Reviews - Illustrated Fiction 9

The third issue of this comics anthology was published through Weird Muse Productions just in time for this year's SPACE show. Playing off the title, Editor Taylor imagines drawing and painting tools as instruments, in his nicely rendered cover.

Sprinkled throughout the book are several half-page Too Negative comic strips by Jenny Gonzalez. I enjoyed her gags about blogging, diary comics, and the vanity of personal publishing. The balance of her Too Negative pages are filled with sketches and gag cartoons by Taylor. Gonzalez has a great website loaded with comic strips and links to buy what looks like her complete library of self-published comics.

Longtime indie artists Bill Shut and Andy Nukes (website) both contribute several full page illustrations. Shut's consist of entwined, high-contrast patterns while Nukes' are hand-drawn visualizations of Peace and Fear.

David DeGrand provides two wacky single-pagers. His quirky humor is perfectly matched to his artwork and storylines.

The two-page comic by Steve Steiner is a funny send-up that reveals his frightening encounters with squirrels and their secret agenda.

The photograph used as the background image for the contributor's website listing on the back cover, was taken by Carrie Taylor.

Symphony in Ink #3 is a fun-to-read, b&w, digest-sized comics anthology. It's 16 pages including the cover, which is printed on heavier stock than the interior pages. Available for $2.50 (postage paid) from Weird Muse Productions.

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Tim Corrigan's
Comics and Stories #18

This issue includes part 10 and 11 of the Tyran story that started a few issues back. There isn't a lot of action in this outing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. I missed the opening chapters of this adventure and this issue provides a good deal of background information about the characters, their relationships to each other, and the strange world where the story takes place. It's a great series and the nicely detailed artwork pays homage to Jack Kirby in both spirit and image. Each of the two parts in this issue are 4 pages in length. The last segment in the book is an outrageous send-up with Betty, Fred, and Marvin in an adventure about easy money on eBay.

The cover of this issue was printed on heavier, brighter paper than the interior. It's a great improvement over issue #17 — much crisper images and brighter colors.

A panel from issue 18

Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #18 is digest-size, 12 pages, with a full color self-cover. Available for $1.50, (subscriptions: $15 for 12 issues) from:
Tim Corrigan
PO Box 25
Houghton, NY 14744

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The Comic Eye edited by Mark Innes

In late 2006, Editor Innes sent out a call to a virtual army of small press writers and artists to make comics about comics, comic creators, and comic fans. Over a year later, the result was a new anthology: The Comic Eye. The depth and breath of this book provides hours of reading enjoyment for comic fans. Most of the stories range from 1 to 4 pages, and I was pleasantly surprised to find minimal overlap in the approach and the content of the stories. In fact, the sheer diversity of art styles, writing, storytelling, and ideas are a big part of what makes this book so much fun to read. On their own, every entry is worth reading, but taken together the collection paints a clear picture of what comics mean to fans and creators.

There are too many to list here, but you can see the full list of contributors on Innes' website. Even with this many submissions, my hat's off to Innes for keeping the overall quality level high. The book also serves as a great sampler of the creative talent working in small press today. Although advertising in the book is minimal, there are several creator websites listed, where you can further explore the work of your favorites.

The Comic Eye is 176 pages, b&w interior, full color covers, with perfect binding. It's available for $14 postage paid from Blind Bat Press and retails at comic shops for $12.95 through Diamond Comic Distributors.

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Time Warp Comix #5 edited by Dan W. Taylor

All of Taylor's previous Time Warp Comix have been reviewed here on MF.com. I've thoroughly enjoyed them all, but this one's the best yet. The cover features a nice gag cartoon by Taylor and a sort of theme statement that playfully asks "How Long Can It Last?" Let's hope the answer turns out to be many more issues!

Taylor created the series as a tribute to Clay Geerdes' newave mini-comix empire and most of the comics inside play off that concept. George Erling's wordless 1-pager lets his beautiful cartoons reminiscence about the excitement you felt when you received one of Geerdes' newsletters, back in the day. Quiblet's cartoonist Jim Siergey provides a wacky 3-page history lesson about the origins of mini-comics. Bob Vojtko's 1-pager compares a newave cartoonist's experience selling mini comics then and now. Dave Miller's 1-pager comically explores the brighter side of nuclear disaster. Andy Nukes' back cover wraps up another Warp with a cartoon illustration of a "Guy at the Dome". (Which Google leads me to believe may be a guy from a Rolling Stone's concert at the Tokyo Dome circa March 22, 2006.)

