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SYNTHETIC UNIVERSE #3
($3.95 US/$5.95 CAN ppd from Hardcut Publishing / PO Box 291700 / Los Angeles, CA / 90029 USA. Web:
www.hardcutpublishing.com.
For Mature Readers)
Have you seen the
Hi-Horse comix anthology? It occurs to me that Alison Elizabeth Taylor's work would be right at home in its pages. I'm not exactly sure why except that much of this issue is fairly surreal, looks at the human experience and her artwork is something of a cross between Andrice Arp and Bishakh Som (two of that anthology's primary contributors).
For me, the standout stories in this issue are: "Killing Time" (written by Andrew Hunter) because it has a nice twist ending and is about a sideshow troupe of freaks (or Very Special People, if you prefer); and "Bad Made Good Happen", an amusing take on the Fall of Man and how Eve actually did us all a favor. It's certainly no more far-fetched than the
Bible itself.
The book itself is nicely-designed and both covers feature striking paintings that incorporate Taylor's unique and unusual wood-panel technique (the front cover moreso than the back), more of which may be found on the
Hardcut website. If you're reading this and wondering where you've heard the name, you may have seen her her mini-comics such as
The Perfect Job or her contributions to
The Advocate,
Bust or the
Expo anthology. Although I enjoyed more than the covers and the two stories referenced above, those are certainly worth the price of admission.
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