Sea Ghost #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics, probably by way of the Maine Comic Arts Festival, although I don't recall which year.

Title: Sea Ghost
Issue: 1
Date: 2010
Publisher: Nemo Publishing Group (Capt'n Eli's Soda and Comics)
Writer: Jay Piscopo
Artist: Jay Piscopo, Ramona Fradon, Danny Kelly, Robert Caine Jeffcoat

Maine publisher Nemo, which is affiliated with Capt'n Eli's Soda, presents this homage to classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

Sea Ghost, who lives in an undersea fortress/lab in the ruins of Atlantis with his two children, investigates a strange machine, which ends up transporting him to a distant world. He soon finds himself in the midst of a seemingly endless war between two civilizations there, one land-based and the other sea-based. But there is a more dangerous and sinister force lurking behind the conflict.

This was a good, complete story that showed Sea Ghost both as warrior and peacemaker. There was enough conflict to keep things moving along, as well as some good worldbuilding and the potential for further adventures.

The story was definitely successful in capturing the Hanna-Barbera vibe, while still being reasonably original, considering that the lead character is pretty much a mix of Space Ghost and Aquaman.

All in all, this was a fun story that worked well in the flavor it was aiming for.

Rating: 7.5/10

Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye #4: Fish You Were Here

The Kiddo and I enjoyed another volume from this series, so when we had a chance to run into Colleen A.F. Venable again at the 2014 Maine Comic Arts Festival, he picked this one out.

Title: Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye #4: Fish You Were Here
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Date: 2011
Writer: Colleen A.F. Venable
Artist: Stephanie Yue
Letterer: Grace Lu

Mr. Venezi has the help-wanted sign out, but he's having trouble finding the perfect assistant for the pet shop until high-school freshman Viola walks in the door, full of energy and know-how. At least, she's full of energy until Mr. V's not watching her. Then she's more into binge-watching her soaps then watching the shop. Meanwhile, Mr. V thinks she's doing such a great job that he isn't even needed anymore.

Sasspants and Hamisher have to convince the rest of the pet store to take some drastic action to get Mr. V to come back. But first they need to solve the mystery of where he's gone.

This was the second in this graphic novel series that I've read, and it was amusing and cute. The subplot involving the goldfish (all named Steve) getting a pleco as a new addition to their tank was particularly fun.

Rating: 7/10

Lady Skylark and the Queen's Treasure Act 1

I picked this one up at MECAF.

Title: Lady Skylark and the Queen's Treasure
Issue: Act 1
Date: 2013
Publisher: Jackie Musto
Writer: Christopher Parent
Artist: Jackie Musto

Writer Christopher Parent teams up with artist Jackie Musto (of Kay And P) for this steampunk tale.

A mutiny leaves rogue captain Skylark stranded on a mountaintop. Fortunately for her, the airship Lady Abbess happens by, but the captain of the Lady Abbess is a sexist oaf, and he also happens to have gotten his hands on some cargo that could mean serious trouble.

This was a fun opening to what promises to be a great steampunk adventure. There were a lot of little details in the artwork that add to the story, and the character and ship designs are great.

This volume also included several pages of concept sketches and notes, and a short flashback story.

Looking forward to seeing more. This story is available as a free webcomic here.

Rating: 8/10

Facebrace: The Comic

It was good to see Ben Doane at MeCAF and to pick up his latest minicomic.

Title: Facebrace: The Comic
Date: 2014
Publisher: Benjamin Doane and The Facebrace Collective
Writer: Benjamin Doane
Artist: Benjamin Doane, John F. Quirk, Sadie Saunders, Renata Davis, Nico Hammill, Sarah Hachey

Surreal minicomic involving time travel, pancakes, and an apocalypse caused by the installation of port of Windows 95 to play Pokemon Yellow.

There is also an app that tells you whether it is Christmas, some dog-sitting, and a running battle with rocket-powered heely nomadz.

