From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Nov 17 06:13:07 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 06:13:07 +0000 Subject: [review] [ZUM!] Welcome To Your New Life Message-ID: Welcome To Your New Life review by mooncat 'Welcome To Your New Life' creates caricatures of parts of a newly constructed personality for you... just you... no one else. Each separate facet that is detailed in this 'personality' has its own name & speaks about it's role in your life. They are grotesques, portrayed in fine pen lines, distorted & twisted to extreme. That's basically it, really... a page for each persona. Yes, the writing in the word balloons is rather teeny-tiny, but hey, it's readable, delightfully acidic & sometimes cutting. Yes, the drawings are a bit shaky here & there, but they distortion & experimentation with line is rather wonderful to behold. Yes, it is sort of stuck together in a seemingly haphazard way... the paper part of the book glued into the card cover. But really, this just all adds to the 'intimate' nature of the book - It's patently handmade - someone has spent quite a laborious time putting all this together for your enjoyment - for you. For more info see: http://www.zumcomics.info/wx/welcometynl.html Discussion: http://forums.pauljholden.com/viewtopic.php?t=324 From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Nov 17 06:23:54 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 06:23:54 +0000 Subject: [review] [TRS] Pirates Message-ID: Pirates Posted by Mardou It says 13 swashbuckling tales on the back cover though I'm counting 14 here. Another themed anthology from Accent UK, pulling together new names and older faces from the UK small press scene. Packaged in the usual stylish black white and red artwork-with-a-twist and printed to the usual quality as previous anthologies (Phobias, Remembrance Days) it looks good on the outside. But when you pull together young and inexperienced artists with more established talent it's always going to be a mixed bag. A flick through confirms this. You have to ask is theme enough to hold together so many different artists of varying ability? Well, veering towards the more professional- looking end of the spectrum, Garen Ewing (best known for the luscious Rainbow Orchid) presents 'Seadog', scripted by Jason Cobley (BAM). A young servant boy on a merchant ship witnesses his master's slaughter by pirates and awaits his own fate, only to be rescued by Cap'n Endurance Bulldog. I'm not really a fan of BAM and the story serves more as a showcase for the talents of Ewing whose artwork oozes with confidence and matter-of-fact style. Of a similar leaning is 'A Rose for Burke' by Angela Ong and Sheldon Goh. Visually this reaches a standard that I think a lot of the potential audience for this comic (young lads) will expect, and this won't disappoint them. But story wise, again, it's slight and veers more towards vignette as do many of the stories here. Interestingly, it's the more rough and ready looking stories in this anthology that are the most entertaining. 'All that Glistens is Not Gold' by Elgo is one of the funniest and most original stories here. Using Lego men as protagonists, it's a toyshop version of a pirate yarn, with a punch line that made me chuckle. Likewise Colin Mathieson's 'Tale of Two Maps' delivers a punchy little story, told with gusto. As an artist, Mathieson's got a long way to go, but he creates an easy to follow layout and the drawings have a pleasing energy, I liked it. Other contributors include Chris Doherty (Six and Two Threes) in a trouser busting tale of wenches on the high seas. A bit of teen fantasy undoubtedly, but too winsome to offend. Chris Bunting and Jeff Boneman collaborate on 'To be a Pirate Queen'. An opportunity to draw a pneumatic looking manga Beyonce, bursting out of a cropped shirt, eh? Always a target audience pleaser, but again, it's cute enough to raise another chuckle if only for their brazenness. Overall I enjoyed this comic a lot more than I thought I was going to. In the previous anthologies I'd read by Accent UK the contributors were given quite open-ended themes (such as Phobias) but that isn't the case here. As the classic Pirate story has such strong generic conventions I think a lot of the artists here have been hampered into delivering just that - generic stories that don't do anything too original or new. It's a tricky one. Overall a success as I did enjoy reading it, but a little more room for the unexpected would be welcome in future anthologies. For more info see: http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/005473.html