Blog Archives
McDonnell, Lisa – Tick Tick Boom
Tick Tick Boom
I should probably put a little disclaimer here: if you have ever had any serious issues with ticks being attached to any part of your body and you’d care to forget all about it, it might be best to avoid this comic. That’s OK, there are two good ones right below this to choose from. As someone who has had to deal with a tick before, seeing the bloated creature in this comic was more effective than any horror movie. This is the (if there is any justice in this world fictional) story of a gigantic tick, how it is discovered and how it meets its maker. There is a man who had a traumatic experience with a tick as a young boy, and he nurtures that hatred until he is able to get a job as a tick inspector. Upon arriving in the park he sees a queen tick (again, I can only hope there is no such thing in real life), and it has sucked the life right out of a small, hairless dog. This tick inspector manages to capture it and puts it in a box to the Guinness record committee, but he uses some unfortunate word choices on the box, and well, that title is an appropriate description for more than just ticks. This also has a handy chart of the tick life cycle, and some subtle (if pointed) commentary on tv news anchors. Like I said, as long as you’re not scarred for life from some childhood tick trauma, this is a pretty great story and you should probably check it out.
McDonnell, Lisa – Spring Break 2009: The Adventures of Vega and Leo
Spring Break 2009: The Adventures of Vega and Leo
I do always love the random submission. Lisa sent along three comics, so expect to be seeing more from her here in the near future. She also sent along a nice little fold-out with material from her comics and some other art, a sort of primer on her work, which would be a great idea for more people to put together who are looking for a concise (and free) way to get themselves out there. One thing was immediately apparent with this comic: she has a great gift to pack a lot of material into a small comic. The actual story here is only 6 pages long, but she manages to tell the story of how these two got a free vacation on spring break, what exactly they did on said break, what gifts they came home with and how they got right with the world upon arriving. On a website full of oversimplified synopses of comic stories, that has to be one of the most oversimplified, but it’s either that or ruin this. OK fine, I’ll throw a little more out there. Highlights include Leo’s bug obsession, the giant blinking eye, the crystal skull exhibit (closed until 2010) and, of course, Lake Titicaca. School children everywhere, rejoice: it is a real place. The price tag is a mystery (going by heft alone I’d say $1), but it’s already apparent that she has a distinct voice and I look forward to seeing what else I learn from her other two comics.