If you've ever wondered what mini comix were like when Clay Geerdes was leading the new wave of the 70s, you'd be hard pressed to find a better small press zine that successfully captures that feeling - complete with six of the original cartoonists that helped him. Time Warp Comix #5 is available for a mere $1 plus postage from the Weird Muse Productions website.

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Raised by Squirrels and Los Alamos
by Bram and Monica Meehan

Raised by Squirrels isn't a funny animals series, as the name might imply. S.Q.R.L. stands for Special Qualities Research Lab. A top secret government agency mandated to seek out, enhance, or create metahumans. People with super human abilities, employed as agency operatives for preemptive, covert actions.

These trade paperbacks collect the series into two volumes. I'm reviewing them as a set because the story from the first one (no subtitle) continues directly into the second (subtitled Los Alamos).

The series has some roots in superhero comics, but it's really more of a terse, fast-moving spy thriller. Author Bram has created an intricate web of power, politics, and espionage that he slowly reveals to his characters and his readers as the action unfolds. As the second volume concludes, one story ends but there are plenty of larger questions and character backstories still waiting to be explored.

The artwork by Monica is very good, especially the close-ups, that are beautifully rendered with lots of crosshatching and detail. The atmosphere is dark and moody, lending the story a gritty realism that helps suspend disbelief in this world of super agents and autonomous government agendas.

Each volume includes bonus material in the back pages. Both have a Gallery section that's a great collection of artwork drawn by friends and colleagues of the S.Q.R.L. cast and crew. Los Alamos features a longer, meatier collection of characters profiles. Short, comic stories written by Bram and drawn by Jeff Kilburn, Dale Deforest, Pete Ziomek, and Jeff Benham. I really like this special feature. It helped provide some extra clues about the central characters and their pasts. It's also fun to see different artist's interpretations of the characters.

Raised By Squirrels is 60 pages. Los Alamos is 72 pages. Both paperback books are 6" x 9", perfect bound, with b&w interior pages, and color covers. Each volume is $5.95, plus postage and can be ordered online from the Panel Press website. There's also a Raised By Squirrels website that includes PDF files of chapters from the series.

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King-Cat Comics and Stories #68
by John Porcellino

Porcellino shares personal stories, observations, and feelings from his life in this quintessential comic art zine. This issue begins with three hand-lettered text entries: Thoughts about a cross-country move from San Francisco back to Denver, a tribute to Porcellino's friend, the late John Rininger, and a tribute to Maisie Kukoc, Porcellino's beloved 16 year old cat who passed away in the Summer of 2007. These heart-felt, personal memoirs are honest, touching diaries of recent events in Porcellino's life and provide insightful background into the issue's following content.

Cloud Mountain is a poetic 5-page comic about Porcellino's cross-country drive with his wife, Misun his cat Maisie, and the inspiring sights along the route. It's followed by a funny 1-page comic about the making of the Cloud Mountain comic.

The next series of 1- and 2-page comics recount quiet moments from the artist's life in which he ponders meaning and pauses to appreciate the simple wonders in the world right outside his window or under his nose.

Porcellino introduces the zine's section on Diogenes with a grounding text entry that provides useful background for the gems to come: A series of slapstick gags with the famous cynic cast as a sort of vaudevillian muse.

Next up are several pages of text entries and lists featuring Porcellino's Top-Forty (favorite moments from recent memory), Nature Notes about fox sightings, Weeds of the West (likely the inspiration for the Blue Mustard cover artwork), a series of random thoughts such as, "Watching a tiny spider weave a web between the hairs on my arm.", and Squirrel Acrobat about an encounter between two squirrels on power line.

The zine concludes with two comics: Warm Light about the gifts of Autumn, and a 4-page recounting of a special memory from a day at a health food store in Schaumburg, Illinois in 1998. The back cover is a beautiful cartoon illustration of Porcellino with Maisie in his arms, that says it all.