From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Nov 17 06:28:28 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 06:28:28 +0000 Subject: [review] [TRS] The Girly Comic # 6 Message-ID: The Girly Comic # 6 Posted by Mardou The editorial ethos of the Girly Comic resides in the arena of the inoffensive. I really shouldn't have a problem with inoffensive but being a such a contrary creature I find it preferable to be stirred into dislike rather than left with a sense of blandness. And indifferent is how previous issues of the Girly Comic have left me. Actually the Girly Comic number 6 is by far the best I've read. Perhaps this is because the issue is lifted by a 7-page short story by Lee Kennedy. It's an autobiographical piece about a pious childhood in a New York convent school that hits the mark on every level. Humour and pathos abound, it's actually a deeply tragic story about the crushing of a childhood spirit, but delivered with a wry shrug of the shoulders, avoiding sentiment. And the cartoony artwork, familiar to fans of Lee Kennedy's work, matches the tone perfectly. The rest of the stories in this anthology pale into comparison on the surface. Interesting actually as Kennedy's the only artist who's stuck to pen and ink, the rest of the stories suffer from an over-computerized samey-ness. One story here, 'Sylvia's Path' is actually credited as being 'designed' by Toby Ford. The term 'designed' makes me shudder and yearn for a little craft, instead. I do lament this age of computer-glossed artwork. It prevents me enjoying otherwise very enjoyable stories. 'A Diamond in the Rough' (by Des Taylor and Peter Zappia) is perhaps the most successful of the slick bunch It actually comes off looking a lot like 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' which suits the tongue-in-cheek, lip-glossed tone of the story pretty well. It's cute. Another story, 'The Witches Place' (by Jonathan Shewry and Tim Keable) is a mildly spooky yarn that reminds me of those Jinty/Nikki comics stories for girls. Again, the modern computer font does nothing for me and has me wishing they'd gone for something a little more old fashioned and type-writerish. It's not just me being a Luddite here, if the emphasis is going to be on design rather than craft, I just wish a little eye for design could actually be developed. Maybe I'm just not 'girly ' enough for the Girly Comic. For me the epitome of 'girly' is going to sleep in your make-up. This comic's way too hygenic for that. Still you could take her home to meet your mother. Which is something. For more info see: http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/005459.html From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Nov 17 06:47:11 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 06:47:11 +0000 Subject: [review] [TRS] Draw or Die # 1 Message-ID: Draw or Die # 1 Posted by Mardou By Jon Chandler Here we have 'Then The good Comes' in which Jon Chandler's alter ego 'Ripper the Fuckin' Elephant' is tattooed into existence for another adventure. Ripper joins his buddy Particle Man who seemingly has the answer to Ripper's agonies over creating comics - a Smokester Machine'  . The Smokester  extracts the perfect comic strip cleanly and mathematically directly from the brain, no messing around with ink required. It's something of a philosophical musing on what it means to be a 'parody of an underground comics artist'. And it's very funny! Ripper sets to work with the Smokester (or the Smokester sets to work on him) and sure enough the perfect comic 'Devil Watch' is extracted from poor old Ripper who's quickly reduced to neutrinos. In part two of the comic, Chandler gives us 'Devil Watch' and it's laughably crap. Intentionally so. It makes 'Draw or Die' a little gem and a worthy addition to the Boobytrap canon. His is really an original voice and he has a fully realized mini-universe, a cast of characters and inventions who seem to represent his world view - silliness, sci-fi possibilities, philosophical ambling on the nature of life, death and creating comics. It's pitched in a playful tone that's impossible not to admire. And of course it's really well drawn. Chandler uses the small format (it's square, man) ingeniously. Many pages can be read in a circle. My favourite thing about his artwork is the elliptical quality. He dispenses with backgrounds and yet the drawings are perfectly balanced and well composed. Everything suggests the warp world they inhabit yet in reality all we're given is just a doorway or a shadow. Not easy to achieve but excellently executed. For more info see: