Panel Discussion
"INDY SPOTLIGHT"
Copyright © 2004, Rick Silva
This installment of Panel Discussion is made up entirely of books I picked up at the Small Press Expo, which I attended in early October in Bethesda MD. This event showcases small press and independent comics publishers and the organizations that support them. You may not find any familiar titles in among these reviews, but I hope you'll take a chance on some of these books. Many of them are very worthy of your attention, and the attention of a wider audience. There is an incredible variety in terms of style and subject matter available in small press comics, so whether you're into action, horror, romance, humor, historical fiction, or just about anything else, there's probably an indy comic out there for you.
Because these books come from less-known companies, I've tried to include a website or email contact with each review. I urge, if one of these books sounds interesting to you, give it a look, and pass the word along. I'm an independent comics creator myself, so I have an idea of how the makers of these books have put their hearts, souls, and hard-earned dough into making their creative dream a reality. They seek only the opportunity to entertain you.
Reviews
Fractured Kisses #4 (Strawberry Comics, 2004, www.strawberrycomics.com): Four romantic stories drawn in manga style. The book starts out with Robin Sobolewski's "Cardboard Angel", a comedy piece with some supernatural elements about a young female fan being visited by the ghost of the rock star she idolized. He's chosen her to help him complete the unfinished business of his mortal life. Very beginning to a story with a lot of potential. Gina Biggs' "Never Again" is a romantic tragedy with some nice artwork and excellent use of panel layouts. Amy Stoddard's "Serenade" is a short illustrated poem that tells its story nicely with minimal dialogue. The book ends with Ann Fujita's "One Sweet Thing", a high school romance. Romance manga is not a genre that I'm particularly familiar with, so I can't really say how Fractured Kisses compares to the Japanese books that it takes its style from, but I found it to be a refreshing change from a lot of the comics (even the indy comics) I've been reading lately. The production quality of the book is quite good, and the artwork is excellent throughout, including a gorgeous cover. Obviously, if romance isn't your thing, then this book is not for you, but otherwise this is worth checking out. [7.5].
Raw in Repitition #1 (Luxe Illustrato, 2004, www.luxeillustrato.com): Beautiful eight-page b/w mini telling the introspective tale of a man's ongoing battle with HIV. Artwork is sketchy, but looks very good, and it's a nice fit with the story. Simply stated and very powerful. [8].
Terrible Tales on a Smaller Scale #1 (Geek Boy Press, 2004, www.geekboypress.com): Quarter-sized b/w minicomic. Alternating pages of artwork and rhyming narrative tell the tale of Lonely Tony, who discovers a strange new world and a new friend after being swallowed by a giant plant. Very surreal, loads of fun, with an art style that calls to mind Dr. Seuss. Plot falls apart a bit at the end, but this is still a very enjoyable book with a distinctive style to it. [7].
Machiavelli Ch. 1 Excerpt (Don MacDonald, 2004, www.donmacdonald.com): This is an ashcan-format preview book excerpting from a forthcoming 150-page graphic novel following the life of Niccolo Machiavelli. This is well-researched historical fiction backed up by excellent artwork. Because of the complex nature of the project, it appears that it was difficult to simply cut out a segment to use as a preview. As a result, the plot is a bit hard to decipher in the ten pages that we get here. I also felt pulled out of the story by the author's decision to update the dialogue to modern speech styles. Phrases like "dude' and "sucks, though" might serve to make the characters more accessible, but they break up the flavor of the Italian renaissance setting. [6.5].
Ling Master Preview #3 (E.J. Barnes, 2003): Twelve-page b/w minicomic. Ling Master is a parody series with a pulp vibe to it. This particular issue tells the tale of "The Squid Boys of Terre Haute". It's a very funny spoof on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, complete with elder races of vaguely cephalopod beings whose mysterious comic books have the power to drive normal mortals to madness. Very amusing. [7].
Ciuma (E.J. Barnes, 1997): This is a full-color minicomic that mixes photos with color artwork to tell a story passed down through the author's family about an encounter with the anthropomorphic incarnation of the plague in Romania. Beautiful book that nicely captures the flavor of the family folktale with a touch of irony in the ending. [8].
Faans #4 (6 Handed Press, 2004, www.faans.com): Nice conclusion to the cliffhanger of the previous issue as the Faans must face their own darkest (well, most amusing) temptations in order to defeat their nemesis, Thackerabilitus. Satisfactory ending to the initial storyline with enough loose ends to keep things interesting. [7].
