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Matt is one of those guys who just has to make comix. He used to send me stuff non-stop, and then there was a lull. Well, I just recently received these 4 comix from him with a letter saying “Here’s a few I have squeezed out this year,” and honestly? They are the best comix I’ve ever seen from him.  If you’re not familiar with Matt Jones, his drawing style is pure and simple outsider – untaught and raw looking. The figures are either straight forward or straight side-views. Eyes bugged out and mouths open – always, and it makes me wonder how Matt views the world. To a certain extent, his comix give you a glimpse. If you are familiar with Matt and have dismissed him in the past for comix like “Silas the Intergalactic Stoner Slug”, then I urge you to consider giving him another chance and ask for the following titles:

 

Bing Bang #7 “Catch and Release” (5.5 x 4.25 inch, 12p). Listen. If we got together and came up with unusual ways to lose a finger, and we spit-balled our ideas until we had thousands of them, we’d probably never come up with the scenario Matt presents in this issue of his comic. This is a silent comic, and … my word. If you’re looking for the perfect Valentines Day card to send that special someone running for the hills, this is it!

Bing Bang #8 “Happy Trails”  (5.5 x 4.25 inch, 16p) – All about Matt’s love for hiking in the woods and the childhood that nurtured this kind of passion. He takes a moment in the middle of the black and white comic to provide some color photos of one of his recent hikes along the Appalachian Trail, and you get to actually see a photo of Matt (looks like his character, yup!). Employs a cover within a cover technique with this book that I found to be an interesting design choice.

Bing Bang #9 “Bing Bang #666 … psyche, it’s #9” (5.5 x 4.25 inch, 16p). The outside cover has a drawing of a door with a doormat that reads “Welcome … To Hell.” The door is a cut-out that actually opens and reveals a bit of the title page cover inside. Matt’s love of horror movies is on display, and he takes us on a similar journey showing where it originated and how he found “the good stuff.”

Bing Bang #10 (digest-size, 20p) – Mostly black and white comic with color interior covers. The story is a powerful piece about an alcoholic who has been sober for a spell, and he’s beating himself up (literally) all for the purpose of meeting his old friend who will provide some relief. But when the old friend shows up, he brings the pain even harder than what the alcoholic was doing on his own. I won’t give away the ending. Aside from the color interior front and back pages, there are some other unique design choices. Jones reveals the cover title page of his book on the 5’th page instead of the typical first page. It shows some raw talent here for pacing. He also includes an intro and outro comic that open and close the scene perfectly. The front cover of the character barely staying afloat in a sea without land in sight and the back cover statement, “Boy you so stupid” are complimentary to the theme of this book even though the story doesn’t have these scenes.

Matt Jones can be reached at bbwwddc@gmail.com for more info.

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