COMICS CULTURE SHRAPNEL from CBEM 336
So this week you will be subjected to more reviews of stuff I got at SP-Xiles. I originally planned to do everything in one shot, but realized I was going on too long and didn't want to subject you to the horror of too much of my meanderings. Then again, I was (and am right now) in the NYU Computer Center, where they make you take numbers and then the wait for a system usually encompasses the lunch break, forcing students to choose between eating and finishing their homework.
I want to eat eventually, so let's get started.
Eep #3 Written & Illustrated by David Mazure Published by Unorthodox Press September 2001 $2.50
This is cute. What we have here is a series of vignettes, all revolving around a small egg-shaped alien named Eep. Called such because that's the noise it makes when in distress. Which happens quite often, obviously. There are some short one-page strips that meander about different subjects like office lunch breaks and the evolution of small white orb creatures. Somewhere toward the beginning we segue into a soap opera photocomic full of social intrigue and family scandal. In which Eep makes an oh-so-brief appearance before we return to our regularly scheduled cartoon art. The content goes all over the place, taking the simplest of characters and simply changing the context. It certainly makes for an engaging and entertaining read. The final story even ends with a cliffhanger. It's not "Who shot J.R.?" but heck, it'll suffice for this charming little comic.
The art itself is rather nice, with good detail given to the surroundings and background. Not heavy on panel work, but the comic feels really full due to the attention paid to the New York setting. It's a really neat and visually interesting piece of work.
Badly-Drawn Comics #7
Written & Illustrated by Martha Keavney
$2.95
www.badlydrawncomics.com
As is apparent from the title, this isn't going to be a masterpiece of Late American Art. Or even close. It's simplistic, bare, somewhat juvenile. But that's OK. We weren't expecting much to begin with. Though I can honestly say that the layout is clear and well- constructed, and some attention is paid to small details like food on a table and wood-grain on a picture frame. It certainly serves to fill out the pages visually and enhance the context, making the package easier on the eyes.
The writing is what stands out. At first glance the comic might appear to be slice-of-life stuff, but actual readings reveal a series of carefully constructed satire. Like our protagonist as an office worker whose sole assignment is to complete basic bodily functions by the end of the day:
"First we need you to take about 7200 liters of air, extract the oxygen from it, replace it with carbon dioxide, and put it back into the atmosphere..."
High school biology turns up the in the weirdest places.
The major piece of the book is called "The Mix-Up" which serves as a parody of those horrid romantic comedies that permeate the box office. It's messy, disjointed, confusing... and probably really hilarious if you've seen way too many Meg Ryan movies. I haven't. At this point the book got awkward and surrealistic for me, dampening my enjoyment just a notch.
The cover is probably the best part of the book. It's a mock-up of a "Dummies" book, just barely avoiding copyright issues by having the trademark blackboard read "Badly-Drawn Comics for Dummeez." It's cute, and makes me yearn for more parody of the series, or at least an equivalent.