Mini Comix

Comics That Need Attention

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Title: 3 New Stories Artist/Writer: Dash Shaw Publisher: Fantagraphics Purchase: www.fantagraphics.com/3newstories Review:  Dash Shaw recently released this 32 page comic through Fantagraphics, it’s always nice to see when they release a new floppy comic. The comic is made up of 3 short stories, all of which seem to take place in a dystopian future, or alternate reality. For me the real charm was the multiple layers of art that exist in each comic. The first story involves a man who must go back to high school because his school year was 4 days shorter than it should have been, so his degree was no longer valid. He goes back to a special school and finds himself surrounded with old classmates, and full of suspicions of this bizarre situation. The background of this black and white comic is full of wonderful paintings that give a whole new reflection on what is happening in the scene. A very interesting way to fill up his white spaces. The second story has a gorgeous map background (I’ve always had a thing for maps as art). Over top of it we are given a point-of-view shot from a Girls Gone Wild video camera. The story is quick, but full of good art and thought. Each panel is shaped much like an iPhone (I wish I had one to see if it was in fact traced from one). I really like the use of this scrapbook styling of forming each page. The last story is called “Bronx Children’s Prison”. Again in a weird alternate reality, Bronx has a prison which houses only children. Shaw again hits the nail on the head with the background art, it adds a wonderful texture to each page and panel. 3 New Stories is a quick read, but a memorable one for sure. Worth boarding and bagging to keep preserved for all time! Keep a lookout for Shaw’s newest book to be released later this year, New School!

Title: 3 New Stories

Artist/Writer: Dash Shaw

Publisher: Fantagraphics

Purchase: www.fantagraphics.com/3newstories

Review: 

Dash Shaw recently released this 32 page comic through Fantagraphics, it’s always nice to see when they release a new floppy comic. The comic is made up of 3 short stories, all of which seem to take place in a dystopian future, or alternate reality. For me the real charm was the multiple layers of art that exist in each comic.

The first story involves a man who must go back to high school because his school year was 4 days shorter than it should have been, so his degree was no longer valid. He goes back to a special school and finds himself surrounded with old classmates, and full of suspicions of this bizarre situation. The background of this black and white comic is full of wonderful paintings that give a whole new reflection on what is happening in the scene. A very interesting way to fill up his white spaces.

image1

The second story has a gorgeous map background (I’ve always had a thing for maps as art). Over top of it we are given a point-of-view shot from a Girls Gone Wild video camera. The story is quick, but full of good art and thought. Each panel is shaped much like an iPhone (I wish I had one to see if it was in fact traced from one). I really like the use of this scrapbook styling of forming each page.

image2

The last story is called “Bronx Children’s Prison”. Again in a weird alternate reality, Bronx has a prison which houses only children. Shaw again hits the nail on the head with the background art, it adds a wonderful texture to each page and panel.

image3

3 New Stories is a quick read, but a memorable one for sure. Worth boarding and bagging to keep preserved for all time! Keep a lookout for Shaw’s newest book to be released later this year, New School!

Filed under comics fantagraphics dash shaw alternative comics indie comics mini comics mini comix

5 notes

Title: Alligator Milk #1 Artist/Writer: Max Clotfelter Publisher: Self-Published Purchase: http://profanityhill.blogspot.com/2010/06/alligator-milk-by-max-clotfelter.html Review:  A short and sweet 24 page comic with art in the ways of S. Clay Wilson or Robert Crumb. The scene is set in a jail where our two characters are in line to make a wish to the awful jail guards. The scene reminds me of a memorable scene from the Spanish film Welcome Mr. Marshall! Is this intentional? I have no idea. The line drawings in the comic are just brilliant. And in the middle we have an 8.5 piece of paper that gives us a centerfold art page unrelated to the story, and a fold up piece that gives us another unrelated piece a full page big! The full page one is below, it is just wonderful. The detail is supreme. Sure the story is simple and short, but the ending is surreal and great! I found myself reading it time and time again for it’s just a quick hit that supplies a quick hit and beautiful eye candy.

Title: Alligator Milk #1

Artist/Writer: Max Clotfelter

Publisher: Self-Published

Purchase: http://profanityhill.blogspot.com/2010/06/alligator-milk-by-max-clotfelter.html

Review: 

A short and sweet 24 page comic with art in the ways of S. Clay Wilson or Robert Crumb. The scene is set in a jail where our two characters are in line to make a wish to the awful jail guards. The scene reminds me of a memorable scene from the Spanish film Welcome Mr. Marshall! Is this intentional? I have no idea.

The line drawings in the comic are just brilliant. And in the middle we have an 8.5 piece of paper that gives us a centerfold art page unrelated to the story, and a fold up piece that gives us another unrelated piece a full page big! The full page one is below, it is just wonderful. The detail is supreme.

Sure the story is simple and short, but the ending is surreal and great! I found myself reading it time and time again for it’s just a quick hit that supplies a quick hit and beautiful eye candy.

