@micahnova
by micahnova
Tom Cherry: The Gift of the Magi
January 5, 2021 in Art, Reviews
A final capstone for 2020 might just have been this little 8 page mini that I got from Tom Cherry called “The Gift of the Magi” based on the short story by O. Henry. The characters in the story are Carl the Camel and Pete the Penguin which were created by Clifford Lowe.
Visit Tom’s website at …
by micahnova
Mission City Comix – 5 pack
December 23, 2020 in Art, Reviews
Received another bundle of minis made by various artists from the Mission Mini Comix collective:
Happy Bunny and the Intervention – Happy Bunny and friends confront Tweaky Raccoon and his bad habit of blowing meth smoke down gopher holes and other suspected crimes. (Saddle stitched mini 2.75 x 3.5″)
Get Active – In which various artists explain how to overcome a type of cabin fever brought on by something like agoraphobia. (One page mini 2.75 x 4″)
Don’t Kill the World #3 – Examines the repercussions of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. (One page mini 2.75 x 4″)
They Are After Us – Expresses fear and anger of the culture that gentrification has brought to San Francisco. (One page mini 2.75 x 4″)
Roomatez #1 – A new roommate is hated upon arrival, but that doesn’t stop a good time from happening in the end. (One page mini 2.75 x 4″)
You can learn more about this group by visiting their website: http://www.missionminicomix.com/about/
by micahnova
You Don’t Get There From Here #56 – Carrie McNinch
December 2, 2020 in Art, Reviews
Another great issue of YDGTFH arrived from Carrie (just look at that awesome cover!). I once thought of my life as feeling stuck on the slow path watching everyone else race along the fast track, and I get that familiar feeling reading Carrie’s work. Diary comics about the daily trudge through life include the difficulty of moving in with mom, pet sitting gigs, and the heart-breaking health issues of our beloved feline friend Milo. Carrie’s handwriting, cappuccino-holding fingers, drawings of bushes, highway signs, and trails are some of my favorite things. And that dog in Burbank is the cutest! Carrie could use our financial support in these difficult pandemic times, and the comics are so worth it! Support Carrie McNinch here: https://www.patreon.com/carriemcninch
by micahnova
Peculiar Paper People 8 & 9 – Billy McKay
November 17, 2020 in Art, Reviews
I’ve known Billy since he started out in self published comix with his Tile trilogy, and there is no greater joy in my mailbox than new work from him. His work has a “decorative expressionist” quality to it, by which I mean he puts higher emphasis on decorating the panel and emphasizing emotion than he does making something look like it’s from the real world (which … I find boring to see in comics anyway). It gives his work the kind of magical art feel to it that I prefer.
Peculiar Paper People is his current series (he has 15 of them to date), and they compile a lot of comics he’s published in prior titles such as Shot by a Ray Gun and work he’s had published in other anthologies. But these aren’t just re-prints. He’s updated them with color! I received #8 and #9 in the mail. 8 has one of my favorite stories he’s ever done “Secret Double Life” (originally published in Invisible Robot Fish #6, but now in full color!) and a bunch of other gems too. #9 has a comic that he did when he was 12 called “The Crusaders” which is truly one of those kids comics that deserves to be published. I have a ton of comics I did from when I was 12, and none of them stand up to the quality level as this one. It shows Billy’s raw talent for story-telling, pacing, and comedy in comics. #9 also features work by other kids, which rounds out the theme of #9 really well.
Pick up these titles and more at Billy’s new website: artbybillytherobot.com
by micahnova
Stay Inside and Draw!! by Bruce Chrislip
November 3, 2020 in Art, Reviews
Bruce Chrislip sent me this 8 page mini that he did live at Space (virtual) 2020, and it kind of tells a story of mini comix through simply changing style, character sketch, and collage in 8 pages. It’s fun to watch Bruce make this mini, and his wife even comes in at one point with a dramatic piano entrance. What’s kind of a mystery is … just who did he put on the cover of his mini? It’s certainly not him. I’m sure if you’re in the know, you probably know. You’ll also see other creators making minis too, so check that out HERE.
Also, one of the pages of this mini will be reproduced in the new 61’st issue of Copy This! (re-titled “After That!”) coming soon. https://afterthatmini.wordpress.com/
#brucechrislip
by micahnova
Tom Cherry: Various Titles
October 14, 2020 in Art, Reviews
I received 4 little minis from Tom Cherry in the spirit of good ol’ fashioned screwball humor. The first I’ll mention is “Nibble the Bite-Sized Comic Book: Meet Fish Boy!” It’s a little different than the others because it’s 12 pages and it had some collaborative writing help from Keith O’Brien, Dale Martin, and John Oak Dalton (and with an apology to John P for a good-humored poke at his cover style on the second to last page). The other 3 comix are all 8 page saddle stitched minis. “Grandma Bev” 1 and 2 are about a rough and tough grandma character … and that’s why it’s funny, people! The next is “Sketchy @ Best” which is a fun collection of Tom’s doodles and sketches.