http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/005495.html From reviews@lists.zumcomics.info Wed Nov 17 22:26:58 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 22:26:58 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #171] Armageddon Patrol 7 Message-ID: Review by Chris E Bunting Armageddon Patrol 7 by Short & Prestwood; Alchemy Texts, 20 Grants Avenue Boumemouth BH1 4NR <-> The decision to reveal the early days of Maiden America and her not-so-merry men brings much-needed insight into the ensemble cast. On guest art there's Stephen (Darkzone) Prestwood. A solid job, but one that would benefit from an increase in the ante. (6) 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 Nov 17 22:29:01 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 22:29:01 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #173] Armageddon Patrol: First Mission 1 Message-ID: Review by Alex Thompson Armageddon Patrol: First Mission 1 by Short & Prestwood; Alchemy Texts, 20 Grants Avenue Bournemouth BH1 4NR After various standalone specials, John A. Short begins the ongoing adventures of his mutants in the 'Nam series. Although again full of liberally used swear words, the fuller format allows for a little more depth to his previously shallow characters. Unfortunately, the comic is still hampered by the somewhat stiff composition and heavy linework of Stephen Prestwood. Still, next issue's previews look more promising. (6 ) 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 Nov 17 22:31:25 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 22:31:25 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #173] Dusk 1 Message-ID: Review by Andy Smith Dusk 1 by Starzecki + Richmond & Margetts; =A34.99 from: Dead by Dawn, 21 Balfour Road, Bristol B53 2AF This looks to be about to put the fear of God=20 into its competition. For a first issue, it is=20 nicely produced, and you get a lot of pages for=20 your money. It comes as no surprise, really, when=20 you look at the creators involved: artists who've=20 teased us with contributions to anthologies and=20 exceptional convention sketches for years.=20 Although each of the three strips is radically=20 different, the art and writing is mature and=20 intelligent in every case. The highlight is=20 Richard Starzecki's Dreamless Sleep. There are=20 rough edges, of course, but for a first issue=20 they are few and far between. There's a lot of=20 potential here, and I hope this title lives up to=20 its tantalising promise! (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 Nov 17 22:33:36 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 22:33:36 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #173] The 0 Men 24 Message-ID: Review by Kelvin Green The 0 Men 24 by Eden; Ominous Comics, =A31.50 from: M Eden, 19a Trevalyan Road, Tooting, London SW17 9LS <=3D> We take a break from the main plotline as we=20 drop in on the USAviors. This bold narrative=20 choice so late in the game works surprisingly=20 well, with Martin Eden using the more flashy=20 American team to satirise superhero genre=20 conventions. There's some title character work=20 and a couple of chilling moments to accompany all=20 the fun. Eden's art is a little scrappier this=20 issue, but still tells the story well. (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 Nov 17 22:37:21 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 22:37:21 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #173] Spring heeled Jack 1 Message-ID: Spring heeled Jack 1 by Hitchcock; Black Boar Press Gunhills Farm Gunhills Lane, Windley DE56 2LR Review by Ian Murphy Jack Rackham, sole confidante of Dr Jeckyll, desperately tries to tracks down Springheeled Jack, a demonic creature who abducted his wife. David Hitchcock's detailed art beautifully renders these dangerous Victorian streets; his images of foggy foreboding building on the powerful images of his previous Victoriana, Whitechapel Freak. His introduction to the central characters is crisply written - a feast for lovers of historical and mystery fiction - and though the plot may feel a little slow it is a strong, character-based set up for what should be a memorable series. (7) Review by Alex Thompson Hitchcock moves from one staple of Victorian pulp fiction to another, with his take on the renowned exploits of the light-heeled character. An obsessive recluse has designs on the kidnapper of his beloved wife, but may there be something more disturbing to the spate of disappearances than the ramblings of an unhinged mind? Hitchcock's unnervingly angled and detailed panels reveal he is as skillful