Mini-Comic Review: The Works of Rio Safari

I just got a package in the mail yesterday from Rio Safari, with whom I traded comics. Included were Homobody #1-4, Odd Ends #1, Weird Sea Creatures of the Sea: Beluga and Weird Sea Creatures of the Sea: Narwhal.

I haven’t had a chance to read Homobody yet, but I liked the others so much I wanted to go ahead and post a review. I’ll start with my favorite – Weird Sea Creatures of the Sea: Narwhal. Now any fan of Candy or Medicine knows I have an affinity toward narwhals, so it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this 8-page comic. Safari illustrates some interesting facts about the narwhal, such as its diet consists entirely of kabob and a similar tusk was found on now-extinct species such as the nardog and narcow. Funny stuff.

Weird Sea Creatures of the Sea: Beluga is the follow-up to the narwhal comic, this time focusing on creature that Safari depicts as much less intellectual or refined than its aforementioned fellow cetacean. This is seen on a page where Safari explains that the beluga developed its “gnarly noggin” through centuries of bonking its head on things.

Odd Ends is a sketchbook/anthology of Safari's work, with comics about relationships, favorite songs, fortune cookies, toast and canvassers.

Safari's comics range from 50 cents for the 1/4-sized comics (Weird Sea Creatures) to $1 and $1.50 for the 1/2-sized comics (Homobody and Odd Ends) and can be ordered on his Web site.