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Flight Vol. Two
Four Letter Worlds
Melanchomic
Mox Nix #1 & 3
Mox Nix #2
Nice #6
Sound of Drowning
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Four Letter Worlds
Edited by Eric Stephenson
FLW is a perfect bound, 144 page anthology from Image Comics. Each of its 16 stories were developed from a different four letter word. It's a compelling concept, and although the book showcases a wide range of talent and storytelling styles, overall it just didn't g-r-a-b me. My favorites were Lust by Jim Mahfood, Loud by Jay Faerber and Steve Rolston, Loss by Amber Benson and Jamie McKelvie, Mano by Scott Morse, and True by Jamie Rich and Andi Watson.
Artwork © Image Comics
Weird Muse #3
By Dan W. Taylor
The prolific Taylor is back with another installment of the Muse. This issue in standard mini comix size, but like issue 2, Taylor binds it on the short edge giving the book a fresh format. The cover is printed on card stock, while the inside 8 pages are on standard-weight white paper. There's an edgy, folksy feel to this mini that reminds me just a little of Denis Kitchen's Fox River Patriot. The book opens to a portrait of Taylor, his wife, and the Muse. Next up is Carrie Taylor's page of tips and a favorite recipe for No Bake cookies, which you may want to have on hand for the rest of the issue. The third time out the Muse is feeling testy as she reminds us the downside of a superiority complex may be more than just a fable. The book closes with a photo collage of Britonella Spearba. A steal at $1, Weird Muse is available via Taylor's website, where he's also selling original artwork and collector's comix for the Michael Roden Benefit effort. Top
Artwork © Dan W. Taylor
Here's a couple of excellent minis from
DC McNamara. Mox Nix is all about the workplace. How to get hired and how to survive once you're on the payroll. If you're like most people - and who isn't - you're going to love this insider's view of today's business class. As McNamara drills down into the world of drug screening, job interviews, and "the boss" he reminds us of the real efficacy of thought leadership expressed in bottom-line value add. McNamara earned his lean six sigma black belt by liquefying the corporate policy makers and squeezing them out into a small sterile cup - bravo!
These books are laugh-out-loud funny. Order them now here or trade your minis for McNamara's here.
Artwork © DCM
McNamara takes a mini vacation from the office this time out. He starts off with a teensy tale of a Dad and lad pontificating on the origins of teats. The nine-panels-per-page layout provides copious amounts of snappy dialogue in only 2 pages. Next up is a 6-pager that feels spacious by comparison. Largely wordless, with stick-figure characters and generously sized panels, it's more of a traditional comic strip that builds to a punchline, than the rest of this mini. McNamara rounds things out with a comical treatise called "Men of God are Creepy" and a morphological reminder that you are what you eat. The back cover returns us to the office, which McNamara continues to lampoon in issue #3. This 12-page mini is available for trade or order. Top
Artwork © DCM
Flight
Volume Two
The second edition of Flight is an eclectic collection of illustrated short stories published by Image Comics. This impressive softcover volume is printed on high-quality glossy paper stock in full color. With stories by 32 different artists and writers, the second Flight is a sheer pleasure to curl up with in your favorite armchair. The tales range from fables to historical fiction, from dark comedy to heart-warming stories of lessons learned or love found at long last. Many of the works rely heavily on the visuals to move the plot forward, so despite its 432 pages, Flight is actually a fairly quick read. A wonderful range of artistic styles is included and make this second volume a delight to read or just flip through to enjoy the artwork again and again. My favorites were the tales that were both beautiful to look at and to read. These include: Monster Slayers by Khang Le, The Golden Temple by Neil Babra, The Orange Grove by Kazu Kibuishi (best of the best), Last Things Last by Kean Soo, and Dust on the Shelves by Bannister. Of course, there's additional excellent work by Michel Gagné, Doug TenNapel, Don Hertzfeldt, Jen Wang, Hope Larson, Rad Sechrist, Ryan Sias, Jeff Smith, Richard Pose, and - believe it or not - the list goes on. Highly recommended for fans of illustrated fiction. Website Top
Artwork © Chris Appelhans
Nice #6
Anthology (2006)
A jam packed collection of comix by Dug Fuller (1 page), Jake Carney and Will Kane (3 pages), Linky Bodges (1 page), Dirty Old Bastard (4 pages), Nathaniel Metcalfe (1 page), Tiddly Pipes (1 page), Jon McLean and John Miers (3 pages), Will Shyne (1 page), K-Draw (color centerfold), A Nice Jam (Andrew Salmond, bse, Buddy Disco, and tonyhype - 11 pages), Jon Chandler (1 page), and Sally-Anne Hickman (2 pages). A5-size, 32 pages plus cover. Adults only. Website £2 Top
Artwork © Will Shyne
The Sound of Drowning
This is an edgy comix of strange tales and dark humor. The stories run from four to ten pages in length. All the comic-style panels are high contrast photographs printed in a gorgeous, rich black and white. The cover is on white stock, whilst the interior pages are printed on yellow paper. My favorite from this collection is the tribute to Duke Ellington. Creators are listed as O'Connell, Flay, Vincent and the Fantasy Funeral Collective. You can read the strips online or order hard copy from the shop. The website notes issue #9 is out now. This one is collected strips from 2005/06. A5-size, 36 pages plus cover. Top
Artwork © Sound of Drowning artist
yes, but... #2
by Justin Ward
I recently picked a couple issues of yes, but... by Justin Ward published in 2000. This one came out in June. All 32 pages of this wonderful comix are by Ward. His writing, pacing, and artwork are just great, great stuff. The stories run from 1 to 3 pages. Some are continued, but most aren't so there's plenty of good stuff even if you're jumping in mid-stream. A5-size for £2. Top
Artwork © Justin Ward
Melanchomic
by Andrew Waugh
Waugh aptly describes his work in this small press comix as autobiographical musings that run from 2002 to 2005. The book is 20 pages of 1- and 2-page observations and humor about love, sex, and relationships with a little self-doubt thrown in for good measure. Waugh's comix are well paced and strike a good balance between insight and humor. A5-size £1.50 Adult content. ComicSpace page. Top
Artwork © Andrew Waugh
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