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Five for Friday from the Flu Factory, by Everett Gee
January 9, 2021 in Reviews
Here’s Five for Friday from the Flu Factory, courtesy of Everett Gee! Each of these funky funnies are black and white, pocket sized mini-comics printed on colored paper or cardstock, and 12-16 pages. All written and illustrated by Everett Gee and published by the Flu Factory.
Everett Gee slings the ink in the most eye-pleasing of ways! His attention to detail and uncompromising love of the lewd is on full display! Rats, sun turds, magic spells, Siamese twin piss, and hot dawgs, it’s all here! If you dig old-school underground comix, then these raunchy little rags are for YOU! Sex, filth, and the down trodden all mix together in this crucible of carnal compositions! Check out Everett Gee’s Flu Factory at http://theflufactory.blogspot.com/ and get your grimy paws on Everett’s KNUCKLEHEADS (previously reviewed here) at https://fluke.bigcartel.com/product/knuckleheads-issue-1-fluke-publishing
Ninja Guy No. 1-5 by Micah Liesenfeld
January 3, 2021 in Reviews
Ninja Guy No. 1-5 https://www.etsy.com/shop/micahnova is a series of black and white with spot coloring mini-comics between 20-24 pages each, written and illustrated by Micah Liesenfeld.
In this run of five comics a not-so-sharp guy responds to an ad, dressed as a ninja as the ad requested, and quickly finds himself sucked into a world of absurdities! Soon the “Ninja Guy” is trapped in his own ninja costume, fighting a janitor, taking orders from a one-eyed smiley face, and cavorting about through time with a talking, disembodied head, and a woman with a never ending ponytail! Yeah, this ain’t your usual comic book.
Micah creates a world of silliness that’s fun and full of unexpected surprises! You can get in on the ridiculousness at https://www.etsy.com/shop/micahnova and find more at https://www.facebook.com/NinjaGuyMicah/ and https://www.instagram.com/micahnova/
My Life in Records #6: Here We Are Now Entertain Us by Grant Thomas
December 19, 2020 in Reviews
My Life in Records #6: Here We Are Now Entertain Us https://www.grantthomasonline.com/product/my-life-in-records-6-here-we-are-now-entertain-us/ is a 24-page, full color, square format, “thinly veiled autobiography,” minicomic written and illustrated by Grant Thomas.
In this issue the main character, Tom, discovers a world of music beyond the Christian radio channel he usually listens to. After a trip to the library and a Boy Scout camping excursion, Tom’s musical horizons are forever expanded thanks to Nirvana and others.
Grant’s storytelling is so open and honest, it really pulls you in and is so easy to relate to. Reading this issue made me remember my early music interests and my friends not understanding how I could possibly like artists like David Bowie or Iggy Pop. Funny memories for me, but a totally relatable story about a young kid finding a formerly unknown world of music and the lasting impact such an experience like that can have.
Grant always delivers enjoyable stories and you can enjoy My Life in Records #6: Here We Are Now Entertain Us and many other comics by Grant at https://www.grantthomasonline.com/shop/
The Bubblegum Dada Corporation No. 007: The Dream Inspires
December 7, 2020 in Reviews
The Dream Inspires is a 20-page, black and white, mini size, picture-storybook zine.
A young woman dreams and her dreams lead her to action. Her actions get noticed by those that don’t share her dreams. Those that don’t share her dreams spring into action…and put her back to sleep! Brilliant short story told with stock imagery taken from mid-twentieth century life that cleverly comments on how our cultural constructs stifle individualism and feed conformity!
Breakaway from the expected and embrace your dreams with The Dream Inspires by contacting The Bubblegum Dada Corporation at:
The Bubblegum Dada Corporation
c/o 15 Dartington Walk
Leigham
Plymouth
Devon
PL6 8QA UK
Lovey Dovey in Forbidden and Michael Neno’s Life-Changing Guide to Decluttering Your Book Collection
November 8, 2020 in Reviews
Two for Tuesday from Michael Neno, it’s Lovey Dovey in Forbidden http://www.nenoworld.com/Lovey_Dovey_in_Forbidden.html and Michael Neno’s Life-Changing Guide to Decluttering Your Book Collection http://www.nenoworld.com/Decluttering.html each 16-pages, digest size, (Lovey Dovey is full color/Life Changing Guide is black and white) mini comics written and illustrated by Michael Neno.
First up a bored Lovey Dovey finds herself Forbidden from doing the things she wants to do! What’s a girl to do? Well, Lovey Dovey finds the perfect solution to her problem! Next, Michael Neno himself offers up some sound advice on what to do with your-out-of-control comic book collection in the pages of Michael Neno’s Life-Changing Guide to Decluttering Your Book Collection!
