From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Jun 2 22:16:08 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 22:16:08 +0100 Subject: [review] [ZUM!] In The Doghouse Message-ID: In The Doghouse review by Maurice Wakeman In the Doghouse is an A5 comic with a glossy card cover. Number one features five one page strips titled Broken featuring a dog and a little boy which you might find amusing. Also included is a picture strip called Xilian . It's 'to be continued' and so far it could be the opening part of War of the Worlds, but obviously isn't. The whole package is nicely drawn and produced, probably in 2003 but there's no date, and someone's obviously thought about what they're doing. It's by pd, whoever they are... For more info see: http://www.zumcomics.info/i/inthedoghouse.html Discussion: http://forums.pauljholden.com/viewtopic.php?t=243 From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Jun 9 22:42:56 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 22:42:56 +0100 Subject: [review] [CI #170] Halloween-man: It Came from Texas Message-ID: Reviewed by (LO) Halloween-man: It Came from Texas by Edwards + Parr & various; $4.50 (plus p&p from the US) www.halloweenman.com US-based indie with a strong web presence. This 100-page black and white reproduction collects together an assortment of Halloween-man stories. Bringing together a love of horror comics and movies, this comic may be of interest to other horror fans, with its many references and tributes. There are some unique and interesting ideas, but occasionally it leans too heavily on cliches. A marked improvement in art and writing as the stories progress, this is an enjoyable collection of stories. 7 http://www.comics-international.com/Reviews/small_press.html Comics International reviews first appear within the format of the magazine & are thus designed to fit the constraint of being within 50 words. From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Jun 9 22:44:54 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 22:44:54 +0100 Subject: [review] [CI #170] Phobias Message-ID: Reviewed by (AS) Phobias by various; Accent UK; =A32.50 from www.devacomics.com A nicely produced black and white anthology=20 showcasing some of the most talented UK small=20 press artists. It's always interesting to see=20 what gets pulled out of the bag when a theme is=20 used in an anthology, and Phobias is a great=20 example of its kind. The standard of work is=20 consistent and every take on the phobias theme is=20 unique. Inspiring. 8 http://www.comics-international.com/Reviews/small_press.html Comics International reviews first appear within=20 the format of the magazine & are thus designed to=20 fit the constraint of being within 50 words. From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Jun 9 22:46:31 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 22:46:31 +0100 Subject: [review] [CI #170] Really Old Newts Special Message-ID: Reviewed by (AS) Really Old Newts Special by Smith; =A31 from Smallzone 10 Cleveland Avenue, High Ercall Telford, Shropshire TF6 6AH More of what you would expect from Richard J.=20 Smith, simple uncluttered line work and slapstick=20 heavy parody from the creator of Cheronna. What=20 makes this title interesting is it's a step back=20 in time, showing Smith's earlier work, abandoned=20 ideas and story arcs and preliminary sketches.=20 Smith has come a long way and some of this stuff=20 really hasn't stood the test of time.=20 Nevertheless this is interesting and entertaining=20 stuff. 6 http://www.comics-international.com/Reviews/small_press.html Comics International reviews first appear within=20 the format of the magazine & are thus designed to=20 fit the constraint of being within 50 words. From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Thu Jun 10 23:06:16 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 23:06:16 +0100 Subject: [review] [ZUM!] Lovebomb #1 Message-ID: Lovebomb #1 review by mooncat For such a deserving comic, this has been in the 'ZUM! pot' for far too long . I came across it digging about in the 'pot' where the comics listed in the catalogue reside, but once stumbled upon I could not resist having another little read of the comic, because - well - it contains one of the funniest pages of comics I have ever come across. I will not spoil things by going into any detail here - but this particular 'Janet Street Monkey' strip is set up over a couple of pages, & then you turn the page for a simple, perfect gag. It still succeeds in making me chuckle (even rereading it for this review). Janet Street Monkey is not the main character in the book; after all, limiting a comic to a character with a vocabulary limited to, "OO!" might not exactly make for a comic with deep intellectual gravitas (although... theoretically it might be fun to create an exercise with such restrictions...). The main strips in this comic feature a young schoolboy by the name of Dorset Gore. They follow him & his friends around Kurious Middle, to which Dorset has just moved up from junior school. Speaking from personal experience - having moved to a good few 'new schools' as my parents moved - I can vouch that the tone of the strips has a satisfying level of verisimilitude; all the settings seem to have more realism than, say, Grange Hill (which I always hated). Kurious Middle however, is no mere 'schooly' comic strip. Paul B Rainy (gosh - you have to wonder what imaginative nicknames his 'school friends' came up with) uses the material of the settings to weave some pleasantly skewed tapestries. There are fantastical elements thrown into these stories: The Idcorder (does what it's name suggests) & Teetoo, a character who helps Dorset to 'go out' with Baby Spice (um... sort of). These elements distort the normality to fantasy, but without shattering the inherent believability of the characters & settings that have been set out; it's a neat trick & left me impressed with Paul B Rainey's storytelling abilities. I can only apologise to the readers of ZUM! (& Paul) that I have not brought this fine comic to your attentions sooner; if I were to take time literally, Dorset Gore would not only have left Middle school, but also Senior school by now. He seems a bright lad - perhaps he's perusing further education nowadays... or maybe he's a struggling small press cartoonist supplementing art by working in an open plan office making a big Book Of Lists . Still, there is one benefit my tardiness... this comic is actually still available; (at the time of