Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I don’t get enoough to document everything i read, but here is some folks who’s work I always enjoy.

Will Dinski just got some props during APE, by receiving the Isotope award. He really deserves the accolades. His comics are all constructed like fine pieces of art. Not only do they look pretty, but they also read great.

Britt Wilson is a supertalented lady out of Toronto. Her comics are well crafted little slices of enjoyment. She really shines when she does her painted work. Britt is still pretty young, so I suggest you get to know her stuff now, before she is some big name fancy shmancy artist, and then you will have some weird bragging rights. I bought all of the mini’s she has listed here and love them.

Australian Pat Grant, sent me an awesome drawing of me interviewing Satan. It made me happy. He also does some great comics too. I love how comics are so international.

Dutchman, Joost Halbertsma has been producing some really interesting work that is a little on the more experimental side. I think he has some good drawing chops and hopefully you do to.

I really enjoy Jason Overby’s stuff and I think he is really developing a nice unique style. He has a nice piece in the Abstract Comics collection. His work comes from the Gary Panter school and wears it well.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I really enjoyed Second Thoughts by Niklas Asker on an initial level. It’s quirky smart story of misguided love. Asker sets up a great story in a style similar to state side cartoonists, Nate Powell and Farel Dalrymple. He really plays with the black and white work bring the characters down to a basic level. Asker leave allot to the readers imagination to put together parts of the story in their own heads. it’s something I really enjoy in a cartoonist. It is a similar flavour in vagueness to someone like Gipi or Simon Roy, but using a completely different genre. The main fallback is that it is too short. I am curious to see what he can come up with when dealing with a longer story and has more space to play with.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

The Bridge Project is one of the more delightful anothologies that I have read in a while. It has all the markings of a good indie anthology, a simple theme that is easy to follow, and strong creators that were chosen for the project. The concept is pretty simple, a cartoonists from Portland and San Francisco collaborate on stories. The nice thing about it, is that while some stories are about the cities the creators live in, they avoid the easy trappings of all being autobio stries of being cartoonists in cool communities(although that is the case with a couple of the stories, it’s ok, because it’s not the majority).

Some of the favs in the book, include a nice balance piece by superstars Rina Ayuyang and Erika Moen. It highlights some of the wonders and joys of their own home towns, with the collaboration seem to be based on shared ideas but they still work independtly to their own strengths. Scott Campbell and Graham Annable team up for completely insane sea chantey that can only come from their combined minds. David Chelsea works solo for story of one mans differences and experiences between the two cities.

Overall, I am pretty happy with this book, I think people should take note of work that has gone into this book and see what goes into making a quality indy anthology.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Dater’s Dozen by Melaina is a fun little mini. I really enjoyed this book. It’s the kind of autobio comic I enjoy, personal, friendly and does not take it self too seriously. The art is a nice simplistic style, that at times, is reminiscent of John Porcellino. The story itself, is an engaging journey following Melaina through a series of disastrous dates. The story makes me feel a little old at times, as I forget how painful the awkwardness of attempted courtship could be. I am kind of surprised by the long list of mini comics that she has listed in the back of Dater’s Dozen, but this is the first thing that I have seen by her. I know that she is friends with MariNaomi, and you can see that carry over into this work in the type of story that she is telling. It’s not a direct type of related cartooning, but more like a similar grouping(do I make sense here). In the world of reading autobio comics by dudes, writing about their relationship mishaps, it’s nice to see it from the other side.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I really like Tom Neely’s work and was happy to get his little collection,  Brilliantly Ham-Fisted. It’s a depressingly charming collection of Tom doing his best try at a four panel strip. I somehow doubt that Tom would ever get a daily syndicated strip, unless people felt like killing themselves when they first read the paper in the morning. The work in this is beautiful and full of an odd type of empty life. Tom can seem to exact onto a desperate need to find an end to a loneliness. It doesn’t feel pretentious and full of itself, but instead, the strips are nice poetic contemplation, that slows down the pace nicely. Oh and it doesn’t hurt that Tom is a master cartoonist that is really hitting his stride right now.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Poopsheet had a massive sale recently, with tons of mini’s for a buk each. I love mini comics. It is an interesting format for someone to experiment and try something new with. I took advantage of the sale to get a stack of comix that will probably embarrass some interesting talented folks that have gone off to do some really great work. One of those comix was Stream of (Un)Consciousness by Brett Warnock. For those that don’t know, Brett is half of Top Shelf Comix. Brett has always said that he got into publishing comics, because he figured he would be a better publisher than cartoonist.