You can get these two minis and many others from Michael at http://www.nenoworld.com/
KNUCKLEHEADS No. 1
October 31, 2020 in Reviews
Here’s a treat for Halloween, KNUCKLEHEADS No. 1 https://fluke.bigcartel.com/product/knuckleheads-issue-1-fluke-publishing a 32-page, black and white, digest size, humor comix written and illustrated by Everett Gee. Published by Fluke Publishing.
This ADULT humor comic is a collection of funny stories featuring a zit faced, one toothed guy named Rolow: a naked, square headed, bottle-cap pasties wearing chick named Hester; and a hairless rat named Panko! How’s that for a cast of characters! The comix opens with a vibrator throwing incident, and then quickly jumps right in to a slew of rude and crude vignettes dealing with making soup, popping a zits, Panko the Rat killing cartoon characters, diapers for crack addicts, and a bunch more stuff!
The stories and art in KNUCKLEHEADS is the meat and potatoes of underground comix! Uncouth vulgarities spilling from page to page in all their highly detailed black and white beauty! I love this stuff! You can see some samples and pick up this tasty treat for yourself at https://fluke.bigcartel.com/product/knuckleheads-issue-1-fluke-publishing and visit Everett Gee http://theflufactory.blogspot.com/ Happy Halloween you Comix Creeps!
Michael Neno Mini-Comics: Tune Time & Horse Crime
October 28, 2020 in Reviews
It’s Mini-Comic Monday with two Michael Neno Mini-Comics, Tune Time Presents “The Stuck-Inside Song” and Horse Crime Comics http://www.nenoworld.com/Minicomics.html 20-pages and 24-pages respectively, full color, micro-mini size! Written and published by Michael Neno. Graphics (public domain) by Ann Erewster, Bill Fix, Al Hartley, Ed Moline, Lin Streeter, Dick Giordano, Ernie Hart, and Walter Johnson.
In Tune Time Presents “The Stuck-Inside Song” Michael Neno provides a lyrical look at life inside as we all struggle with social distancing and self-seclusion within the confines of our homes in these pandemic times. To sing this sorrowful song Michael appropriates public domain imagery that appears to have been pulled from Romance Comics and adds his own tongue-in-cheek dialogue in a rhyming romp that perfectly captures what most of us are really thinking!
Next, in Horse Crime Comics, Michael treats us to a new take on the Western Comics genre where a horse confronts its double-crossing human! Bullets fly, hooves kick up dust, and scores get settled…old west style! It’s a hoot! If talking horses with guns were the norm in Western Comics when I was a kid, I would’ve been a huge fan!
Check out these and many other unique comics and more from the mind of Michael Neno at http://www.nenoworld.com/
Creepy Guide
October 23, 2020 in Reviews
Creepy Guide http://www.nenoworld.com/Minicomics.html is a 12-page, black and white interior/color covers, digest size, guide zine to creepy things! Written and illustrations by Michael Neno. $4 ppd. each, or get 3 books or more and get free shipping ($1 off each book)!
Just in time for Halloween, Michael Neno shares some of his favorite creepy memories of the things that scared him as a child on both the small and big screen! Within the petrifying pages are harrowing recollections of things such as the Twilight Zone, the Fiend Without a Face, The Fly, The Blob, and Dr. Seuss’ The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T!
This is a neat zine and now is the perfect time for it! I think Michael and I are around the same age, so I can relate to the days of late night weekend TV programing geared toward horror. Michael’s descriptions bring back pleasant memories of a time when childhood innocence was ripe for a good late night scare! Reading Creepy Guide motivates me to seek out some of the mentioned titles and settle in for a fun filled night of horror theatre!
You can get your own copy of Creepy Guide by ordering from:
M.R. Neno Productions
P.O. Box 307675
Gahanna, OH 43230
Or you can PayPal mneno @ Columbus.rr.com
And you can find much, much more from Michael Neno at http://www.nenoworld.com/
The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott
October 20, 2020 in Reviews
The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/product/victory-point-by-owen-d-pomery is a 164-page, full color, 160mmx239mm, softcover comic written and illustrated by Zoe Thorogood. Published by Avery Hill Publishing.
While racing against the clock counting down to a foreseeable personal tragedy, a young woman sets out on a quest for art that turns into a journey of self-discovery. Along the way she forms unforeseen relationships and finds herself making unexpected connections and meaningful friendships that define her.
