Reviews - Illustrated Fiction 29

July 2010, Manx Media, 104 b&w pages, plus cover. 6" x 9", commercial printing with perfect binding. $12 at select retailers. An earlier, POD edition is available at the same price on Lulu.com. Links to El Vocho T-shirts and several other graphic novels by Lafler are available on the Steve Lafler website.

The El Vocho comix can be read online at the CO2 Comics Blog. Robin McConnell interviewed Steve Lafler about El Vocho in Sept. 2010 on Inkstuds. Lafler's Ballad of the Bug on YouTube.

Inspired by our costly dependency on oil, El Vocho is a fanciful adventure about the path to clean energy. A girl genius, who repairs cars at her day job literally runs into a bohemian artist quite by accident. They quickly become romantically involved and play off each other's creative inspirations to solve the problem of the perfect clean air engine.

El Vocho is fueled by Lafler's fiercely independent artistic spirit. With elements of sultry romance, racketeering, laid back optimism, and mysterious counsel, Lafler manages to deliver an adventurous dramedy filled with unexpected twists.

Spontaneous and spirited, Lafler's work is always engaging and fun to read. Although his comic storytelling has matured since his early comix work, it still retains the attitude of a cartoonist who learned his craft outside the mainstream.

Bonus features include VW reference photos, the Bodega Boys (Lafler's band) in session, and a few pages of character designs and thumbnail page layouts for the novel.

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27 Years Later
by Macedonio Garcia

2010 An Other-Ground Publication
12 b&w pages, including its self-cover
5.5" x 8.5", saddle stitch binding, handmade, no trim
Contact the artist for pricing and availability
Macedonio Garcia blog
Flickr

Clay Geerdes published cartoonist Macedonio Garcia's mini-comix, Tales from the Inside #1-12, under the Comix World imprint from 1981 to 1983. Macedonio wrote and drew the issues, with assistance from other cons, during his internment with the Texas Department of Corrections.

His contributors included James Waltman, Melvin "Levi" Tincher, Nubs, Carl Vaughn and Michael Morgan. The first three issues of Tales from the Inside are listed in Jay Kennedy's Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide (1983) and all are included in Fogel's First Supplement.

According to Macedonio's introduction in this comix, he was denied parole annually for his participation with Comix World. He was finally released on June 13, 1983 and has lived free ever since.

In July of 2010, after 27 years since his incarceration, Macedonio revisited his old title. This time out the book is digest-size and features full page cartoon snapshots of the life. All of the recollections of prison guards, rules, and the life are new, along with what might be the first appearance of the covers for the original Tales from the Inside #13 and #14, which were never produced.

27 Years Later, tales from the inside from the outside is powerful stuff. Highly recommended.

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Candy or Medicine #10 edited by Josh Blair

2010, Self-published. 16 b&w pages, including self-cover. Printed on good quality, bright white paper. 4.25" x 5.5", saddle stitch binding, handmade, no trim. $1.50 (postage paid) from Candy or Medicine.
Blog
Etsy Store

Josh Blair's dependable quarterly mini comic anthology recently reached an even dozen issues. This is a review of issue #10 due to the fact that I'm slow to catch up on my backlog of reviews. Most other issues, (#2-12) are available from Blair's website or store. CorM #1 is no longer in print, but you can download a free PDF.

This issue sports a wonderfully engaging wrap-around cover by Donal DeLay. Blair reports DeLay is working a comic about bluesman Robert Johnson.

Homesick (1 page) is a bittersweet recollection of cartoonist Tori Holder's feelings of sickness during return visits to her parent's house. The feelings lead to memories of childhood maladies and playing doctor.

Panels from Candy or Medicine #10

O Ciclo Da Vida (7 pages) is a beautifully drawn wordless romp by Brazilian, Alberto Pessoa.

Lunarcy (1 page) by editor Blair features five panels of a static images of the moon with a final, payoff panel completing the gag. Blair published a whole mini comic full of these amusing bits, and it looks like they're still coming.

City Kids (3 pages) by Katie Omberg recounts an embarrassing moment of childhood naivety that turned into a funny story told and retold—and now recorded for mini comic posterity.

Panels from Candy or Medicine #10

The Seeker (1 page) by Carl Alessi wraps up the issue with a cosmic joke played on a learned student of the cosmos.

It's hard to beat Candy or Medicine for a dependable, if brief, glimpse into the wrold of mini comics. You can try one out to catch its flavor, but for a few dollars more you'd be better served getting whole run.