a draftsman as inventive a writer for this impressive debut issue. (8) 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 Thu Nov 18 22:07:43 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:07:43 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Armageddon Patrol: First Mission 2 Message-ID: Review by Alex Thompson Armageddon Patrol: First Mission 2 by Short & Paterson; Alchemy Texts, 20 Grants Avenue, Bournemouth, BH1 4NR. <+> After the improved - but still lacking-first issue of John A Short's ongoing series about mutants in 'Nam, the latest sees a 100% visual improvement. New artist Alex Paterson contributes his finely rendered linework to the book, a style that wouldn't look out of place in a professional comic. Storywise, Short expands on his characters' backgrounds, but the series' done-to-death setting continues to be its downfall. (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 Thu Nov 18 22:10:43 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:10:43 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Bad Dog 2 Message-ID: Bad Dog 2 by Northfield; www.stupidmonsters.blogspot.com Review by Leonie O'Moore Another short but perfect collection of bad dog stories from Gary Northfield. Very funny. Succinct and simple but packed with energy and originality. (8) Review by Andy Smith An exquisitely presented handmade mini-comic by the ever-entertaining Northfield following the adventures of the bad dog and his owner. Northfield's art oozes confidence and cannot be faulted; while the story is simple yet utterly enjoyable. A real find. (9) 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 Thu Nov 18 22:12:43 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:12:43 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Badly-Drawn Comics For Dummeez 7 Message-ID: Review by Jon Edwards Badly-Drawn Comics For Dummeez 7 by Keavney; =A32 from Smallzone, 10 Cleveland Avenue, High=20 Ercall Telford, Shropshire, TF6 6AH. The cover is a spot-on pastiche of the=20 once-popular, ubiquitous self-help manuals, and=20 perfectly sets the tone as wry US creator Martha=20 Keavney vents the frustrations of her life using=20 self-deprecatory wit and irony. This anthology's=20 highlight is the farcical rom-com parody The Mix=20 Up, and what the simplistic cartooning sometimes=20 lacks in finesse is gained in personality and=20 charm. (7) 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 Nov 18 22:14:28 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:14:28 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] The Black Flag 1 Message-ID: Review by Jon Edwards The Black Flag 1 by Wood; =A32 from Smallzone, 10 Cleveland Avenue, High Ercall Telford, Shropshire= TF6 6AH Set in a dystopian near future, female urban=20 renegade and people's saviour, The Black Flag,=20 wages war against a corrupt British government.=20 The highly promising illustrative artwork is raw and inconsistent, printed direct=20 from creator Chaz Wood's somewhat flatly rendered=20 pencils, while the awkward storytelling and=20 stodgy script construe to make the intelligent,=20 ambitious plot a trifle fussy. Minus the rough=20 edges, the series has great potential. (5) 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 Nov 18 22:19:37 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:19:37 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Devilchild Volume II: Freakshow Message-ID: Review by Kelvin Green Devilchild Volume II: Freakshow by Winter & various; =A36.99 from Moonface Press, PO Box 5593, Southend-on-Sea Essex SS1 2WY. <+> The story of the reluctant Antichrist=20 continues, and a number of shorter stories thrill=20 and chill. This is good, occasionally excellent=20 work, with a darker edge than the previous=20 volume, and improvement shown in both writing and=20 art. A must for fans of both horror and humour. (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 Thu Nov 18 22:20:56 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:20:56 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] The Outer Realms 1 Message-ID: Review by Jon Edwards The Outer Realms 1 by Willacy; =A3 1.25 from Smallzone 10 Cleveland Avenue, High=20 Ercall Telford, Shropshire TF6 6AH Earth is the battleground in a hidden war between=20 opposing forces from parallel dimensions. Despite=20 this 20-page A5 book's blatant influences and the=20 threat of collapsing under the weight of too many=20 ideas, the script is pleasingly upfront and pacy,=20 handling the multiple narrative threads=20 confidently. The stylistic artwork - akin to that=20 of Humberto Ramos - has plenty of character,=20 although more consistent use of spot-blacks might=20 be beneficial (5) 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 Nov 18 22:23:51 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:23:51 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Thrud 3 Message-ID: Review by Andy Smith Thrud 3 by Critchlow; =A32 from C. Critchlow, PO Box 371, Southport, PR8 6YE Issue 3 really did have a lot to live up to. Carl=20 Critchlow's revival of the drunken uber -goon=20 Thrud has been a welcome breath of fresh air, and=20 with #3 Critchlow has managed to keep up the=20 pace, quality and consistency effortlessly.