Simply Jack (68)
Favorite '80s Hairstyle: Mullet (also, Fe-Mullet)
Favorite Decade: '80s
I love following comics from the #1 issue and continuing to see them grow up. I find the “one-off” reviews that I’ve done tend to be more unsatisfying than following along with the creators, seeing them take chances, and develop the story, the world, the characters, and ultimately the art. So, I was happy to pick up Schismatic #2 after reviewing Schismatic #1.
You guys remember when I reviewed 321: Fast Comics months ago? Of course you do. I reviewed Issue #1 of the Kickstarter-funded 321: Fast Comics idea – each story is 3 pages long, there are 20 of them, and each one is a narrative that you could hear at a bar or a camp fire.
My editor paused in her continuous river of criticism and rage and sent me something unheard of. It wasn’t praise (Let’s not get crazy.), it was a request that I review a piece of work . . . by the creator! Now, this could mean one of 2 things:
1) My reviews are too nice, so everyone wants me to review stuff, because they know it’ll be good; or
2) My writing is inspirational,my perceptive wit is illuminating, and I’m very very handsome.
When I take on a review, it’s because I’m wondering if I should read/see/experience the thing that is being reviewed. It’s the way I roll. I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you either are a friend of mine, or you’re wondering if you should read this comic (Spurs #2.2, in case you’re wondering). There is a limited third category of reader: the creator, seeking feedback on his or her piece of work.
So (maybe) a slightly new idea, and that’s cool, right? The new Plutona series is written for the fractured children of society. The false bullies who are actually just sad, little boys, the tough girls who are family-loving, wanna-be-cool poser, the chubby girl who is secretly cool but no one realizes it. This book resonated with me – as unbelievable as this is, I, too, am imperfect! If you’re imperfect, too, maybe you should check out this comic. If, on the other hand, you’re a “Captain Hammer,” maybe you should stick with Superman or Captain Marvel.
Here I go. I promised I would never review another book after the last one. Why? Namely because the books that I am asked to review tend to be garbage. Complete, stab-myself-in-the-eye-and-if-I-partially-lobotomize-myself-the-pain-might-go-away tripe. So, when my editor asked if I’d review the book, Normalized, of course, I said yes (after finding out I could just buy it on Amazon rather than reading a long pdf or some other ridiculous work around which is not how you read a book!).
Today, I read Modern Testament, a comic made up of three tales. The premise of the comic is taking biblical critters and inserting them into modern times, in essence continuing the latest bible stories with some new ones. The good news is that the comic isn’t 100% preachy; it has some darkness, and it tackles some stuff that I think the bible might have missed. The bad news is that this reviewer is pretty much an atheist, so this review may miss some points of the author (at best). I guess we’ll see.
I gotta tell you - when I heard about this comic, I was just a little bit curious. When the synopsis says, "It tells the story of pumpkins, corporate scum, and little, green plant people taking over the Pacific Northwest," you know it’s got something to say. I took the pumpkin by the green, stemmy thing and read the comic. Here are my thoughts.
I’ve been reading Binary Gray, the new digital (and paper) comic from Assailant Comics. I’ll give you some background about what it’s all about (in case you don’t know). Our fearless hero, Alex Gray, is a nerd and Help-Desk Guy. Kind of a depressing life, really – he pines for the hot girl, doesn’t seem to have any friends, and is genuinely haunted by the fact that his dad died when he was a kid – he was killed by a super-villain, and Alex blames himself for the death, etc., etc., etc.
So . . . yeah. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted, but my editor likes throwing the weird stuff at me. I like the weird stuff (much like Captain Hammer, but I digress), but man it can take work. It’s hard to figure out what the message was supposed to be versus what I got out of it versus what YOU might get out of it – especially if “it” is some crazy picture-only book of abstract ideas about “stuff.” And, “things” sometimes, too.
You know what I’m saying.