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Dark Dreams
by Adam Jakes

Aug. 2009 Self-published
68 b&w pages, plus cover
6.75" x 10.25", saddle stitch binding, with machine trim
POD at Hertfordshire Display
£6.00/$10.00 (postage paid)
Adam Jakes
16 The Brache
Maulden, Bedfordshire
MK45 2DR, England

Dark Dreams is the first installment of a four-issue series. The opening story is double-length, with plenty of room for the obligatory fight scenes interspersed between the real story. And a good story it is.

Jakes has done a nice job creating a fascinating fusion of a world inside the subconscious mind and a sort of spy thriller. Rather than open the series with a long sequence of dialog establishing the ground rules, Jakes makes short work of the backstory by simply writing things out prose style on the inside front cover.

A sexy young woman named Suzi conjures up a protective demon in her subconscious mind; perhaps to thwart whatever else was in there disturbing her dreams. The trouble started when the demon, named Floid, was able to exit her subconscious and join the real world.

A series of events finds Floid trapped inside the mind-world of a crash victim recovering in a convalescent clinic. There, he must rid the man's mind of three uninvited guests.

The concept of Dark Dreams is interesting and entertaining. Jakes' storytelling strikes a good balance of narration/explaination and dialogue. My only quibble is what struck me as an overabundance of trash talking quips from the demons. A little goes a long way, but Floid never stops.

Jakes' artwork is nicely rendered and his panel and page layouts also are thoughtfully delivered. His character designs are inventive and I found myself looking forward to seeing each new character as it was introduced. The Orifice Oracle and the first of the demon trio are particularly good.

Page from Dark Dreams

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Zeroes! #1-A to D edited by Jim Main

2010, Main Enterprises
12 b&w pages each, including self-covers
Production work by Dan W. Taylor
4.25" x 5.5", saddle stitch binding, handmade, no trim
$1.50 each, postage paid from Main Enterprises

The concept behind Zeroes! is simple but effective. Each spread presents the front and back of a failed, wannabe super hero trading card. On the right a full page cartoon of the would-be crime fighter and on the left a description of the powers, dubious accomplishments, and in some cases previous appearances of the super hopeful hero. These minis are silly, over-the-top, and loads of fun.

Rather than describe the heroes themselves, here's the list of contributors from the first four editions of this popular series:
#1A—Jim Siergey, Larned Justin, Dan Taylor, Brad Foster, George Leon.
#1B—Brad Foster, Barry Southworth & Scott Shriver, Terry Pavlet, Joshua Hicks, Doc Boucher.
#1C—Terry Pavlet, Doc Boucher, Scott Shriver, Larned Justin, Michael Grassia.
#1D—Mike Tuz & Dan Taylor, Brad Foster, Michael Grassia, Scott Shriver, Mike Pascale.

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Al Burian Goes to Hell
by Al Burian

2010, Migraine/Microcosm
80 b&w pages, plus cover
7" x 9", offset, saddle stitch binding, with trim
Retails for $6
Al Burian website
Microcosm Publishing

A young cartoonist berates himself in his search for something meaningful to do with his life. This dark but fanciful adventure was inspired by Dante's Inferno, which is quoted throughout. The story was created while Burian was attending college at the age of 22 and apparently published without his awareness by Migraine.

Burian is a long time zinester and editor of Burn Collector, Things are Meaning Less, and Natural Disaster.

Al Burian Goes to Hell easily pulls itself up above the average youthful self-absorbed whining cartoonist genre. The author's brutally honest dialogue holds your interest, particularly when he's trading barbs with Virgil or his father.

The length of the story implies resolution is coming, so you press on with a sense of growing anticipation. After all, why would such an irresponsible slacker invest 80 pages of effort if there was no destiny-defining epiphany after life in hell? But the ending is an ambivalent shrug, leaving readers to proffer their own interpretations—anticlimactic. Well, I'll be damned.

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Cragmore #1-4 by Pat Lewis

#1 (2009) 40 b&w pages, plus cover
#2 (2010) 32 b&w pages, plus cover
#3 (2010) 36 b&w pages, plus cover
#4 (2010) 36 b&w pages, plus cover
All issues are 5.5" x 8.5" with saddle stitch binding, handmade, without trim.
#1-4 set available for $12 ($3 shipping) from Lunchbreak Comics
Online Cragmore preview
Pat Lewis website
LiveJournal

Pat Lewis created Cragmore as a graphic novel, but he published a series of digest-sized comic zines as the work was being completed. W.P. Cragmore is a modern day Scrooge. It's all about money, money, money until he's confronted with his finite life in luxury followed by everlasting eternity in Hell.