I will admit to not getting all of this, but I am pretty sure that was part of the point. And even the parts I didn't get were good bizarre fun.

Rating: 7/10

O P Q: Adventures In Substitute Teaching

Here is one that I got at MeCAF.

Title: O P Q: Adventures In Substitute Teaching
Publisher: Anne Thalheimer
Date: 2012
Writer: Anne Thalheimer
Artist: Anne Thalheimer

Autobiographical minicomic about the artist's experiences as a substitute teacher, covering for pretty much all grades and subjects.

I loved the facial expressions in this. Thalheimer has some great visual reactions to all of the situations she gets into, whether it be bait-and-switch assignments at school, adorable preschoolers, obnoxious middle-schoolers, or having to teach gym class.

As a teacher myself, I could appreciate a lot of the situations described in this comic. I also learned some things about public school subbing that were new to me.

There were some great anecdotes, especially toward the end, and I would have love to see even more details of the day-to-day interactions with the students.

Rating: 7/10

Kay And P Volume 2

I saw Jackie Musto last week at MeCAF, but I actually picked up this book through Kickstarter.

Title: Kay And P
Issue: Volume 2
Date: 2014
Publisher: Jackie Musto
Writer: Jackie Musto
Artist: Jackie Musto

This trade paperback collects issues 6-10 of the comic, which, in turn reprints the webcomic version of the same story.

The story is about a young woman who lives with a talking skeleton that has been her companion since childhood and that only she can see. That's how things stand at the start of this volume, anyway.

Kay, an aspiring artist and music student, lives by a simple set of rules: "Don't call me your girlfriend. Don't leave your stuff at my place. And it's not anything serious." She has good friends, good conversations, and not enough time to get everything done.

Kay is also beginning to notice strange things around her, and not just the skeleton who's been her best friend since she was a kid.

Kay is an instantly engaging character with a great supporting cast, dialogue that flows naturally, and enough geeky qualities to make her interesting. P is the overprotective practical member of the team, and he has some great reactions to Kay's adventures, not to mention running snarky commentary.

This was fun all the way through. There were some interesting plot twists, including an absolutely awesome surprise ending.

I'd really only read this in bits and pieces online. I loved how nicely the story flowed when it was put together.

Clever and fun.

Rating: 8.5/10

Pillow Talk

Here is a minicomic that I picked up last Sunday aat MeCAF. 

Title: Pillow Talk
Publisher: Scott Springer
Date: 2014
Writer: Scott Springer
Artist: Scott Springer

Minicomic compilation of three-panel comic strips featuring a couple in bed having various conversations. Topics range from their own quirks and relationship, to geeky and pop culture subjects.

I enjoyed the pro wrestling references, along with some nice nods to 80s pop culture. The material is slightly raunchy in places. There were some good jokes in here, although the instances of falling back on boob jokes felt a bit lazy.

Still, there was plenty of interesting material in here. I also liked the use of facial expressions. The book at first glance looks like it's the same art on every page, but there are actually some nice subtle bits of expression that bring the characters to life.

Rating: 6.5/10

Civil War: Dr. Hawk's Diary #1

Here's a historical minicomic that I picked up from Marek Bennett at MeCAF.

Title: Civil War: Dr. Hawk's Diary
Publisher: Marek Bennett
Issue: 1
Date: 2013
Writer: Marek Bennett
Artist: Marek Bennett

This minicomic comes from Marek Bennett's Live Free & Draw series of comics on New Hampshire history.

The comic is adapted from the diary of Esther Hill Hawks, one of the first female doctors in the United States. After finding herself not allowed to join in the war effort as an army doctor or nurse, she volunteered to work for the National Freedmen's Relief Association, working to help former slaves in South Carolina.

The story, using words taken from referenced primary sources, begins with Dr. Hawks' voyage South via New York City in 1862. Caught in a storm off of Cape Hatteras, Esther and the other women of her mission deal with seasickness as a ship that was never meant for ocean travel taking on alarming quantities of water.