writing the review) more than that, Paul would appear to have an abundance of stock & perhaps little room to store stock, thus is willing to part with copies for the mere price of you sending he an envelope & stamps. So, I urge you to have a look at his website without delay, check the details, seize the moment, send of for this comic! Do it now! For more info see: http://www.zumcomics.info/l/lovebomb.html Discussion: http://forums.pauljholden.com/viewtopic.php?t=249 From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Fri Jun 11 06:12:25 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 06:12:25 +0100 Subject: [review] [TRS] Scribe Message-ID: Scribe Posted by Mardou By David Baillie David Baillie's short story Scribe, tells of a maimed and unnamed Super villain in retirement, wrestling with his new career as a novelist. The failed 'Red Herring', a caped bank robber recounts his experiences from childhood to villainy and explains the accident that cost him his left arm and his freedom, 'I got five years'. With the loss of his arm he discovers that he does have a superpower after all and wasn't the total fraudster he felt himself to be. However little really changed for the glum hero. Failure or perhaps fear of failure is the worse fate, which the Red Herring is stuck with unless he can redeem his true self (a storyteller) and write himself out of his void. Scribe is a follow up to the more autobiographical 'Awkward Fascination' and is much more writerly, as the title would suggest. A lot of the same themes persist- self-aggrandizing pitched with introspection and accompanying horror, worldly success matched with internal failure. The stuff that Baillie eloquently writes about in both comics is the stuff that most people (especially those with artistic ambition) can relate to. However there is a change of tone over the two comics. At the end of Awkward Fascination the artist pictures himself naked and trapped in tall, unscalable brick walls. At the start of Scribe the author rather snottily tells us 'we had better appreciate it' as the comic took a lot of time and effort. It sets this reader off on the wrong foot and Baillie succeeds more in revealing his own blind spot than invoking admiration. It' ,at moments, difficult to separate the fictional Scribe with his author Baillie. His hero, though capable of cheap success (just as Baillie tells us he himself is in Awkward Fascination) really hankers after making his mark, creating something 'so special, so perfect'. DB's hero can see the big picture, see what it is that he wants but somehow can't grasp. And he misses the details completely, and the details are where God resides, or so I gather. The character bemoans that he has no real contact with anyone and goes days without speaking to anyone except the checkout girl. His only interest is his own void. The attention to detail is inherent on a technical level also. The hero wants to be like Kerouac but Baillie can't be even be bother to spell Kerouac's name properly. It's a flawed comic, but flaws are okay so long as it's interesting, and on this count, Scribe succeeds. The artwork functions but only just. It looks like Baillie's searching for an identifiable style but isn't equipped as a draughtsman to carry it through. Bailie's definitely a talented storyteller capable of creating convincing and well-realised worlds. I'd be interested in seeing him work in partnership with an artist, it has to be said, but for his writing alone I'm interested in seeing future stories. For More Info see: http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/005349.html From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Mon Jun 14 06:09:10 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 06:09:10 +0100 Subject: [review] [TRS] Boobytrap#2 Message-ID: Posted by Boobytrap#2 By Jon Chandler In Boobytrap#1 we find the creator Ripper the Fuckin' Elephant (a.k.a. ink stud, Jon Chandler) mauled and abused by his many creations: Pussyfoot and Johnny Claws from the 'Anti-Bad league', Larry Fearnes and Particle Man. Y'see Ripper loves and needs these cartoon friends (even Black Metal Claws, the dork) even though they'll violently turn on him if he tries to ever write them out of future comics. So when I discover that the hero of Boobytrap#2 is Bob Log, a musical legend who rides an oversized trike and wears a helmet with a telephone 'trunk' affixed to it, I was inclined to think him another of Jon Chandler's creations. But no, it seems I missed out on this musical phenomena, something that must be remedied . Bob Log by cartoon standards alone fucking rocks! Over 32 pages Bob Log rides and slides through aquatic and desert adventures encountering many of Chandler's plucky characters (including Black Metal Claws who stabs Bob in the back and then goes home to watch Magnum whilst waiting for the cops!) and various bitey reptiles. Amongst the japery is a 4 page autobiographical story relating how Jon/Ripper came to discover the music of 'Doo Rag' and Bob Log. By turns eerily realistic (I now realize that the ex-boyfriend I'd wryly observe taping and then eternally re-editing his Peel Session tapes off the radio, was just one scrappy soldier in a whole army of stay-home, obscure music fan-boysŠsigh!) and hilarious: The magic of Ripper shyly approaching his hero wielding a copy of Boobytrap#1, then accidentally slapping Bob Log's backside, isn't lost on this reader. Chandler employs multiple drawing styles over the course of the comic. We get detailed and fluid Bob Log adventures to the looser and more energetic Ripper the Fuckin' Elephant autobiography. At times it's reminiscent of Dan Clowes' Lloyd Llewellyn cube-y style, and then sometimes just helmet-wearing stick figures. The artist knows what he's doing with each style and for the reader, each one is as enjoyable as the next. And throughout most of the drawing here there's a kind of musculature that is too hard to describe without using the term 'penis wielder', so I'll move on. What can I say? This is a great, great comic. Chandler's a pure cartoonist and Boobytrap#2 seems so effortless it belies the effort and practice it takes to get this good. It's really exciting to find underground talent like this as Chandler is ahead of his peers. The only apt comparison would be Ireland's Bob Byrne and his comic 'Mbleh', in terms of writing, accomplished art and unique worldview that's both mystifying and engaging. More, dammit! For More Info see: http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/005351.html