This release from 1994 is a little 16 page surreal goody that lives up to the title. The story is a wordless journey of death and rebirth. I am interested by the playful unusualness in comparison to the work published by Top Shelf. His art is very much flowing from the pen, and you can tell that it is very much stream of consciousness. There are some interesting charms of loneliness and a kind of loss of identity that Brett plays with. I really appreciate the spontaneity of the work and wonder what happened to that aesthetic. Alot of the work published by Top Shelf, has a very clear story structure, and I like seeing this deviation. The art has a nice underground feeling to it, and I would be curious to see more stuff to get an understanding of how it has varied, when he had attempted to do a more structured format. If you do see it for the original dollar price tag on it, do your self a favor and check it out.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I saw a preview copy of Side B at the EmCity comicon and was totally stoked by the stuff inside, so getting it in the mail today was an extra nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see this for awhile. I am always a sucker for anthologies, especially good themed ones. The book starts out with a nice little illustrated intro by fellow Vancouverite, Brandon Graham, that leaves me very concerned in regards towards having him anywhere near my cat. The book features a great selection of folks like Lucy Knisely, Jeffrey Brown, Box Brown, Liz Baillie and much more. Most of them deliver some fond testaments towards the impact that music has had on particular parts in their lives. Box’s story is a nice little piece about how a good Rolling Stones song(you know, from the 60’s) helped connects a family after the passing of a loved one.

Lucy’s story is pretty much a prototypical piece by her. I am a fan of her work, but I am waiting for her to do something that is completely different. But she is still young and miles ahead of most of her peers, so I won’t be too hard. My one real annoyance in the book, would have to be Jim Mahfood’s story. I can’t even read it. its like he has gotten sloppier with time. I am sure it is a fine story, but Mahfood is one of those guys that I just don’t get anymore. He is like a one trick pony. Beyond those, there’s lots of great new work, that I am more than happy to be exposed to. For me, an anthology is only as strong the weakest work and can be the failing point. This collection is a good collection of some great new work and themes can provide a good outlet for folks to think outside of their usual comfortzone. Except in the case of Jim Mahfood, where this is the topic that is kind of expected from him.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Guibert’s The Photographer is probably topping my list for one of my favorite books of the year so far. Just like his previous release from First Second, Alan’s War, Guibert works at going to the heart of his subject and provides us with an incredibly honest portrayal of common figures in the middle of incredible situations. The Photographer follows the story of a close friend and his experience going to Afghanistan to document the work of Medecins Sans Frontieres. The story of Didier Lefevre is enthralling and exciting. He goes through things one could only imagine. The story of his journey through worn torn Afghanistan in 1987 gives a humanist look at a people that are being ravished by continuing violence. The book is a mixture between Guibert’s subtle cartooning with Lefevre’s photography. It is amazing the amount of photo’s that he took during this time. This would be an incredible work, just looking at the photo’s but the way the two forms melt together is really strong and appealing. Lefevre is able to capture people in their most private moments without seeming to intrude. Some of my favorite shots, are of the Mujaheddin bringing in armaments into Afghanistan on the backs of donkey’s and horse’s. It is really interesting to see the source of one of the major international conflicts through an unsensationalized lense. Buy this book now.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I really enjoyed Miss Lasko-Gross’s first book from Fantagraphics in her ongoing memoir work, Escape From Special.With her latest book, A Mess of Everything, it seems that not only does she grow up as young person, but this book also shows alot of promise and growth for Miss as a creator. Her latest book, follows her somewhat tumoltuous time through high-school. The really neat thing about her work, is that not alot really happens, it is more of an honest look at growth through an awkward time in ones life. I appreciate that this is a kind of humanizing look, and doesn’t focus on standard trappings of coming of age comics. She avoids the mellowdrama of conflicts with boys and instead looks at the relations with friends. I personally identify with Miss and find some kind of communality of experiences, so maybe thats why she speaks so strongly to me. Oh yeah, and the art is pretty darn good too.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I am going to hold off on my daily reviews for the next bunch of days. I am in the middle of exams and don’t have time to read anything that isn’t a text book.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I  had already read Lauren Weinstein’s diary comic and really enjoyed  it, but was told that the rest of work was completely different. And it is. It’s great. I got Inside Vineyland of off Last Gasp for dirt cheap. the book is a bit of a mixed bag of different noodly stories that all seem to have some kind of common thread. Lauren seems to have a great take on a kind of odd surreal obsurd lonelyness. The main story in the book, is about a teenage robot. You want to take pitty on this poor little guy that Lauren sticks into these awful comprimising positions that look like he is having some kind of sexual encounter with daily household appliances.  The work is a playful mix throughout that doesn’t dumb down just because it’s a one page gag. It is interesting to see how she is adapting to different subject matter, and avoiding one standard genre, but still using the same great art style. As a side note, her poster that came with  Ganzfeld 7 was one of the more impressive parts of an otherwise dissapointing package.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Before I jump into today’s review, I thought I should mention a change that will be coming to the inkstuds site very soon. A very very nice man, Charles Bottomley, has been transcribing some interviews. After they are touched up and what not, i will have post them for you all to read and enjoy. I realize that not everyone wants to listen to my nasal voice, so this will be a great chance to get some interesting info. I think the first one to be posted will either be Spain or Barron Storey.