All of these are 50 cents each, and you can get them by going to … ahem … http://www.thosefunkyidiots.com
Enjoy.
by micahnova
The Minicomix Revolution: 1969-1989
October 14, 2020 in Art, Reviews
I sent Bruce Chrislip $40 and he sent me his 462 page volume recently, and if you love minicomix, you’ve got to stop buying soda and save your pennies for this! It blows my mind that such an effort was made to catalogue the ephemeral spirit of the minicomix, tracing it all the way back to it’s “secret origins” and influences. You’ll see names you are familiar with like Matt Groening and Art Spiegelman, but the book really comes in handy when you learn about some of the great proliferators of the form by people like Gary Arlington and then Clay Geerdes and his Comix World anthology. You’ll also learn about Chrislip’s own City Limits Gazette. What’s most fascinating to me is reading about people I have never heard of and looking at cover images of so many comix. The cover of this book is color and the interior is black and white type and images. Also on display in this post are some minis that I have in my collection that were made by Bruce Chrislip, but don’t bank on him having more of these. I just wanted to show that the writer of this book is an awesome minicomix-making creator himself who has been around from the start. He knows his stuff!
To get your copy, email Chris to inquire at clgbruce@cinci.rr.com
by micahnova
Proverbs of Hell – Written by William Blake
October 14, 2020 in Art, Reviews
Jeff Zenick sent me a sight to behold: A collection of his illustrations paired with proverbs written by William Blake. It’s a 70 page 7 x 8.5″ black and white saddle stitched book. He began the project making these for a mini comic back in 1991, and here they are all collected in one volume. Jeff’s handwritten type is also a beautiful thing to mention, and there is a good amount of it on display here. To inquire about getting one of these, write to Jeff at 416 Shephard St., Tallahassee, FL 32303
by micahnova
Mission City Comix – 3 pack
September 14, 2020 in Art, Reviews
Received 3 comix from the Mission City Comix collective today. In order as shown:
The [Frisco] Seems a Little Less Special #1 – This is Mikey’s heartfelt recount of growing up in the San Francisco bay area, becoming a graph/comix artist, the origins of the Mission City Comix collective in the mid 90’s, and the characters that fell in and out of the scene. He centers the story mostly as an ode to his friend Spesh who died unexpectedly. It’s hard to nail down exactly when this book was made, but a statement about how things happened “19 years ago” makes me think this book was made around 2017. (size: 2 ½ x 4 ¼”)
The Blooper Mini – by various MCC artists. All the text is backwards requiring special reading abilities or a device that can flip the text for you, such as a simple mirror. Unknown date. (size: 2×3”)
Accidental Pimp Man #1 – by Rio. 2003. Similar to the origin story of Spider-Man yet different, the outcome of getting bit by a radioactive pimp. (size: 2 ½ x 4 ¼”)
You can learn more about this group by visiting their website: http://www.missionminicomix.com/about/
by micahnova
Spooky minis by Michael Kraiger
September 9, 2020 in Art, Reviews
If you’re looking for a good pumpkin stuffer (is that a thing?) for that special someone who needs minicomix to go along with their candy this year, Michael Kraiger has two 8 page minis that will give your neck hairs a reason to stand up! His 2019 “Elder’s Call” comes with a warning on the back: “Do not read this book. Burn it. This is your warning. Do not heed their call.” So don’t say I didn’t warn you! The most recent one completed in 2020 called “The Pest” feels very much apropos with how a certain spooky “pest” this year just won’t seem to go away. Just drop Michael an email to learn how to add these to your mini comix collection: surt58@yahoo.com
by micahnova
New Comic Book Shop: Brian John Mitchell
September 1, 2020 in News
Brian reports that he’s set to open a coffee & comic shop in Sanford NC. The shop will not be taking comics on consignment for sale at this time due to the business needs, but he is planning to do comic making classes, routine cartoonist meet-ups, and jam sessions. Closing on the building is in October (targeting for Halloween).
by micahnova
Morty Comix
August 31, 2020 in News
Just a quick update to let you know that Steve Willis just drew Morty Comix #3,314. You can find out more about this amazing project here: https://mortycomixstevewillisproject.blogspot.com/
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