Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for August 2011

I'm a bit late on this one because I've been pretty busy lately plus I was very sick yesterday. So here is my take as well as Kelly's take on a few comics for this month.

N.Y.D.I.: A History in Publishing
by Jesse Reklaw
$2
Twenty pages, color covers, black and white interiors.
Available here.

 This is a fun (and kind of depressing) look at Jesse Reklaw's experiences with publishing his work. He starts off self-publishing, then eventually finds a publisher, only to learn it's not all that he dreamt it would be.



Manhole no. 3
by Mardou
$5 shipped
40 pages, color cover, b&w interior
Available here.

Not really what I expected it to be, but nonetheless not too bad. Maybe if I had read the first two I would have enjoyed it mroe? This comic was nominated for the 2009 Maisie Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration. Also, each copy comes with a hand-drawn postcard.


The Burning

by Sam Spina http://spinadoodles.blogspot.com

and John Garza http://garzaarte.com

Available here 

Sam and John each made a short comic about an incident from their childhood. They've been friends since first grade and both became artists. The comics appear together (you can flip the comic after finishing one to see the other) so you can see how they each portray the event. Fun little book and it's only ONE DOLLAR! 

 

 

Bowling Ace

by Megan Brennan

This is a nice tale of cross-generational female bowling power! The mini is lovely but you can also read it on Megan's website. I'd think my young nieces will enjoy it, too.

A Late Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for July by Guest Contributor Kelly

Here's Kelly's quick take on a few mini-comics for the month of July. You can follow Kelly on Twitter here.

Well, I seemed to have missed my July entry, but just so you know I'm not slacking, here are some minis I read and enjoyed:

Stuff / Striptacular Comics Revue / Party Pieces

by the British cartoonist Francesca Cassavetti

available here (with sample pages)

You can read more about her on Sarah McIntyre's blog.

 

Just So You Know #1 - Joey Alison Sayers

Available here.

Highly recommended! About coming out as trans.

Werewolf IV +
Were-pups: Werewolf Comics for Kids
Both of these are CCS anthologies available here.

I particularly like Annie Smith's contribution to Were-pups--check it out!

Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for July 2011: Rav 2 & 3

Rav 2 & 3
by Mickey Zacchilli
Eighty half-sized pages, two-color offset outside cover, one-color offset inside cover, offset interior (brown ink on yellow paper), limited run of 500ish
$6 plus shipping
Available here.

It's not often that when I first open up an envelope containing a comic, that I want to read it right away, but that was the case with Rav 2 &3. However, with coming home to three kids, I am not afforded that opportunity. Although, I did read it as soon as they were tucked away in bed.

I'm not sure where I came across Mickey Z's site, but I'm really glad I did. I usually shy away from comics that are more than $3 or $4 because I'm a total cheapskate, but this one I knew I had to have. I could just sense it.

This is a thick ass book (I had to take a pee break in the middle of it), and it's jammed packed with awesomeness. The story revolves around a couple named Juice and Sally who go to a graveyard to make out. They stumble across some occultists who try to capture them, but Sally gets away. Eventually, Juice frees himself and tried to locate Sally, who ends up at IHOP, where some snake-face dude hits on her.

That synopsis in no way does this story justice. It's totally bizarre (in a good way), and the artwork has a scratchy, trippin' balls kind of vibe to it. There's also some extras at the end likes doodles, a word jumble and mazes. Definitely one of the best comix I've read all year.

Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for June 2011 by Guest Contributor Kelly

Here's Kelly's quick take on a few mini-comics for the month of June. You can follow Kelly on Twitter here.

Purchased:

Spaz! #1-4 and

The Collyer Brothers

by Emi Gennis

Available here

 

 

I have never read any of Emi Gennis' work but these got good reviews, and how could I pass up a mini-comic about the Collyer brothers??

Read:

The Trentford Hotel by Orion Wertz

Incredible art and a tale that gets under your skin, big time. Check out the sample pages here: 

http://www.giantsquidpress.com/trentford%20hotel/trentford%20hotel%20pg%20002.html

Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for June 2011: The Adventures of Apple and Banana and Let's Be Happy No. 2

The Adventures of Apple and Banana
by Sassy Spinster
Sixteen half-sized pages
Price: $1 plus shipping

Let's Be Happy Issue #2
by Sassy Spinster
Sixteen half-sized pages
Price: $1 plus shipping

Available here

So we've reached the half way point of the 2011 Mini-Comic a Month Challenge. I'm glad I've kept up with it and I'm looking forward to the second half of the year. So far, I've read some great comics. Anyway, this time we have two by Sassy Spinster: The Adventures of Apple and Banana and Let's Be Happy Issue #2.

The Adventures of Apple and Banana is about, you guessed it, the adventures of an apple and a banana. It's a compilation stories about run ins with rocks, worms, gorillas and fun houses plus the circle of life for an apple. A quick, fun read. If you're a fan of Minty Lewis, you will like this comic.

Let's Be Happy is a compilation of eight of Sassy's previously published comics. Topics range from swimming, anthropomorphic food, urban myths and creative impotence. Another quick, fun comic. I'm looking forward to reading more of these.

Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for May 2011: bananaslug

bananaslug
by Leslie Perrine
48 pages, quarter sized, black and white, with hand-stenciled and bound covers in grey
Price: $2.50 shipped
Available here

bananaslug is about a lonely bananaslug who, despite being self-sufficient, longs for a mate. Leaving his snail friend behind, the bananaslug eventually finds someone who he thinks is a perfect match. Will the snail be the voice of reason or try to maliciously destroy the relationship out of jealousy?

Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for April 2011: Aloha and The Island

Aloha and The Island
by Desmond Reed
16 pages each, 2.5" x 4", black and white
Price: $2.50 shipped for both.
Available here.

There are a couple of really fun, short mini-comics. Aloha tells the story of an annoying worm and how his friends decide to "politely" stop having lunch with him. The Island centers around a man and a dog who are stranded on a deserted island.

I really liked both of these comics, with Aloha being my favorite. They are exactly what I'm looking for in a mini-comic: fun to read and they tell a complete story. Aloha's humor is delivered with perfect timing. The Island's punchline is a bit abrupt, but still funny nonetheless. A couple of really solid, humorous, affordable comics. I've already ordered another pair of Desmond's comics.

Mini-Comic a Month Challenge for January 2011: Stupid Tales of Wolverine

Stupid Tales of Wolverine
by Julia Gfrörer and Brodie Kelly
28 pages, 5.5" x 8.5"
Hand-stitched binding, silkscreened cover
Price: $3 + $1.80 shipping
Available here

The title of this comic if a fitting one; it certainly does contain some stupid tales. Luckily, the tales that are stupid good outweigh the tales that are stupid bad. On the stupid good side are one liners such as "I am Professor Charles 'Chuck X' Xavier. I always sit down because my X-Men give me constant boners. That is also why I must wear this blanket. My boners must never be a disruption to the cause of peaceful mutant liberation." We also are privy to gems such as Hank McCoy's scrotal funk, Jean Grey's bunghole, Jubilee's farts, vegan Spider-Man and Logan eating his own testicles (which is interesting, considering they would grow back).

On the stupid bad side are hobo comics strewn here and there, plus a throwaway e-mail sign up sheet from the PDX Zine Symposium (which I couldn't determine as a joke or not). A few of the pages also get cut off, making some of the text unreadable. However, the silkscreened cover is nice and there is, I believe, a hand-written joke which I assume is unique to each copy. I enjoy personal touches like those.

Definitely one of the more interesting superhero spoofs I've seen and just as worthy of your three bucks as those Strange Tales comics Marvel has been publishing lately.