< comics/x >
LUMAKICK #1
($4.95;
www.lumakick.com)
(This is a collection of short stories, most of which feature a little man who seems somewhat confounded and overwhelmed by the mysteries and injustices of life. Written in an airy, poetic style, the drawings are light and airy, but with a lot of interesting texture. In most of these pieces Richard Hahn seems to be musing on love, happiness and other sentimentalities we all concern ourselves with whether we admit it or not. There are also several one-pagers throughout featuring "Clemenza & Tessio", which are quite different from the rest of the book. These two guys sit at a bar and talk about women (neither has a clue). This is interesting work and before I finish I should mention the beautiful watercolored covers. My guess is if you go for, say, John Hankiewicz'
Tepid or Thomas Herpich's
Cusp, you're going to want to check out
Lumakick.
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< comics/x >
WATUSI THE TALKING DOG #1
($1.00 from Dale Martin / PO Box 442612 / Lawrence, KS / 66044 USA. Web:
http://home.swbell.net/grizmart)
This is a collection of four-panel jam comics starring the titular character. The format was devised with the intention of using it in a classroom environment as publisher Dale Martin has recently held cartooning workshops for junior high students. In addition to Dale, jam participants include B. Winter, Mike Leuszler, Mike Goetz and others. What makes this different from most jam collections, though, is that there are several unfinished jams that Dale encourages the reader to participate in. I think this is a great idea and it should be interesting to see how different cartoonists take the jams in different directions. Kudos to Dale for promoting interactivity amongst comics readers and artists.
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< comix/art >
PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP
(Souther Salazar / 106 N. Chester Ave. / Pasadena, CA / 91106 USA. Web:
www.southersalazar.com)
Wow, this is something else. I gushed the other day about Souther's
The Monster That Ate Stars and it looks like I'll be gushing about this one, too.
Please Don't Give Up is something like a pleading song on paper that's carried along by exquisite and fanciful drawings. It's beautiful stuff. My only wish is that it was in color (which is super expensive), but that's really only because I've seen the color version of the fold-out centerpiece and it's absolutely stunning. While I was reading this the Peter Gabriel song "Don't Give Up" was playing in my head and seemed like a nice accompaniment. If you've never read Souther's work, I'd say that if you like Dave Kiersh or John Porcellino, you'll dig this. And if you've never read them either, get crackin'! Recommended. Be sure to ask for a catalog, too; he's got lots more good stuff available.
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< comics/x >
DAYS OF WINE AND ANTHRAX
($3.50 from Dale Martin / PO Box 442612 / Lawrence, KS / 66044 USA. Web:
http://home.swbell.net/grizmart)
I enjoyed this a lot more than I imagine I'd think I might if I'd known it was a collection of editorial cartoons. In 2001, Dale Martin began "Continuity and Vine" for an alternative weekly that folded within six months. Unphased, he continued to produce the strip and this is its first collection. Most of these strips deal, naturally, with the post-9/11-pre-war world we're living in, but Dale tackles it with humor. The government, Bush, Big Business, Ashcroft, patriotism – the usual suspects – are all mocked, but there's also a series of desert island gags (that are actually funny) in the middle that breaks up the political commentary nicely. Good stuff.
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