=20 Incredible artwork and subtle colouring top off a=20 strip that contains some of the best examples of=20 slapstick comedy timing I've ever read. This=20 isn't highbrow, but Thrud will rock your socks=20 off! (9) 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 Nov 18 22:22:48 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:22:48 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Spring heeled Jack 2 Message-ID: Review by Andy Smith Spring heeled Jack 2 by Hitchcock; Blackboar Press; =A32.50 from Hitchcock_99|At|yah00.DOTc0m(un-mung) An eagerly awaited second issue with a great deal=20 going for it. High standard (if occasionally=20 static) artwork nicely illustrates a gripping=20 tale of consuming revenge, madness and mutation=20 in an atmospheric Jack-the-Ripper era London.=20 Well paced with a quality cliff-hanger ending=20 that leaves you with a great deal of anticipation=20 of #3. One to watch. (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 Thu Nov 18 22:25:07 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:25:07 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Warning: This is Propaganda 3 Message-ID: Review by Jon Edwards Warning: This is Propaganda 3 by various; =A32 from Smallzone, 10 Cleveland Avenue, High Ercall Telford, Shropshire= TF6 6AH Don't be put off by the strapline, "The Comic=20 Book for Working Class Radicals & Left Wing=20 Intellectuals". Mixing humour with political=20 commentary (akin to the books and films of=20 Michael Moore) and executed with gusto, this is=20 one of the freshest, wittiest satirical small=20 press titles around. Amongst the genuinely=20 amusing cartoon strips, such as The Champagne=20 Socialists and The Consumer, is a revealing strip=20 adaptation of Robert Tressell's The Money Trick=20 and a smattering of succinct, eminently readable,=20 insightful articles. (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 Thu Nov 18 22:25:59 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:25:59 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #174] Zip Gun Presents: Chimera Message-ID: Review by Leonie O'Moore Zip Gun Presents: Chimera by various; =A32.50 from 34 Banner Street Wavertree, Liverpool L 15 OHQ Anthology centred on the theme "Chimera". Strong=20 on art - weak on story. A great mix of well=20 developed artistic styles. Overall the writing is=20 too ambitious for the space provided, resulting=20 in synopsis rather full stories. In general, some=20 nice ideas that struggle to come to fruition,=20 most could do with being fleshed out more. And=20 (as usual) contains some reprinted materiaL (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 Sun Nov 21 22:40:39 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 22:40:39 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #176] Armagedon Patrol: First Mission 3 Message-ID: Review by Alex Thompson. Armagedon Patrol: First Mission 3 by Short & Askham; Alchemy Texts, 20 Grants Avenue Bournemouth BH1 4NR <-> John A Short brings the first mini-series of=20 the adventures of his 'Nam mutant soldiers to a=20 close, as the team investigate Vietcong tunnels=20 and discover some uncomfortable truths about=20 their powers and each other. Short brings some=20 ambiguity after the gungho nature of previous=20 issues, but still doesn't move beyond the usual=20 clich=E9s of the Vietnam conflict. Unfortunately,=20 the series takes a further fall artistically as=20 another loose and sketchy artist is employed to=20 illustrate the story. (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 Sun Nov 21 22:42:15 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 22:42:15 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #176] Eagle Flies Again 10 Message-ID: Review by Chris E Bunting Eagle Flies Again 10 by various; =A32 from I. Wheeler 54 Hartwith Drive Harrogate HG3 2UY This really isn't half bad. With very impressive=20 design throughout (Red Eye Magazine take note!),=20 it's an A4-sized black and white fanzine