Hideous: A Monster Romance (Lunchbreak Comics, 2004, www.lunchbreakcomics.com): Very amusing b/w minicomic done in the style of cartoonist Jeffrey Brown about a monster who finds (not quite) true love on the internet. Follows the ups and downs of the relationship between monster and human. Simple but expressive art style. Hilarious stuff. [7].
Full Sanction in Ya Can't Eat Just One (Jose Mochove & Rusty Rowley, 2004, fullsanction at aol dot com): Quarter-sized stick-figure minicomic featuring Joey and Rusty investigating a time/space anomaly and facing off against the Time Phantom and his Scotch Tape Arsenal. Entertaining, for what it is. There's a nice dose of surrealism mixed in with the parody elements. [6].
Lackluster World #1 (Generation Eric Publishing, 2004, www.lacklusterworld.com): Albino journalist Fahrenheit Monahan turns to vandalism to escape the pressures of his fanatic siblings and his idiot co-workers. Very nice artwork, especially on Fahrenheit's cat, Mr. Mittens. The quirky characters are a bit more over-the-top than is really necessary for the story, but overall this black comedy is off to an excellent start. [7].
SuperPower of Attorney Preview Issue (Flaming Faerie Press, 2004, www.billroundy.com): Sixteen-page b/w photocopied minicomic. This is one of those ideas that just HAD to happen sooner or later: A law firm specializing in cases involving superheroes and villains. Lots of great jokes here, and a surprisingly elaborate set of subplots is established. Artwork is on the rough side, and the layout is a bit sloppy. [5.5].
Hellguy: Bowl Full of Evil (Rear End, 2004, pfilm at comcast dot net): This Hellboy parody gets a good deal of its inspiration from the "shit demon" scene in the film Dogma. The no-frills 8-page photocopied mini has some decent jokes mixed in with the obvious toilet humor, but suffers from a lack of much in the way of plot. [4].
Brownsville Preview (NBM, 2004, www.nbmpublishing.com): This 16-page half-sized mini is a preview of the upcoming Brownsville graphic novel. Telling the tale of Brooklyn's Jewish mobsters of the 1920's and 1930's, The Brownsville preview does a nice job of introducing what is clearly a very complex cast and story in the 16 pages of the preview book. Well-researched and loaded with intriguing characters, the story definitely had me hooked (and this coming from a reviewer who's never been particularly interested in the gangster genre). Excellent artwork loaded with detail that suffers a little bit from the photocopying process. The graphic novel looks to be a winner. [8].
Street Angel #1 (Slave Labor Graphics, 2004, www.slavelabor.com): I loved the wordless Street Angel segment in SLG's Free Comic Book Day anthology. The full-length book is quite a bit wordier and a little slow to get started, but for the most part the dialogue is spot-on as the obnoxious skateboarder Street Angel takes on police, ninjas, even a mad scientist, losing only a shoe in the process. Street Angel is a smart parody that is wonderfully over the top and features gorgeous artwork. Duo-tone front cover sports an unusual but catchy layout, while an alternative (sexier, more traditional, and less interesting) cover on the back. I'm interested in seeing whether this can grow beyond the obvious ninja jokes. [7].
Jonny Crossbones SPX 2004 Preview Book (Evil Space Robot, 2004, www.evilspacerobot.com): This 12-page photocopied mini reads a lot like a classic newspaper strip (think Annie or Dick Tracy). Jonny Crossbones becomes entangled in a plot to rob a museum by villains who are after a buried cache of pirate treasure. Presentation suffers a bit from the small panels combined with the wordiness and the photocopying. Dialogue is heavy on exposition, but that's not really a problem in the nostalgic style that this book is aiming for. The story is fun and the characters are developed enough to make them interesting even given the short length of the book. This preview is taken from the Jonny Crossbones webcomic, which creator Les McClaine is planning to eventually release in graphic novel form. [6.5].
Teenagers from Mars #4 (Rick Spears & Rob Goodridge, 2002): Full-length b/w comic. Cover art is subtly disturbing, and the story of punk intrigue and romance is straightforward and intense. Great interior artwork including an absolutely wonderful center-spread. Some manga influence is evident, but none of the gimmicky manga techniques are used here. Dialogue was sparse throughout, but excellent in places. This is a great example of the kind of things you're missing out on if you stick with the "mainstream" comics. [8.5].