When she finally arrives in the Carolinas, Esther finds her adventures have just begun.

Great true story about a fascinating historical figure.

You can read this entire comic (with a full color cover!) online here.

Rating: 8/10

Zombie Romance's Live Drawing Mini Artzine #1

On the agenda: Comics purchased at MeCAF, comics from FCBD, and comics from the National Conference on Science Education. Plus the usual backlog. Trying to make a push to post every day to at least get through the books from these recent events.

With that in mind, here's a minicomic I got yesterday at MeCAF.

Title: Zombie Romance's Live Drawing Mini Artzine
Issue: 1
Publisher: Kristilyn Stevenson
Date: 2012
Writer: Kristilyn Stevenson
Artist: Kristilyn Stevenson

Full-color folded quarter-sized collection of portraits of Boston-area musicians performing. The subjects include Courtney Swain, Gem Club, Gene Dante, Edrie Edrie, Mali Sastri, Vending Machetes, and Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band.

The portraits all represent performances that the artist attended in 2012, and the sketches were done live on-site.

This is a fun project, and an interesting slice of the Boston music scene. The vivid colors really bring the art to live.

Rating: 7/10

Bandit Mountain

I just got back from the Maine Comic Arts Festival with a small stack of comics that I am looking forward to reading and reviewing. I'll start with one I had a chance to read at the show.

Title: Bandit Mountain
Publisher: Sarah "Chu" Wilson
Date: 2013
Writer: Sarah "Chu" Wilson
Artist: Sarah "Chu" Wilson

Eight- page half-sized b/w minicomic. Adapted from one of Aesop's fables, but with human characters.

When a knight needs a guide through a treacherous mountain pass, he makes a bandit girl an
offer she can't refuse. Unfortunately for the knight, the consequences of underestimating an
opponent on Bandit Mountain are pretty harsh.

Simple story, but very effective.

Rating: 8/10

Our Last Convention For A While

This Sunday (May 18, 2014), Dandelion Studios will be appearing at our last show, at least for the foreseeable future.

As mentioned here before, I’ve taken a teaching job in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and we’re excitedly looking forward to new adventures on the other side of the planet.

We’re going to be moving all of our Dandelion Studios comics publishing activities online, and we are expecting to be off the convention circuit for at least two years. Of course, anything is possible, so you may see us show up at an anime con somewhere in Asia, or at a show back in the USA if we end up coming home for our summers.

But we are treating this coming weekend as our farewell show. The event is MECAF, the Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland ME, and it’s consistently been one of our favorite shows.

It features exclusively small press/independent talent, and adult admission is a mere $5. If you are anywhere near Portland this weekend, and you are at all geekily-inclined, this is the best deal for your money, barring none.

Guests of honor are Kazu Kibuishi of Amulet, Vol. 1: The Stonekeeper, Zach Giallongo of Ewoks: Shadow Over Endor, and the creator of one of my favorite recent comic series, Jimmy Gownley of Amelia Rules! Volume 1: The Whole World’s Crazy.

So, come to Portland this Sunday and stop by the Dandelion Studios table to check out all of our comic titles, plus a full selection of plushie giant spiders and (not technically giant) narwhals.

Hope to see you there!

Holy Crap Waffles

A minicomic from the backlog. I got another of Sophie Goldstein's minicomics at MECAF 2012, so this one probably came from that show as well.

Title: Holy Crap Waffles
Date: 2001
Publisher: Sophie Goldstein
Writer: Sophie Goldstein
Artist: Sophie Goldstein

Eight-page micro-minicomic with color cardstock cover, from the co-creator of Darwin Carmichael is Going To Hell.

This is a tale of a waffle-making mishap involving an overenthusiastic waffle iron.Goldstein does a great job with the anthropomorphic waffle iron's "facial" expressions. And it is "Based on true events, kinda."

Amusing example of how you can make anything into a comic story. Not long on plot, but fun.