that=20 covers the '80s Eagle along with other British=20 comics. There's a feature on Grant Morrison's Dan=20 Dare, and interviews with Alan Grant and somebody=20 called Dez Skinn. All this plus a fun Dan Barton=20 strip by John Freeman and Andrew Chiu. (7) 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 Sun Nov 21 22:43:31 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 22:43:31 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #176] Future Quake 1 Message-ID: Review by Jon Edwards =46uture Quake 1 by various; =A33 from Smallzone 10 Cleveland Avenue, High Ercall Telford, Shropshire TF6 6AH A collection of six twist-in-the-tale short=20 strips in the vein of 2000AD's Future Shocks. The=20 stories in this well-presented anthology are a=20 tad hit and miss, their overall execution=20 traditional, old-skool Fleetway. And while all=20 the visuals are mostly top-notch, of particular=20 merit is Adrain Bamforth's crisp, confident=20 linework and Matt Timson's dark, impressively=20 individualistic style (7) 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 Sun Nov 21 22:49:25 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 22:49:25 +0000 Subject: [review] [CI #176] The Kaboom Review 10 Message-ID: .Review by Jon Edwards The Kaboom Review 10 by various; free from www.thekaboomreview.co.uk <-> A photo of sour-faced TV coroner Quincy stares earnestly out of the cover. Carefully holding up a microscope slide, he's saying, "On closer inspection you can see right up her smootchies". If that kind of wit floats your boat, you'll enjoy the ribald student humour from the self-styled Fanboy's Guide to Comics, Sleaze & Stuff. Despite reservations, this 16-page AS book is genuinely funny and fresh -like Loaded meets B0'Selecta!. And it's free. (6) 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 Sun Nov 21 22:54:10 2004 From: reviews@lists.zumcomics.info (reviews@lists.zumcomics.info) Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 22:54:10 +0000 Subject: [review] [TRS] Albedo One #29 Message-ID: Albedo One #29 Posted by: John Robbins Often the published short story will read like a between-books workout for writers intent on maintaining a style, or as means of urging creative juices to again flow. Usually the flimsiness is hidden beneath a polished formula, which lulls the reader into reluctant appreciation. During its 10-plus years of publication, the speculative fiction of anthology Albedo One has at times prompted just such appreciation in me. However, this most recent square-bound issue with full-colour cover is a particularly sound addition to its award-winning back-catalogue. Seven short stories feature. There's Sara Berniker's elusively allegorical A Boy Needs A Dog and DJ Cockburn's erotically charged Summer Holidays - both well crafted tales which share umbilical-tied boy protagonists who idealise absent fathers and are desperate for a semblance of control in their oppressed lives. In the comical Classroom Dynamics by D. Harlan Wilson, Professor Beebody is not a big fan of killing his students (even those with 'mongoloid intellects'), but with Dean Dinglewigger favouring a minor killing spree over the Robin Williams approach to teaching, Beebody has little option but to up his murder rate. If Battle Royale-like fantasy-for-teachers is not your thing, there's metaphysics in the cosmic surrealism of Russell Miles' clever Red-shift Days; there's dense, wordy, flourish-fluent prose in the impressively realised Code 46-like future of Martin Taulbut's Hide And Seek With Angels; and there's spicy adventure conjured in Dev Agarwal's evocative City Of Palaces as an Englishman on-the-run from the Thugee Cult must depart a Calcutta desperate to throw-off the shackles of British colonialism. Splendidly wrapping things up is Davin Ireland's Dirt, a Tales Of The Unexpected told with disarming verve, which echoes the Fortean-inspired opening to PT Anderson's Magnolia and mixes suspense and humour to thoroughly entertaining, gleefully evil effect. Also on offer is sublime cover art by Matthew Hansel, a world affairs talk with Alan Dean Foster, a brief brush with history via Norman Spinrad, a letters column, reviews and amusing, philosophical comment in the form of the Severian sermon. A money-off coupon for kitchen sinks may well feature next issue, but meanwhile, if you're flatulently full with the fluffer shorts of pedestrian writers going through the motions, a dose of Albedo One #29 is the perfect antidote. See website for ordering details. for more info see: http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/04/11/19/albedo_one_29.html