Today, I caught up with my radio reading. Tomorrow, I am going to do an interview with Mike Dawson, so I read his new book for Adhouse, Ace-Face and his web comic which directly connects to Ace-Face, Jack and Max Escape from the End of Time. I really enjoyed his book, Freddie and Me, even though I have particularly strong dislike for Queen. Ace-Face is Mike’s odd take on superheroes. It was neat, because he doesn’t fall into the normal traps of alternative artists doing superhero comics. He doesn’t make fun of his characters, instead he has fun with them. Ace-Face is born with no arms and his mad scientist uncle, gives him huge robot arms. Luckily, Ace-Face eventually grows into the arms and isn’t stuck looking too much like Popeye. Mike’s characters are pleasant almost mundane people who get thrust into unreal situations. He really plays with the story telling though and just visits certain parts of the character’s lives, leaving alot to the imagination, and I suppose room for more follow up strips.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

This one is being posted a little late, I was unable to get to a computer last night, but I did get a comic read. I finally sat down with Aya of Yop City. I had been sitting on this for a while. I wasn’t very impressed with the first book. I found it to be a little too precious. The second book of the ongoing Aya series was better. It gives a neat view into small town life in Ivory Coast Africa. The stories of the characters are whimsical and fun. I should also state that the cartooning really is top notch. I think the thing that bugs me about this series, is that it really isn’t pushing any new ideas or techniques. It is just a happy go lucky story, and that is fine if that’s what you are looking for. Personally, I am a little dumbfounded by just how Drawn and Quarterly gets so excited by this series. I am curious what other people think of the Aya books.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Time for an oldy, but a goody. I have been on a bit of an Alex Toth kick lately and buying whatever I can find. He is one of the finest draftsman in the comics world, it’s just too bad most of the stories kinda suck. I grabed Darby O’Gill and the Little People off of the daunting to be read stack. I have no recollection of ever seeing the movie, so I can’t tell you how faithful it is, but I don’t think that really matters. The story is a fun journey into Ireland featuring the story of an old man, and his confrontations with Brian, king of the leprechauns. Toth’s art is always great. His characters are always expressive and seam to have a timeless quality that is lost in most silverage cartoonists. Young and developing cartoonists can learn alot from Toth and his techniques. His pages move flawlessly, keep the readers eye transfixed to the going ons. I suggest going out an finding a cheapo comic by Toth, and just look at what he is going. A couple of bonus readings for people interested in learning more about Toth, would include Darwyn Cooke’s touching little 8 pager and Dylan Williams’ little illustrated essay in Windy Corner 2.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

I have been pretty burnt out from school, so today was the day for what I like to call Comic Crack. Marvel Zombies 2 is the latest in Robert Kirkmans ongoing series of Zombie lovin comics. This book was fun, but kinda flawed in comparison with the last Marvel Zombies book. I read comics like this for mindless violence and seens like of superheroes eating eachother. Maybe its because they depend on keeping things in some ridiculous continuity, but reading about Colonel America just sounds stupid. In this story, a group of zombie Marvel characters return to Earth and come across a group of survivors and conflict ensues. The story isn’t particularily original or fantastic but I enjoyed if for what it was.  I would like to see a DC version of this concept. I really don’t care for the Marvel characters.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Today I jumped into a very out of print book and by reviewing it, may just be teasing those of you that can’t find it. For that, I am sorry, actually, not really. As a book in itself, Escapo is interesting but really in the end, not fleshed out enough. Paul Pope released this story in the midst of his flurry of production surrounding THB, and it feels like a bit of a throw away side story.

Escapo is a kind of Houdini meets Philip K Dick kind of story. Like most of Pope’s other work, it takes place in barren land with characters of no real discernable level of moral qualities. The art of the story is fantastical full and half page spreads that capture an idea of loneliness that can be found in the story, but I don’t feel it goes far enough with the characters.

