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Indie-phile
The other side of comic books — you know, the side that is not as embarrassing to own
By Glenn Given production@hippopress.com
Comics are polarizing faster than I ever thought possible. The King Kong of this scenario being the “mainstream” comic industry with its fancy-pants superheroes and video game/movie tie-ins vs. the biplanes of the indie-comics publishers ra-ta-tating away with graphic novels and quirky one-shots and miniseries. Some of the best comics are, ironically, not likely to be found in your local comic shop (although I encourage you to berate them until they start ordering it) and tend to pop up in “regular” bookstores. Some call this mixed blessing a mainstreaming of the art-form; I call it depressing for local business owners who won’t be receiving my filthy comic book apportioned lucre.
Little Star, by Andi Watson
Oni Press
It’s best to catch the work of Brit-delight Andi Watson as collected editions. Not only because retailers seem to frequently lose faith in this astonishing artist at around issue three of whatever he’s putting out but also because his works carry a bit more weight as a long sit-down read.
Little Star tells a smilingly sweet tale of Simon Adams, part-time artist, full-time father and husband. It’s about reconciling family responsibilities, finding time to advance oneself and the ebb and flow of stress and love that comes with the turning points of a shared life. Watson’s inimitable style elegantly lays this tale on the page, presenting a bit of reflection, a bit of metaphor, but mainly being there simply to ground the narrative and illuminate the meaning of the pauses and worried looks, and for that his art is superb. A
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World vol. 1-3, Bryan Lee O’Malley
Oni Press
When I interviewed Brian Wood (DMZ, Channel Zero) a while back I asked him what he uses to introduce comics to others and this was his recommendation. And a damn good one at that.
Scott is a Canadian (but let’s not fault him for that) twenty-something splitting his time being poor, rocking in a geek punk band, explaining to female companions that while he does share an apartment and a sleeping space with a gay man, that he is, in fact, not gay and defeating the seven evil ex-boyfriends of his current love. Not to mention breaking up with a high school girl he shouldn’t have been dating in the first place. The genius to O’Malley’s work is how he can juggle this large cast of characters and their convoluted emotional ties and still keep his comfortably-shy-of-nerdy pop-culture fetishism injected into the witty dialogue and splendid art. A+
The Lost Colony, by Grady Klein
First Second Books
An off-kilter ensemble of pre-Civil War types call The Lost Colony their home. And damn it, they like it that way. This motley collection of ex-slaves, inventors, foreign heathens and their like conspire with and against each other to keep their island safely cut off from meddling outsiders in Klein’s spastic art jam. There is a fun, silly angularity to both the characters and their logic that propels the reader through the confusion of too much too fast. But we’re rewarded for scampering though the narrative dizziness with steam-powered Civil War-era robots. And if that don’t spell good comics then I don’t know what does. B
Vampire Loves, Joann Sfar
First Second Books
Dungeon co-writer Sfar summons your forgotten goth whimsy with Vampire Loves, which is pretty much what it sounds like. Ferdinand, a vampire (more of the Nosferatu than the Dracula variety) is, sigh, quite melancholy when his love, a mandraggora (girl/plant) leaves him as is her flighty way. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as Hot Topic as it could be, although the more literary of that goofus crowd would do good to pick through Sfar’s book as it displays a depth and maturity to its gothiness that outstrips the simple black clothes, black metal and black eyeliner. Here is a series of interludes between neo-romantics in full color. Their vampireness is almost an afterthought to their feelings and character; it’sa refreshing step in a genre and style that is so direly in need of some even-handed emotional earnestness. A-
Popbot #7, by Ashley Wood
IDW Publishing
Australian Design phenom Wood amuses, engages and stone cold confuses fans with the seventh installment of Popbot; a book half composed of artist-made ads for various war droids. The other half? Well there is a multi page conversation between an imprisoned Andy Warhol and Lady Sham (superhero? Extradimensional force? Older sister to the universe? Who knows?). Buttressing the gob-smackingly elegant illustrations and the layout and typography fetishism are minor interludes with Wood’s Kitty (rock star, dead pet, foul-mouthed bastard) negotiating his residence in Hell. And a teeny tiny type exposition on the wars of the future. Somebody need to wiki up a layman’s guide to Ashley Wood’s imagination, ’cause damn, I don’t get it, but it’s so pretty. A better made book can only come in the form of collected Popbot issues. Oh snap! It seems those are available too! A+
The Awake Field, by Ron Regé, Jr.
Drawn & Quarterly
Regé transports readers to the sketchbook of a quixotic autistic child on LSD and anti-depressants drawn in light inks on softly toned peach and rose paper.
Or at least it feels that way to page through The Awake Field. His thirteenth “subconscious autobiography” can be a bit “unique” in its presentation of the nine sequences that comprise the book. The title series of one-panel pages depicts the flight of a clutch of floral creatures through the rural neighborhood. Regé’s poem “The Stranger and the Mouse” is seen as a sweet romp for a pair of friends. The different stories — or sometimes merely snapshots — don’t form a cohesive story per se, but they do give you a subtle portrait of an artist. As a comic book it’s hard to approach, even though there are decidedly comic-book structures, but it is a fulfilling read nonetheless. B+
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