The alternative: reform. No way, not Cragmore. He's no sissy, philanthropic boob stupid enough to be duped into trading his net worth for mere salvation. Only a keen business mind like Cragmore's can yank opportunity from the blistering chasm of eternal damnation.

Lewis' character design and cartooning for Cragmore are strictly top drawer. His characters are crisp, expressive, full of life and beautifully drawn in a classic cartoony style. His story moves along swiftly with enough narrative drive, unexpected twists, and subplots to keep readers enticed. Despite its lighthearted treatment Cragmore provides a nice balance of pure entertainment and substance.

Cragmore easily deserves its just reward as a Midnight Fiction Favorite.

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Important Comics and
The Regular Man
by Dina L. Kelberman

Important Comics
Second printing Aug. 2009
54 color pages, plus cover
4.75" x 6.5", perfect bound book
$12 postage paid

The Regular Man
2010
A single sheet, printed in full color and folded twice to 6.5" x 4".
$15 for a 12 issue (approximately monthly) subscription

Important Comics website
Dina Kelberman interview
by Let's Be Self-Sufficient
Dina Kelberman interview
by Gerry Mark

Although the form factor of these two different comic-like publications varies greatly, the contents are very similar, so it makes sense to cover them both in a single review. If you prefer small, nearly monthly doses of Kelberman's comic banter you should subscribe to The Regular Man. If you want sink your teeth into something more substantial go with Important Comics. If you're a Kelbermaniac, you'll want them both.

Kelberman's comics are short episodes of witty, sometimes personal, repartee. Not personal in an autobiographic sense, but as if her thoughts and experiences are directly reflected in her character's quips. I get the feeling if you know her, the material would sound almost like an extension of a conversation; only flowing out of her hand.

Her work has an infectious energy and enthusiasm that may be it's most addictive aspect. Although her artwork is rudimentary she has a fearless sense of design that allows her comics to spontaneously explore any direction. Visually, her comics are more design than cartooning. And amusing herself and her readers with typographic calisthenics is part of the mix.

For more samples of her work see the previews in the Important Comics shop.

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Gothology #2:
Misery Loves Company
edited by Justin King & Jack Sullivan

Jan. 2010, DAPshow Press
272 b&w pages, plus cover
Cover by Mark Penman
Inside front cover by Senyphine
Page 1 by Asya Yordanova
Page 2 by Spicy Donut
Page 5 by Johanne Østervang
Contents pages by Adrien Dacquel
Copyright page by Justin King
Acknowledgments page by Kate "Poj" Greenseth
Inside back cover by Gina Creazzo aka Exileinblonde
7" x 10.25", POD, perfect bound
$18.99 from DAPshow Store

With a title like Gothology this anthology's stories are obviously built around themes of vampires, demons, the dark arts, melancholy, humor and lots of black fingernails. It's a nicely produced, massive volume carefully collected by editors Justin King and Jack Sullivan. The full page illustrations listed as part of the specs above are all impressive.

In between the stories there are full page bios on the contributors. Some contain actual biographical information and others are just humorous remarks that you might read on MySpace or Facebook. Most include websites or other contact information very useful when you're struck by the work of a particular artist and want to see more of it.

Overall the volume is an enjoyable read. The quality runs from good to great. Many of the artists such as Aluísio C. Santos, Patt Kelley, Christine Larsen, Kate "Poj" Greenseth, Megan "Dekay" Lawton, Christina Boyce, Barbara Wittman, T.J. Kirsch, to mention a few, are turning out professional quality artwork. A few others are still learning how to draw.

Many of the stories in Gothology sink their teeth into the humor vein, but there's plenty of serious material, and a few truly dark tales as well. The quality of writing in general is good with a few standouts. I particularly liked the comics by T.J. Kirsh and Valia Kapadai.

Sometimes beginning cartoonists are so eager to plunge into the "good parts" of their stories they devote less attention to setting things up, or they rely on information only someone intimately familiar with the work already knows, and leave readers struggling to make connections that aren't necessarily clear. These lapses take the reader out of the story and impede the entertainment both the reader and the storyteller are after. A few of the stories in Gothology suffer this malaise. Still, Gothology is a series well worth supporting. Fortunately, the number of great contributions outnumber the less than great. Below is a preview of the full contents:

Midnight Moonlight (9 pages) by Aluísio C. Santos