Friday, December 05, 2003
< comics/x >
LEGAL ACTION COMICS Vol. 2
( www.dannyhellman.com)
Review by Mike Hunter
Whatever one may think of the ever-continuing lawsuit of Ted Rall versus Danny Hellman (now in its fifth year!), attempts to raise money for the defense of the latter have spawned a significantly larger and finer sequel to the original Legal Action Comics anthology, likewise assembled with creator-donated art and stories.
Legal Action Comics Vol. 2 is a handsomely designed and produced 6" x 9" 290-page trade paperback, retailing for $18.95. Besides contributors I'm more familiar with (the ever-superb Tony Millionaire has a couple of stories with a recurring "injury to the ear" motif, Art Spiegelman's sketchbook drawings leave me wishing for a book-length collection of the same, Kim Deitch and "Waldo" talk about the immaturity of cartoonists, Rick Altergott's "Doofus" almost gets th' crap beat out of him, and on and on), there's a multitude of impressive work by less-frequently seen talents.
In Doug Skinner's "Walter and Benny Strike a Deal," two bored oldsters decide to conjure the Devil. Their dialogue is cleverly rendered in graphic symbolism (with helpful translations beneath), the drawings original and inventive. "Ghost Road," by Tim Lane, is a moody, poetic and powerful meditation on modern malaise. Rick Trembles does a story on "The Wheels of Bureaucracy," where creatures labor and are squashed in a surreal urban environment, rendered in that odd "perspective-less" style of some architectural drawings. Quite witty, in a thoroughly deadpan fashion. Hugo's "Herbert the Pervert" answers an ad for "lonely foreign girls...seeking to marry American men," and gets hilariously shafted – in more ways than one – big-time. In "Ghosts!", Nick Mullins' "take" of the cast of Scooby Doo do their version of Ginsberg's "Howl." Neil Swaab's "The Secret Language of Women" is gruesomely accurate, and makes me very glad not to be dating any more. There are several excellent stories written and drawn by Hellman himself (as well as the witty back cover) in this collection, ranging from moody and surreal ("The Death of Baron Vapid," "Blind Butcher") to the antically comedic "Peaceful Atom and the Mystery Mice." His art is fluid and assured, his storytelling on these works multileveled. He is, in short, a significant talent, who deserves far greater acclaim.
This is but the very tip of the iceberg. (Despite my highlighting more "serious" work, there are a lot of very funny comics here, sometimes of the exceedingly tasteless variety.) The range of styles, moods, and approaches gathered within Legal Action Comics Vol. 2 is remarkable. A juicy feast indeed.
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Thursday, December 04, 2003
< comics/x >
CRANIUM FRENZY #10
(Steve Willis / PO Box 390 / McCleary, WA / 98557-0390 USA. E-mail)
Steve Willis is quite possibly the most interesting cartoonist you've never read. It's not that he doesn't have a loyal following (he does); it's just that he's never made a conscious effort to escape obscurity. Hell, his preferred term for the work he likes is "obscuro comix". The man creates for himself with only slight acknowledgements of any awareness of "fans". This comic, however, is packed with such acknowledgements.
My understanding is that this is Willis' first comic in some time (after having published the quirky Bezango WA 985 zine for the past couple of years) and it's quite a treat. Morty the Dog is here and many other old characters show up. They have their usual run-ins with authority figures and a deity or two and Willis' artwork is better than ever. But what really sets this one apart is the experimentation and unexpected use of reprinted panels (and one or two complete strips) as flashbacks or sidebars of a sort. Don't get me wrong – there's lots of new, primo Willis here (the thing is 60 pages plus covers), so don't let the word "reprint" scare you. The excerpts seem to be included more as historical reference than anything else. After all, there are a lot of new readers out there. I should note, too, that the excerpts aren't printed alongside the main story – they're part of it. There are also a few drawings which, I believe, would have been printed in Bezango WA 985 #9 (R.I.P.).
It's really great to see a new Steve Willis comic. He says he has no immediate plans for another, so order this one, show him the love and maybe he'll be inspired by his fans. There's no price on this issue but it is pretty thick, so three or four bucks wouldn't be unreasonable. Recommended.
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Tuesday, December 02, 2003
< art >
GUILTY PANCAKE
( www.bobfingerman.com)
Review by Mike Hunter
Noted alternative comics master Bob Fingerman (his latest major work being Beg the Question, a finely reworked, highly recommended collection of his great Minimum Wage comic from Fantagraphics) recently released Guilty Pancake, a delightful pocket-sized (5" x 7") collection of "preposterously punky pinups."
In stark contrast to the plastic, depersonalized (even if superbly rendered) types that populate the pinups of Vargas, or the pneumatically absurd adolescent fantasy figures that infest the mainstream comics world, Fingerman's lovelies – in varying degrees of tattooing and piercitude, frequently in impressively intimidating footwear – are obviously drawn from life, their physiques unique, individual, and all the more appealing for it. Plus, these are portraits as well. Rather than interchangeable dimples, snub noses, and vacuous expressions, Fingerman's exceptional talent for combining caricature, observation, and a solid understanding of anatomy makes for a gallery of very real, approachable women. (Even if us poor males, faced with such pulchritude, might end up reduced to the condition of the very cartoony and charming demons who accompany each lass: gazing adoringly, supplicating, drooling, or bashfully offering a flower.)
His inking is gloriously lithe, art better-than-ever, poses varied, the perfect-bound little book beautifully produced. Fingerman notes, "...if you order through this website I’ll throw in a free demon sketch along with my signature on the title page! Original art and a book for $12.00 (which covers postage)! You can’t lose..." Indeed! I ordered two copies, each arriving with a niftily rendered lil' devil of its own.
Check out Bob's website for more info on the title, and a review of the book: http://www.bobfingerman.com/artbooks/guiltypancake.html ...An online gallery with a few of the studies, a taste of the feast, is also available there.
The original pinup art is also available for sale, in assorted, most reasonable prices. I contacted Bob, inquired about the availability of my favorites (some had already been snapped up), picked one, and with ungodly speed, Fed-Ex was delivering a box with a lovely-to-behold indeed work to my office. The assured perfection of his originals makes them even more impressive to display.
As for whether the title contains some arcane symbolism or is simply surreal (a mostly-naked lovely does pose atop a stack of mammoth, mouth-watering flapjacks on the color cover), Fingerman ain't telling...
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Monday, December 01, 2003
< comics/x >
SPAGHETTI JUNKTION #2
($1.50 from Shannon Smith / 2788 Cordite Loop / Snellville, GA / 30039 USA. Web: www.shannonsmith.net)
This is an angst-driven comic by a young creator that manages to blend romance, action, humor and dream sequences. The protagonist is depressed and lonely (well, he does work in a comic shop after all) and has weird-ass dreams (muppet assassins, anyone?). When he thinks he's met the perfect girl, the reader is clued in to future trouble. From what I gather, Spaghetti Junktion features an ongoing story, but it's not necessary to have read the first issue to jump in here. I think Shannon's got a ways to go, but it's a fun start.
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