Fatalysia SPX Teaser (Liam Kemp, Chris Tabor, & -U!, 2004, www.fatalysia.com): This is a very short half-sized minicomic preview of the fairy-tale influenced Fatalysia. There are only two pages of story here, which barely set up the background for the plotline. The rest of the preview book consists of some very nice character concept art. Printing problems make the dialogue difficult to read, and the art in the actual story pages suffers as well. The concept art reproduced a lot better. In spite of the hitches, there is a lot of potential here, and I'm interested to see where this will be going. [6].
Planet Peezo (Fridge-Mag, 2004, www.fridge-mag.net): Eight-page micro-mini of a sort (1/8 size) about some aliens paying a visit to Planet Peezo... That's Earth to us. This is a cute promotional freebie that gets about as much mileage as can be gotten out of one silly joke. [5].
Cleopatra's Hats (Fridge-Mag, 2004, www.fridge-mag.net): Cute spoof on political correctness as a guy struggles to find some acceptable adjectives while his girlfriend shops for a new hat. Eight-page quarter-sized b/w mini. Artwork is good, and the joke holds together reasonably well. [5].
Kid Beowulf Preview (Ambition Studios, 2004, www.kidbeowulf.com): A humorous take on the Beowulf myth. With Beowulf and his monster brother beset by enemies, it's up to pet pig Hama to summon help. Lassie he ain't. Twelve-page half-sized mini that previews the forthcoming Kid Beowulf graphic novel. Decent, if somewhat predictable, parody. [5.5].
There's No Place... SPX Edition (Scott Oliver & Corey Bechelli, 2004, www.theresnoplace.coreybechelli.com): One of the most ambitious of the minicomic projects I encountered at SPX, There's No Place... is a dark take on The Wizard of Oz. Set years after Dorothy's departure, this is the tale of Scarecrow's descent into madness. The character of Scarecrow is great here, and there are lots of very disturbing touches, especially the religious fanatic munchkins. Glinda, the Lion, and the Tin Man don't come off as well, but that might just be a matter of needing more space to develop the characters. Scarecrow's dialogue is in verse, which has a few awkward moment, but generally is very effective. Art is excellent, although like many of these minis is somewhat hampered by the limitations of photocopying. [7.5].
Phantastic Phunnies (Hinge, 2004, www.comics.hingeonline.com): This is a free 4-page preview of the online comics at the hingeonline site. Includes sample strips from Sharing Bears, Liddle Drac, Weather Geeks, Pork Roll, Mutha Goosed, and Ig City. Nice tight preview that crams a lot into a small package. [6].
Suburban Folklore #1 (Steven Walters, 2002, www.ourobor.com): Good modern soap opera with complex and very believable characters. Initial storyline was a little tough to get into as a lot of characters were rapidly introduced, but there is definitely enough depth here to make me want to read more. Excellent artwork with good use of light and shadow in places. [7.5].
Oh Sweet Merciful Lordy! 40 Sharing Bears Strips (Andrew Hoffmann, 2003, www.andrewhoffmann.com): Magazine sized collection of Andrew Hoffmann's Sharing Bears webcomic. This has a newspaper strip feel to it, and gets into some nice absurdist humor and some even nicer subtle political stuff. The bit about nuclear disarmament is hilarious. Some of the early strips are a bit flat, but this book really builds momentum toward the middle and end of the collection. [7].
Nina the Librarian (Sharon Furgason, 2004, www.inkylagoon.com): Lonely librarian Nina is pursued by a strange homeless woman and a man who writes poetry about monsters from Mars invading a shopping mall and being defeated by hot dogs. Alternatingly sweet and surreal, this magazine-sized photocopied book was a lot of fun. Includes a wonderful panel diagramming the anatomy of a Mars-monster. Good characters with lots of quirkiness and a cute ending. [7.5].
O'Deer (Joseph Grevelli, 2003, www.odeercomics.com): Just in time for the holidays, here's a tale of what the reindeer and elves do the rest of the year (let's just say that drinking beer is the major component of their activities). Photocopied minicomic that reprints the online strip. Humor is mostly slapstick, but there are some funny jokes. Art reproduces reasonably well from the online version. [5].
Civic Sorceress Comics #1 (Ming Comics, 2003, www.mingcomics.com): Origin tale for the over-zealous Civic Sorceress, who spends her days fighting very minor crime. Photocopied mini. Has its moments, but a bit choppy. [4].
Civic Sorceress Comics #2 (Ming Comics, 2004, www.mingcomics.com). While attempting to regulate a crosswalk, the Civic Sorceress meets the Constable and the Magistrate. This issue doesn't resolve the ending of the first issue, and new characters are introduced a bit too rapidly. As with Civic Sorceress #1, the humor is a bit spotty. [3.5].
Panel Discussion Stats