King-Cat Comics and Stories #68, b&w, 32 digest-sized pages plus heavy-weight cover. Available for $3 plus postage at multiple outlets including: Poopsheet, Microcosm, Giant Robot, Optical Sloth, Bodega, and of course, from the artist's website (where you can even subscribe).

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Twelve Hour Shift by Sean Azzopardi

All too often there's a sharp contrast between the creative job you want and bill-paying job you can get. Azzopardi's new graphic novel confronts this sobering fact of life with candor and insight. Twelve Hour Shift is the story of an artist who struggles through a series of tedious, menial jobs for sustenance, leaving his creative time squeezed into evenings and weekends. It's an ambitious, 146-page story, that took Azzopardi 3 years to complete. There's no doubt that it's fiction. Some of the scenes are downright surreal, but much of the story is unmistakably drawn from the daily routine of working a low-wage job and commuting by rail in London and its surrounding boroughs. If you've ever felt torn between a creative pursuit and putting bread on the table, you will quickly find a connection with the frustrated artist, Steve Jones, and it will draw you into this illustrated docudrama.

The artwork on some pages and panels is very tight, while others are sketchier and loose. I don't know if this was intentional, an artifact of the 3 year development time, or a happy accident - but it all works. The artwork and page layouts are engaging, beautiful, at times satirical, and consistently inventive. Azzopardi is a captivating storyteller. He successfully combines the words and pictures into a heart-felt drama I couldn't put down.

His other small press comic, Ed, also deals with a life of artistic pursuit. But the character Ed seems to be the world's nicest struggling artist. If Ed's world is conflicted or at times gut-wrenching, he's doing a great job of keeping it all to himself. In sharp contrast, the world Steve Jones lives in is stark and gritty. Some days it takes all his energy just to cope with the mental and physical challenges of the daily routine he's come to dread.

A roster of consecutive twelve hour shifts is a schedule no one would welcome, but the story goes deeper than whining about surface hardships. Azzopardi explores the artist's emotions and challenges with understanding and honesty. At times Jones is a screw up, in both his day job and his creative vocation. He wants to be an artist, but he doesn't always have the drive. He has doubts. Sometimes it's easier to drink or dope, than draw.

Sometimes he's angry and mean spirited. He doesn't take the daily commuters he travels with on the train, seriously. He thinks his artistic cause makes him better than they are. But later on the job, he sees the other side of the coin when his customers treat him like a trained dog.

He's got a few issues with his coworkers too. Some are justified, but he also learns to appreciate that he's not the only one who's found the world doesn't owe him any favors. Everyone has dreams and aspirations.

Spoiler Alert:
Finding a balance in life is a tricky business, especially when it's a moving target. As Twelve Hour Shift ends, Steve Jones is left still trying to figure things out. In that sense, the story is unresolved. But the creative soul is compelled to explore new territory, and in that sense we know the story and Mr. Jones will continue the journey.

Twelve Hour Shift is a b&w, 148-page graphic novel. Available for £6.95 + £2 postage from Azzopardi's website Phatcatz.

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Candy or Medicine #2
edited by Josh Blair

This is a mini comic to keep an eye on. Editor and publisher Blair has made great strides in content and production values since his first volume. This time out he's enlisted the aid of no less than 10 contributors: Emily Puccia, Rob Moses, Domen Finžgar, Katie Haegele, Erin Griffin, Matt Feazell, Ricky Gore, Richard Cabeza, Liza Miller, Yves Albrechts, and Blair himself. Expanded to twice the page count of #1, this issue provides a nice mix of styles and experience, plus a little international flavor thanks to the contributors from Slovenia and Belgium. Some of the strips are solid, funny gags; some near misses; and a couple left me scratching my head. All things considered, it's a nice second effort, easily worth the price of admission.

There's no guarantee of consistency in the world of small press comics. From the outset, Blair said he'd publish his mini on a quarterly schedule and so far he's been as good as his word. He also deserves kudos for his promotional efforts. Maybe it's his experience from his day job in Public Relations, but I've been hearing about his zine a lot over the past couple of weeks. Contributors take note: If you're considering contributing to a mini, rest assured Blair will give it ample promotion.

Blair has a nice website for Candy or Medicine too. It includes issue previews and a useful page with short bios and links to contributor's websites where you can see more of their work.

