Friday, December 17, 2004
< comics/x >
BRAIN FOOD #10
by Mike Toft
($1.00 from Mike Toft / PO Box 7246 / Minneapolis, MN / 55407. E-mail)
Review by Mark Campos
I'm as prone to snap generalizations as the next guy. I paged through this, saw the pictures of Falwell and Oprah with jokey captions, saw the religion cartoons, saw the mohawk punk character, and thought, Another punkety-rock cartoonist.
Mike's been at this a while, though, and he's evolved into a cartoonist worth checking. He cocks snoots at bulimic supermodels and Hummer drivers and the Bush cabinet, sure, and still puts up groaners like "Weapons of Gas Destruction" (a can of beans); then turns around and whangs out a page as unique as "What If Dogs Knew They Were Going To Die?": "Why should I mark my territory when it all eventually turns to dust?" "Why Do Men Hunt" and "Dog Gone Wild" are funny as well.
Mike's art has got some levels to it – good shading, nice angles and backgrounds. Don't write him off, as I almost did – seek out his work.
[ Link to this review ]
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Thursday, December 16, 2004
< comics/x >
CATHOLIC SCHOOL FUNNIES
by Mary Jessica Hammes
($1.00 from Mary Jessica Hammes / PO Box 948 / Athens, GA / 30603 USA. E-mail)
Review by Rick Bradford
Are there no former Catholic school students who weren't considerably damaged by the experience? Surely there are but, judging by most artists with that sort of history, it's easy to suggest there aren't.
That said, I enjoyed this and would love to read more about Mary Jessica's experiences with Catholicism. This comic revolves loosely around the author's faith (or lack thereof), a theme common to many comics that deal with religion. Of course, one of the elements here that only serves to make the whole experience more disturbing is the depiction of the nuns. These women, as represented by Mary Jessica, were cruel and intimidating. This is how Catholic school nuns are always depicted, it seems, and I have to assume there's a great deal of truth in the stereotype. I've never quite understood how cruelty and a love of God could go hand in hand, but there you have it.
Anyhow, I liked this comic very much. It's well-done autobio and it's got the bonus notion of questioning religion, which is something of a hobby for me. You may also want to check out more of the author's work in her The Very Best of All-True Sometimes, of which a review is forthcoming.
[ Link to this review ]
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Wednesday, December 15, 2004
< comics/x >
TREAD #7
by Greg Vondruska
($3.00 from Greg Vondruska / PO Box 273415 / Tampa, FL / 33688-3415 USA. Web: gregvondruska.com. Also available in the Poopsheet Shop)
Review by Henry Chamberlain
In Tread #7, Greg Vondruska offers self-deprecating stories about childhood: a boy repulses a girl because his breath smells like peanut butter, a hopelessly
unathletic boy wanders naked through summer camp, a pathetic boy recieves the gift of his undoing, a manual on how to draw comics. As thrilling as stale gym shorts, Vondruska dares us to consider a childhood that is all gross and icky.
"A Token and Two Bucks", from Tread #1, or " Porridge and Crackers", from Tread #8, are far more balanced stories and far more appealing. That same gestural mark and off center storytelling is throughout Vondruska's work and can be done well. He seems to walk too fine a line between sentimental and maudlin in this latest issue and, if he is attempting to be a little twisted and ironic, it doesn't pack enough of a punch.
Such is the fate of low-key humor: if it fails to ignite sparks, it can easily be dismissed. But how can it hope to fight with all its vulnerability and sensitivity? The answer to that results in art that strikes just the right chord, something Vondruska is certainly capable of doing.
[ Link to this review ]
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< comics/x >
MOVIE MADNESS
MINI-COMICS CLASSICS #1: Moby Dick
MINI-COMICS CLASSICS #2: Inferno
by John Petty
(50¢ each from John E. Petty / 3545 West Northgate, #2211 / Irving, TX / 75062 USA)
Review by Rick Bradford
John is a recent convert to mini-comics (after attending one of Dave Tosh's mini-comics workshops) and these are his first three publications. Movie Madness is a brief reflection on watching sci-fi movies all day with his dog. It's a nice start but more interesting are the two issues of Mini-Comics Classics, in which Melville's Moby Dick and Dante's Inferno are humorously whittled down to six pages each. It amounts to about a paragraph of text plus funny drawings. My impression is that Movie Madness was John's first mini and the other two followed, all within a couple of months. Assuming this is the case, I can already see improvement in his drawings, which is pretty impressive to me. Don't forget the real reason to check these out, though: Robot Monster's in every comic!