Zoe Thorogood tells a moving and enjoyable story. Her character development is immaculately paced, revealing only what is needed when it’s needed. Like real-life, the characters in the story are written with layers of complexity that are only peeled back as their individual stories move into the spotlight of the story’s arc. In addition to the superb storytelling, Zoe also delivers page after page of captivating art with a style all its own! Her line work is deceptively simple, packing much more detail into each panel than initially realized. Zoe’s use of perspective, color, and overall page design are in perfect balance with her storytelling, making The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott an entertaining comic well worth reading!
You can find more from Avery Hill at http://averyhillpublishing.com/ and have a look at Zoe Thorogood’s artistry at https://www.artstation.com/zlthorogood and find more from Zoe at https://www.instagram.com/zoethorogood/ and https://twitter.com/zoethorogood
Mount a Rescue
October 16, 2020 in Reviews
Mount a Rescue https://fredeggcomics.bigcartel.com/product/mount-a-rescue is 72-page, black and white/color, digest size comics anthology with stories written and drawn by David Robertson. Also includes guest artwork by Clio D, Zu Dominiak, Damon Herd, Olivia Hicks, Rebecca Horner, Vedis Huldudottir, Asuna Ikeshima, Paddy Johnston, Marc KC, Tim Kelly, Francesca Mancuso, Norrie Millar, Emma Oosterhouse, Neil Paterson, Ludi Price, Mike Sedakat, Veddabredda, Pam Wye, and Cherish York. Published by Fred Egg Comics.
Every comic David Robertson puts out is full of unique and totally unexpected tales. In Mount a Rescue, David’s most recent offering, his tradition of truly original storytelling continues! This time David delivers 35 diverse stories, many illustrated by different artists, each with their own distinctive style. A sampling of what waits between the covers of Mount a Rescue is a story of a personal connection to the movie Blade Runner and its various iterations. Then, in a completely unrelated tale, we get to walk underwater with a deep sea diver! Then, going in a different direction, we meet an unlikely hero in Glue-Man! And even more variety awaits in stories that touch on Star Wars, aging with Homer Simpson, a trip to India, a Shit Comic Competition, and what Mr. T missed out on because of his fear of flying! And that’s just a few of the things in the 35 stories that make up Mount a Rescue! All this diversity in subject matter combined with just as much range in art really makes this comic a collection of the unexpected!
You can Mount a Rescue and get even more comics at http://fredeggcomics.bigcartel.com/ and find more from Fred Egg Comics and David Robertson at http://fredeggcomics.blogspot.co.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/david.robertson.18488169 and http://fredeggcomics.tumblr.com/ and on Twitter @fredeggcomics
The Zine-ology Report No. 3
October 5, 2020 in Reviews
The Zine-ology Report No. 3 is a 24-page, Black and White with color cover, mini size, information and review zine edited by Alan Sissom. Published by Sissom Comics Group.
If you miss the good ol’ days when you could hold a review zine and get ink on your fingers while reading about new titles available for trade or purchase, rejoice! The Zine-ology Report is here! This neat zine features more than 30 different comics, zines, and fan zines, many with cover scans and even interior page shots! Reading The Zine-ology Report reminded me of the late, great FactSheet 5. Like F5 this review zine offers up descriptions of the various titles along with the images and ordering info. In addition to all the wonderful titles featured in this issue there are also recommendations, a brief history of The Zine-ology Report, news, reader’s letters (well one anyway), and more!
This is a really satisfying collection of a bunch of interesting zines and comics that will have you stuffing envelopes and making new connections via the postal service! You can get your comics and zines listed in and reviewed in The Zine-ology Report, and get your own copy from:
Alan Sissom
PO Box 842
Greenwood, IN 46142
comicslink@yahoo.com
Zebedee and the Valentines
September 28, 2020 in Reviews
Zebedee and the Valentines https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/product/zebedee-and-the-valentines-by-abs-bailey-pre-order is a full color, 108-page, 160mm x 239mm comic written and illustrated by Abs Bailey. Published by Avery Hill Publishing.
An up and coming punk band with a self-centered front man gets the break of a lifetime, but internal clashes and conflicts threatens to bring it all down. This is a story about friendship, envy, and regret as told through the lives of four friends with a common goal but different priorities.
The characters are written as relatable personalities, each with their own fortes and flaws, with the most attention paid to the title character. The art on the other hand separates this comic from others like it. Whereas the story is a straightforward tale about relationships and self-discovery, the art places this comic into a whole different ballgame!
