t the biggest deal in the world.  That and it probably isn’t really as bad as she thinks.  Anyway, the comic is worth a look, so why don’t you already? $2

Messmer, Dragon – Skullyflower #1

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Skullyflower #1

I checked her website and yes, her real name is in fact “Dragon”.  I believe she is legally obligated to make comics with that name, and as far as I can tell she’s off to an excellent start.  Dragon sent me a pile of  her conics, so this is the first of many that will be up on the site soon (even more if she holds to her promise in the letter to keep them coming).  She describes the first two minis of this series as “really rough”, but I don’t see it.  I’m guessing the art gets better, but it’s not like this issue looked terrible.  Maybe a little short on backgrounds, but it held up really well as a weekly strip.  Or at least it held up well as the kind of weekly strip I enjoy: the kind that’s just a serialized way to tell a story.  There’s a punch line here or two (like in the sample image), but they’re mostly decent ending lines, and things bleed over to the next strip with a bare minimum of  “here’s what happened in the last strip, and my telling you this will kill off at least 1/4 of the strip” kind of nonsense.  Anyway, this is the story of Skullyflower, a talking flower with skull for a face.  What else could it be?  This creature is bored as can be living at the graveyard until a mourning woman finally talks to it and decides to take it home.  Most of this comic is setting up Skullyflower and the main human character (Hydra), which is accomplished neatly in the walk home.  Along the way we also meet her neighbor Frank (and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about that guy along the way), hear about other neighbors, meet her two sock puppets and check out her house.  This could go in any number of directions from here, but I enjoyed the beginning.  The second issue looks like it follows the same format as the first, but the third issue looks much bigger and fancier.  I’ll get reviews up in the coming weeks and find out for sure, but for now there’s a whole pile of free samples at her site, so you don’t have to rely on my opinion of such things to make up your own mind.  $2