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URBAN HIPSTER #2
(Alternative Comics,
www.indyworld.com/altcomics)
I've been realizing lately, after having read his stuff for probably a decade, that David Lasky is becoming one of my favorite cartoonists. That said, my favorite stuff in this long-awaited second issue is by his partner-in-crime, Greg Stump. Stump has a clean, uncluttered approach that really appeals to me. I've seen very little of Stump's work since the first issue of
Urban Hipster, but his artwork here is a much more simplified version reminiscent of John Porcellino's (only a bit tighter and with more detail). The best piece – and also the longest – is a first-person account (presumably autobiographical) of a man's obsession with a pinball machine and how a certain time in his life revolved around it. The other thing of his that I really like is a one-pager about a woman who is dissatisfied with her boring name. First-person storytelling, maligned though it may be, is something I'm quite attracted to. It's the humanity of the thing, I suppose.
Stump's work here may have had an impact on me, but I don't wish to slight David Lasky's contributions. He continues the story of urban hipsters Chloe and Natasha, but I prefer the less-computer-enhanced artwork from the previous issue. Besides which, I think I'll enjoy this story much more once it's collected (assuming it will be, of course). There are, however, two short pieces by Lasky that I really enjoyed. One is a funny autobio strip about getting laid off. The other, about unnecessary socializing, exhibits his unique sense of design in the panel layout and is a good example of why I've become more and more attracted to his work.
Look for Lasky in the new
Kramers Ergot from
Avodah and Stump's "Dwarf Attack" in northwest newspapers
The Stranger and
The Portland Mercury.
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