Maybe my problem is that I spent more time reading the introduction, than it took to read the comic it self. There is something I find annoying about personality promotion and this book just stinks of it. The book features a prominent full page photo of Pope in his full moody glory. If you fall for his posturing, than maybe I am sounding like a douche, but I really don’t need to read about how cool the creator is. I want to hear about why the creator choose to do the work, not that he had his photo taken by someone that took a photo of Mick Jagger. The THB manifesto segment is interesting, but makes him seem more corporatist than iconoclastic.I guess what i am saying, is save your money. If you are desperate for some Pope, and have all his DC work, track down a THB. It will be way less expensive, and alot more fun. This book has its interesting moments, but is not in the required reading section.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

It’s time for a toony Tuesday(sorry, very Canadian reference). I spent most of the day writing for school, so I didn’t get much of a chance to read anything so I am going to review something I read awhile ago.

First off, Master Race by Bernie Krigstein. I read this today while working on a paper about literary traditions with a reference to Maus. Krigstein was doing some crazy shit on the page that looks like something that belongs in an issue of Raw. Master Race is an 8 page story from Impact Comics #1 published by EC in 1954. It follows the story o a former commander of a German Concentration Camp that is haunted by his horrible actions while riding a New York subway. Krigstein uses all sorts of odd angels and close ups to capture the despair and fear that character is dealing with when he recognizes another passenger as someone from his past. He also utilizes a really neat cinematic look to slow action right down and then also uses to a similar technique to give the idea of speed and movement on the subway. I don’t think I can accurately describe what Krigstein does with this story, so maybe go read Paul Gravett’s essay on Krigstein, he is smarter than me.

My other review for today is the much anticipated Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. This is one of the best books that I have read in quite awhile. I know David has been working on this for several years, and it shows. Batman Year One and Rubber Blankets are some of my favorite comics, and I think this will join the stack. I feel like this shows such a progression in technique in styles. His other work, is that of a younger cartoonists and reflects a certain sensability that has shifted with this latest work. Asterios Polyp is a story of love and lonely, balance and chaos and  lastly loss and renewal. The story follows the life of Asterios Polyp, who plays the role of a bit of an anti-hero. Throughout the book, we are shown his new life and his old life, constantly contrasting to show some dimension of change. The old Asterios is kind of detestable, while the new, you want to admire and root for. I am going to avoid too much of a description of the story, and leave that for you when you read it. I am curious of how much of the character is a stand in for Mazzucchelli. Asterios is professor of architecture known for his incredible designs, but not having any of them built, while Mazzucchelli has been removed from comics working on this epic, that he has become a figure that everyone is waiting for something from. There are more little points of comparison and analysis, but I will save that for someone more capable.

The part about the book that I find fascinating, is his use of representation. The past and present both have a unique colour scheme that seem to reflect the state of mind that Asterios is in. The colours he uses are very very close to what Frank Santoro and Ben Jones have been using with Cold Heat and I find it fascinating that both books use the similar hues. But that is something that Frank can analyze, the way he loves to analyze colour. The book also has a great use of representational symbols that show Mazzucchelli really speaking to the strengths of what can be done with comics when pushed far enough. At some points I do feel like I am reading a Scott McCloud book, but he manages to reign in before that can happen. I highly recommend picking up this book when it comes out(june 2).

Until this book does come out, maybe do yourself a favor and go order Rubber Blankets #3 from Last Gasp. Mazzucchelli really deserves to be spoken of, with the same level of respect as guys like Clowes, Ware and Pante.This book will remind all the new fans of alternative comics, just who David is and why he is important.

Originally published at Inkstuds. You can comment here or there.

Today i read an oldy that is a goody. I have a long time love and respect for the work of Moebius, but I had never read his Blueberry work. I decided to finally read the first of many volumes of his fine collaboration with Jean-Michel Charlier - Chihauhua Pearl. This book follows the intrepid hero on his journey for a half million dollars worth of confederate gold. Blueberry lives in world very similar to the Leone spaghetti westerns. None of the characters are good people and even the protagonist himself is fault with faults of his own. Moebius takes you through a messy dirty mexico filled with back stabbers, greedy confederate deserters and much more. Don’t expect a western along the lines of Deadwood though.

There are all sorts of little touches of Moebius’s work that he throws in that I love. Blueberry looks obviously filthy and you can see how he is getting more and more run down as the story progresses. His characterization is great, he is not a completely likeable hero, but at the same time, he steers away from being a Han Solo type of anti-hero. He is bit of an idiot sometimes even, which is a nice touch that alot of creators don’t use nearly often enough(except Johnny Ryan, but all of his characters are idiots).

The way the book is put together, it seems that the series was originally published as half page segments in a newspaper, but it doesn’t ruin the pacing at all. I think 99% of webcomics folks that are trying to do extend stories should read this, just to see how a master does it and take extensive notes. I know that this book will be hard as hell to come by, but if you get the chance, do yourself a favor and go hunt it down. I have even seen some Blueberry stuff on ebay for a decent price recently.

And make sure you check out Moebius’s site, it is AMAZING!1!!1!!!!!!