Rating: 6.5/10

Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye #5: Raining Cats and Detectives

Here's a book we picked up at the Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland ME this past May.

Title: Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye #5: Raining Cats and Detectives
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Date: 2012
Writer: Colleen A.F. Venable
Artist: Stephanie Yue

This is an all-ages book printed in a squarebound 7"x7" 46-page softcover childrens' book format.

Sasspants the guinea pig and his best friend Hamisher the hamster have decided that they will only leave the pet store with an owner who is a stylish detective. But when the perfect owner shows up, he only has enough money to buy one of the rodent detective team.

And to make matters worse, an important case has come up. The cat who resides in the bookstore next door has vanished. This is particularly alarming because Tummytickles the cat never ever moves under his own power. Clearly there is foul play involved! The detective team won't be able to work as a team to solve this mystery, but perhaps they can arrive separately at the same conclusion.

The actual plot took some time to get going, but I really didn't mind because this story was absolutely loaded with quirky jokes. And the final resolution was handled in a perfectly adorable way.

Fun characters, a great sense of humor, and some clever mystery writing make for a winner here.

Rating 8.5/10

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic In One Volume

Here's one that I can use as part of my excuse for being away from the review blog for so long!

Also, please note the product placement/plug for Sky Pirates of Valendor in the picture! Sky Pirates is produced by Jolly Rogue Studios, who are our neighbors at many conventions when we're out promoting our own comics.

Title: Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic In One Volume
Publisher: Cartoon Books
Date: 2004
Writer: Jeff Smith
Artist: Jeff Smith

And he means it when he says "Epic"!

This is the complete version of Bone. All 1332 pages of it. This is widely considered one of the most influential comics of the last few decades, and it lives up to all of the accolades.

Bone is the story of three cousins who are run out of their home town by an angry mob after the moneymaking schemes of the oldest cousin, Phoncible P. "Phoney" Bone, finally anger the wrong people (which in this case is basically everyone in Boneville).

The cousins cross a desert and find themselves in a valley inhabited by talking animals, monstrous rat-creatures, and a grandmother and granddaughter named Ben and Thorn.

The story begins as a light comedy and morphs brilliantly into a fantasy epic while still keeping its sense of humor.

I absolutely love the handling of the characters Thorn and Grandma Ben throughout the story. Not only do they both fall into the category of strong female characters, but they are complex, well-rounded, and central to the plot. Furthermore, in over 1300 pages, neither of them ever has their capabilities questioned on the basis of gender. Not once. Awesome.

The story takes its time ramping up, but once it gets going, it's in high gear straight through to the finish. This is easily among the best fantasy stories to ever appear comics, and it's quickly become one of my favorite fantasy stories in any format.

Totally worth the 1332 pages of reading.

Rating: 10/10 (Which is a first for this blog!)

I had the privelege of meeting Jeff Smith at the recent Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland ME. Here are a couple of bonus pictures:

Owl Time

Here's a minicomic that I picked up at the Maine Comic Arts Festival last spring.

Title: Owl Time
Date: 2011
Publisher: Sophie Goldstein
Writer: Sophie Goldstein
Artist: Sophie Goldstein

Eight-page micro-minicomic from the co-creator of Darwin Carmichael is Going To Hell.

Mostly wordless tale of a sleepy owl on a tree limb.Very cute and a nice example of how expressive a simple image can be. Back cover includes some amusing quotes from "reviewers".

Quick, but good fun.

Rating: 7/10

The Little Artist Who Could

First of all, sorry for not updating in a while. It's getting toward the end of the school year, so it's crunch time at my day job, plus I've been busy with my own writing and comic projects. Dandelion Studios just finished a string of convention appearances at Portland's Maine Comics Arts Festival, which is where today's review comes from.