[ Link to this review ]
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Tuesday, December 14, 2004
< comics/x >
SPX 2004
by various
(published by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. SPX website)
Review by Sean McGurr
The first thing I noticed about this year's Small Press Expo (SPX) anthology, SPX 2004, is how thin it was compared to the last few. This is not a bad thing; if an anthology is too big, some stories can get easily lost. The other thing I noticed is that in a book whose theme was war in an election year, there weren't as many Iraq / War on Terror / Bush-bashing stories as I expected. Again, this is a good thing. That doesn't mean that some cartoonists didn't slyly comment on current events through their stories.
Overall, the anthology is strong which can only be expected since it is one of the premier comix anthologies. This year seemed to have fewer "name" cartoonists for me, although that could be because I'm reading it in the year it came out. If I were to look at the table of contents two or three years from now a few more may have hit it big. But at this point, most are on equal footing with the public.
The best stories in the anthology offer different takes on war. There is "The Holy Kingdom" by Bruce Mutard that is a philosophical discussion between a Western ex-crusader and a Muslim in 1191 drawn in a "Prince Valiant" style. Drew Weing's cartoonish "Leaflet Drop" about a single incident in a war between humans and aliens is clever and makes you want more.
Elsewhere though the rhetoric is hardly subtle and can be a bit much despite the worthwhile message. I don't want to point out any one example, but there are three or four in the collection that are heavy-handed.
Overall, the collection is a good one and few of the stories will become dated.
[ Link to this review ]
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Monday, December 13, 2004
< comics/x >
CHROME FETUS COMICS #6
by Hans Rickheit
($2.50 from Hans Rickheit / 6 Wadleigh Place / Boston, MA / 02127 USA. Web: chromefetus.com. Also available in the Poopsheet Shop)
Review by Henry Chamberlain
Chrome Fetus #6 is a joy to read. It makes you think of those hedonistic Sundays when you can spend all day in last night's clothes or naked in languid decadence. That seems to be the perpetual state Hans Rickheit's characters find themselves in. At least the ones still alive and free to move around.
Rickheit's meticulous style, at times, echoes Chris Ware while maintaining a more loose and organic line. His twins, Cochlea and Eustachia, would likely lose some of their depraved sensuality rendered by Ware. They are Rickheit's Jimmy Corrigan, the perfect example of his sensibility: esoteric, gothic, and decidedly surreal.
Cochlea and Eustachia mostly pad about an old mansion in masks and nighties that barely go below their waists. These two girls are lovely and strange from their protruding foreheads down to their perfectly big feet. What is so remarkable about them is that they would be compelling no matter what they did, which often revolves around finding a dead alien fetus.
Not enough praise can be heaped upon Rickheit for fully realizing, texture by texture, pattern by pattern, loose limb by loose limb, his own comics world. This is no small accomplishment. Nor is the fact he compresses so much stimulating work into a 32-page mini-comic. For all the frenzied intricate fun, a comparison to Winsor McCay is within reason.
Among other Rickheit characters, a deranged homicidal dwarf king rounds out this beautiful nightmare. But it is Cochlea and Eustachia who will steal your heart – literally, given half a chance.
[ Link to this review ]
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< comics/x >
NORMAL #1
by Marko Turunen
( Daada Books)
Review by Mark Campos
Yet another sweet little book out of Finland, small enough to lose underneath my desk for several days. This may be the export edition, since the text has already been translated into English. Six tales which have that wonderful nightmare quality – bad dreams about an elfking with a rat for a brain, a homicidal living apartment, a tracheotomy performed with a rolled-up comic. Marko distorts select panels with a copier or scanner, conveying the effect of speed or derangement. Very disturbing. I'd suggest you try to get a copy of this book, or scout around for more of Marko's stuff.
[ Link to this review ]
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