Filed under mini comics alligator milk max clotfelter comics art s. clay wilson alternative comics self published comic art profanity hill

1 note

Title: Reptile Museum #1 Artist/Writer: Cody Pickrodt Publisher: Ray Ray Books Purchase: http://rayraybooks.com/ Review: Cody Pickrodt’s Reptile Museum is one my local shop picked up a bunch of. Now we get a handful of minis around here in Richmond but because of this large stack I just was too curious I had to pick it up. I’ve read some of Pickrodt’s comics I picked up at Richmond Zinefest about his living in L.A. and really enjoyed them. The first thing I noticed was Pickrodt’s paneling, or anti-paneling should I say. Pages 8 and 9 are set up a really interesting way. Various drawings positioned all in different ways drag our eye across the pages telling the actions in the scene. Some really great visual storytelling in the comic. Continued throughout the entire issue. The story takes place in a time when “A time when the apocalypse has come and gone.” We have some wonderful character introduction and story ground laying that really makes this comic look like it’s going to be a true epic. Box Brown says in the back, “Really looking forward to seeing where the story goes ‘cause Cody is a f-ing maniac.” With the comic I’ve read so far, and confirmation personally from a comic artist I trust I must continue this series! As I finally got around to write this review I saw that issue #2 is out now! And how great is that cover? Also he is still taking orders on a yearlong subscription of the comic! 6 comics for the price of 4!

Title: Reptile Museum #1

Artist/Writer: Cody Pickrodt

Publisher: Ray Ray Books

Purchase: http://rayraybooks.com/

Review:

Cody Pickrodt’s Reptile Museum is one my local shop picked up a bunch of. Now we get a handful of minis around here in Richmond but because of this large stack I just was too curious I had to pick it up. I’ve read some of Pickrodt’s comics I picked up at Richmond Zinefest about his living in L.A. and really enjoyed them.

The first thing I noticed was Pickrodt’s paneling, or anti-paneling should I say. Pages 8 and 9 are set up a really interesting way. Various drawings positioned all in different ways drag our eye across the pages telling the actions in the scene.

Some really great visual storytelling in the comic. Continued throughout the entire issue. The story takes place in a time when “A time when the apocalypse has come and gone.” We have some wonderful character introduction and story ground laying that really makes this comic look like it’s going to be a true epic. Box Brown says in the back, “Really looking forward to seeing where the story goes ‘cause Cody is a f-ing maniac.” With the comic I’ve read so far, and confirmation personally from a comic artist I trust I must continue this series!

As I finally got around to write this review I saw that issue #2 is out now! And how great is that cover? Also he is still taking orders on a yearlong subscription of the comic! 6 comics for the price of 4!

Filed under comics comic mini comic cody pickrodt ray ray books repitile musuem alternative comics minicomic epic comic epic comic review

159 notes

dominobooks: Hey everyone! A lot of you may have heard about this already, but DOMINO is losing our headquarters, 282 Broadway/Cartoon House (also the place that I and many other people in the arts/comics community live out of). It’s a sad situation—-so much work has been made in this apartment, and many artists/cartoonists/people-involved-in-art have called it their home over the last decade, including Lizz Hickey, Jon Vermilyea, Jesse McManus, Clara Bessijelle, Bald Eagles/Victor Cayro, Christopher Ortiz, Becca Kacanda, Jeff Ladoceur, Dave Nuss, Bill Kartalopoulos, Aidan Koch and myself, Austin English. The apartment has also been a ‘safe-house’ for cartoonists and artists visiting New York—-it would be hard to list all the people who have crashed here for a day or a week or months while working on their art. The space also serves as the headquarters for 3 small publishers—-DOMINO, Rebus Books and Revival House. For small businesses like ours, the move will be involved and cut into our already razor-thin-margins operations. Make no mistake, we will survive and continue to thrive after this move! BUT—-DOMINO is asking for your help today by asking for one simple thing: if you’ve been considering ordering any of our books——especially the 6 books we publish, DARK TOMATO, SPIDER MONKEY, FACE MAN, DIFFICULT LOVES, SPACE BASKET or TUSEN HJARTAN STARK—-now would be a wonderful time for you to go ahead and buy them! We offer all six books together for $26 (you get TUSEN for free, plus pay no shipping). But, really, any order today helps us out with this move and lightens our load (less books, less to move)! Thanks you guys! Link to the store below—-check it out and feel free to share this! http://dominobooks.org/store.html A good time to buy some mini-comix!

dominobooks:

Hey everyone! A lot of you may have heard about this already, but DOMINO is losing our headquarters, 282 Broadway/Cartoon House (also the place that I and many other people in the arts/comics community live out of). It’s a sad situation—-so much work has been made in this apartment, and many artists/cartoonists/people-involved-in-art have called it their home over the last decade, including Lizz Hickey, Jon Vermilyea, Jesse McManus, Clara Bessijelle, Bald Eagles/Victor Cayro, Christopher Ortiz, Becca Kacanda, Jeff Ladoceur, Dave Nuss, Bill Kartalopoulos, Aidan Koch and myself, Austin English. The apartment has also been a ‘safe-house’ for cartoonists and artists visiting New York—-it would be hard to list all the people who have crashed here for a day or a week or months while working on their art.

The space also serves as the headquarters for 3 small publishers—-DOMINO, Rebus Books and Revival House. For small businesses like ours, the move will be involved and cut into our already razor-thin-margins operations. Make no mistake, we will survive and continue to thrive after this move! BUT—-DOMINO is asking for your help today by asking for one simple thing: if you’ve been considering ordering any of our books——especially the 6 books we publish, DARK TOMATO, SPIDER MONKEY, FACE MAN, DIFFICULT LOVES, SPACE BASKET or TUSEN HJARTAN STARK—-now would be a wonderful time for you to go ahead and buy them! We offer all six books together for $26 (you get TUSEN for free, plus pay no shipping). But, really, any order today helps us out with this move and lightens our load (less books, less to move)!

Thanks you guys! Link to the store below—-check it out and feel free to share this!

http://dominobooks.org/store.html

A good time to buy some mini-comix!