The characters are rendered as whimsical, cute, and scary with their anthropomorphic appearance and multi-colored skins. The backgrounds, clothing, and palette of colors bring a real psychedelic feel to the comic that lightens the heavy mood of the story and keeps it from being too gloomy. In fact the art lulls you into a feel-good happy mindset and then, bam! The story takes an unexpected turn that leaves you grieving. Quite a rollercoaster of a read!
You can rock out with Zebedee and the Valentines at https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/product/zebedee-and-the-valentines-by-abs-bailey-pre-order and find more from Avery Hill Publishing at https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/
Victory Point
September 21, 2020 in Reviews
Victory Point https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/product/victory-point-by-owen-d-pomery is an 80-page, 8.3” x 6.3”, full color, slice-of-life comic written and illustrated by Owen D. Pomery. Published by Avery Hill Publishing.
The story is about a young woman searching for her place in life. She returns to her childhood home but finds she has outgrown the quaint innocence and failed progressive future it once offered. Through conversations with family, old friends, and new acquaintances she finds the courage to pursue the path her heart desires.
The writing tells a straight forward story that flows smoothly. The art…well that’s on a whole different level! Most comics suffer from inadequate backgrounds, but not Victory Point. Owen’s expertise at architectural illustration is on full display! Every scene is a treasure to be studied. The elegant line work, the subtle stippling, and the masterful use of color to accentuate intricate architectural detail must be seen to truly be appreciated.
You can find more from Avery Hill at http://averyhillpublishing.com/ and have a look at Owen D. Pomery’s talents at https://owenpomery.com/
Sleepy Giantess, Good Morning!
September 18, 2020 in Reviews
Sleepy Giantess, Good Morning! https://questioncave.com/product/sleepy-giantess-good-morning/ is a 200-page, perfect bound, full color, ADULT, 5.5” x 5.5” romance comic written and illustrated by Sophie with lettering and layouts by Celso.
This is one big-little colorful book! In the 200 pages Sophie tells the story of two lovers through a series of dates. As the two share experiences they also discover things about themselves and their relationship. One of the characters is dark skinned and the other light skinned. As the two frolic about in the water and on land, they enjoy each other’s company while exploring their differences and similarities.
The duality of the lovers creates a subtext that parallels the contrast in nature; day and night, earth and sky, etc. Moreover, some of the tale also draws from ancient creation stories, contributing to the underlying connection between the characters and the creation of life itself.
The art is a gorgeous mix of nature photography and comic illustration. Sophie masterfully blends the two in a playful and visually appealing style that makes this an eye-catching story that’s a joy to read!
You can find Sleepy Giantess, Good Morning! and more at https://questioncave.com/ and find even more at https://twitter.com/questioncave and https://celsoscott.tumblr.com/
Sentinel No.4
September 10, 2020 in Reviews
Sentinel No.4 https://www.facebook.com/thesentinelcomic is a 64-page, full color cover, black and white interior, digest size horror comic written by Alan Holloway, illustrated by Ian Beadle, and lettered by Ed Doyle. Cover art by Ed Doyle.
This issue of Sentinel features the horror tale “Misty Moore.” Set in the 1980s, the story tells the tale of a young girl, Misty, and her family that move into an estate shared by three other families. Misty has a history of being bullied and hopes to make a clean start in her new school. Things don’t go as well as Misty had hoped and soon her past problems begin to resurface, but this time a ghostly accomplice offers assistance!
Sentinel No.4 is a neatly woven ghost story with a surprising twist! The drama unfolds at a satisfying pace and is backed up with a healthy helping of gore! No part of the story feels rushed or drawn out. The setting, background, and characters are all developed in sufficient enough detail to convey a believable story in an environment the reader can relate to!
Here’s a little background: Sentinel was started in October 2019 because Ed Doyle missed Starblazer, a 64 page black and white UK Sci Fi digest. He suggested to Alan Holloway that they bring it back, and Sentinel was born. The first issue was a daft space adventure, the second a serious “Spartacus but with dragons” story, and the third an even dafter space adventure.
Initially the plan was just for the two of them to do it, but other artists were strangely enthusiastic about working for peanuts. As it gives Ed a break, he agreed to bring on more artists, with Alan staying as writer as it takes a lot less time.
Issues three and four have featured the full length debuts of Paul Spence and Ian Beadle, and it’s been great to see them both explore their talents.
Alan and Ed have worked together for over a year, mostly on 2000AD related strips for the likes of Zarjaz and Sector 13, as well as over 80 three panel humour strips called The Whole Twoth.
Sentinel can be found at https://www.facebook.com/thesentinelcomic