Title: The Little Artist Who Could Get Ripped Off By A Mighty Corporation (A Cautionary Fable)
Date: 2012
Publisher: Marek Bennett
Writer: Marek Bennett
Artist: Marek Bennett

I got to sit next to Marek Bennett at MECAF, and he's always a wonderful source of incredibly creative minicomics on a wide range of topics.

This micro-mini takes a "not naming names" approach to the situation with Jack Kirby and this ongoing dispute between Kirby's descendants and Marvel/Disney.

Told in stick-figure form with a faerie-tale style of narration, this is not an attempt to make a legal case, but rather a moral one, as it does a good job of pointing out the basic unfairness of Kirby's treatment over the years.

Ends with a nice tribute panel to the King (and the first mention of Kirby by name in the minicomic).

Rating: 7.5/10

Bed Mermaid

I think I need a break from DC. Fortunately, I just found a bag of comics I picked up at the Maine Comic Arts Festival.

Title: Bed Mermaid
Date: 2010
Publisher: Kristilyn
Writer: Kristilyn Stevenson
Artist: Kristilyn Stevenson

Two-page (plus covers) minicomic freebie from Kristilyn for Free Comic Book Day 2010

A girl and her cat undergo a strange transformation while they sleep. This is more of a vignette than a story, but Kristilyn does a nice job of presenting the metamorphosis in a series of tiny panels. Her character's facial expressions are adorable, and the cat is also very cute.

Nice dreamlike vibe to this one.

Rating: 7/10

The Weeks Act Story

Another missed day yesterday due to internet outage combined with general circumstances. Maybe this week I'll be able to do a couple of multiple-review days. Not tonight, though. Here's a quick piece on an educational mini that I picked up at the Maine Comic Arts Festival.

Title: The Weeks Act Story
Date: 2011
Publisher: Marek Bennett (www.markbennett.com)
Writer: Marek Bennett
Artist: Marek Bennett

This is a fairly minimalist comic, consisting of both sides of a single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet. It's also sponsored by the Weeks Act Centennial and the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire. The stick-figure comic gives the history behind the Week Acts, which was enacted by congress a century ago this year. This was one of the first important environmental laws, and it protected watersheds and established National Forests.

Marek Bennett works with stick figures here (well, President Taft can't exactly be described as a "stick"...), but he does a very nice job of capturing the political maneuvering that was necessary to pass the Weeks Act (not surprisingly, it resembles the political maneuvering necessary to get anything done in Congress now).

This was a cute comic, and I learned a bit of history from it. The format isn't polished, but it since it is licensed for reprint for non-commercial use, the objective is obviously to make it easy to reproduce with a photocopier.

Rating: 7/10

Eclectic Etcetera

This is a minicomic that we traded for at the Maine Comic Arts Festival.

Title: Eclectic Etcetera
Date: 2011
Publisher: Bluebirdie Comics
Writer: Christina Siravo
Artist: Christina Siravo

As the title suggests, this quarter-sized minicomic is an eclectic sampler of the artist's work. The first half consists of funny animal cartoons, and the book then shifts into fantasy and faerie tale themes.

The humorous bits were quirky and fun, although in a few places the print got so small that it became difficult to make out all of the jokes.

I really enjoyed Siravo's fantasy art that made up the second half of the book, especially her tale of a moth lost in a beehive and unable to speak in the worker bee language.

The book ends with some nice pinup pieces with faerie tale themes. Siravo puts a lot of detail work into every piece, and I feel like it would look even better showcased in a full-sized book.

Rating: 7/10

Reading

Title: Reading
Date: 2011
Publisher: Aya Rothwell
Writer: Aya Rothwell
Artist: Aya Rothwell

This is a short story based on Aya's "Mark and the Aliens" comic. The main character, Mark, is stranded on a distant planet inhabited by strange but generally friendly aliens.

In this quarter-sized minicomic, Mark and one of the aliens sit on a hillside and read books. What follows is cute and funny. This is a full color minicomic with some nice watercolor work on the art. Very pretty little book.

Rating: 7.5/10