Candy or Medicine #2 is a b&w, 16-page, mini comic printed on good quality, white paper. Available for $1.50 (postage paid) from the Candy or Medicine website.

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Tim Corrigan's
Comics and Stories #17

The Saga of Tyran continues this issue with part two. It's reprinted here from an earlier small press comic. The original episodes were two pages long, so Corrigan includes 5 of them to present a meatier 10-page installment of the continuing saga. This time out Tyran brashly charges into an unexplored alien jungle in an attempt to locate and rescue Karra Dalton. Corrigan's script is full of action and unexpected twists. His artwork is nicely rendered and textured with good use of shading and solid blacks. His layouts are varied and visually appealing. This is a fine small press comic from a longtime proponent of the field. The back cover features a one-page strip with partners in disfunction, Fred 'n' Marvin, called The Power of Persuasion.

A panel from Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #17 Corrigan adds a running text footer below the comic pages to update his readers on his current projects — comics and otherwise — vent his frustrations with the Bush administration, promote an assortment of zines from New Voice Publishing, and request letters of comment he's anxious to publish in an upcoming issue.

Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #17 is 12 b&w pages with a full color cover. Corrigan had a pagination problem with this issue, but he includes a note to set things straight. Every issue of the full series has been reissued with color covers and are available for $1.50 a copy. Subscriptions are just $15 for the next 12 monthly editions. Send your orders to: Tim Corrigan, PO Box 25, Houghton, NY 14744

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Death, Cold as Steel
by Bram Meehan and Jamie Chase

This softcover book collects all three issues of the original comic book series. Filled with rainy nights, back alleys, and black coupes, Chase's artwork and layouts successfully set the noir tone of this yarn. Meehan's script takes elements from the good old days and mixes them up with a healthy dose of modern-day conspiracy thinking to deliver a rousing cocktail that's part mystery, part espionage, part bioengineering, and all trouble.

Our hero, Aubrey Norris, is drafted by the secret Special Qualities Research Lab (SQRL) to figure out who killed their agent, the indestructible man. As the story unfolds, Norris slowly unravels the truth and then must confront the new reality left in its wake.

Like a DVD, this graphic novel includes a few special features: Development sketches with commentary from Chase and 3 cover reprints from the original comic series. It's a brief, full color feature, but provides some interesting backstory on this enjoyable independent comic created by people who seem to love what they're doing.

Death, Cold as Steel is a b&w, 98-page, perfect bound, trade paperback with full color covers. It's available for $9.95 from Panel Press.

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Reviews - Illustrated Fiction 9

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Symphony in Ink #3
edited by Dan W. Taylor

Tim Corrigan's
Comics and Stories #18

The Comic Eye edited by Mark Innes

Time Warp Comix #5 edited by Dan W. Taylor

Raised by Squirrels and Los Alamos
by Bram and Monica Meehan

King-Cat Comics and Stories #68
by John Porcellino

Twelve Hour Shift by Sean Azzopardi

Candy or Medicine #2
edited by Josh Blair

Tim Corrigan's
Comics and Stories #17

Death, Cold as Steel
by Bram Meehan and Jamie Chase

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Reviews - Illustrated Fiction 9

Browse by page:

Direct link by author:

Symphony in Ink #3 edited by Dan W. Taylor

Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #18

The Comic Eye edited by Mark Innes

Time Warp Comix #5 edited by Dan W. Taylor

Raised by Squirrels and Los Alamos by Bram and Monica Meehan

King-Cat Comics and Stories #68 by John Porcellino

Twelve Hour Shift by Sean Azzopardi

Candy or Medicine #2 edited by Josh Blair

Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #17

Death, Cold as Steel by Bram Meehan and Jamie Chase

More MF Reviews

Mini Comic Reviews

Other Reviews Sites

Review Zines

Symphony in Ink #3
edited by Dan W. Taylor

Tim Corrigan's
Comics and Stories #18

Raised by Squirrels and Los Alamos
by Bram and Monica Meehan

King-Cat Comics and Stories #68
by John Porcellino

Candy or Medicine #2
edited by Josh Blair

Tim Corrigan's
Comics and Stories #17

Death, Cold as Steel
by Bram Meehan and Jamie Chase