Psycho Bunny #3

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Psycho Bunny
Issue: 3
Date: 2008
Publisher: Witches Brew Press
Writer: Michele Witchipoo
Artist: Michele Witchipoo

I will admit that I have a preference for Michele Witchipoo's other series, Babalon Babes (one issue is reviewed here) to her Psycho Bunny, but I appreciate the ability and inspiration that go into writing in two completely distinctive tones and styles.

Psycho Bunny is the ongoing series of adventures of a foul-mouthed and perpetually drunk rabbit who hangs around New York, avoiding paying his bar tab, and making his cynical observations about the world around him.

This is all very crude. Readers looking from some politically incorrect humor will find plenty here, along with the occasional bit of just plain gross-out. It's intentionally tasteless in such an over-the-top way that it can be fun, although I did think there was one bit that went too far over the line for my own tastes.

There are definitely some laughs to be had here, and the ongoing plot about Psycho Bunny auditioning for American Idol was a nice bit of satire.

Rating: 5.5/10

Babalon Babes #3

From the random stack of unread comics.

Title: Babalon Babes
Issue: 3
Date: 2007
Publisher: Witches Brew Press
Writer: Michele Witchipoo
Artist: Michele Witchipoo

If you're splitting hairs, this would be considered a sketchbook rather than a comic. Regardless of the designation, it is a lovely collection of artwork. The portraits feature (in the artist's words) "Scarlet women and femme fatales". The book is labeled as adults only due to some nudity in the images, but the focus is on the mixture of the erotic with the mystical.

Artist Michele Witchipoo has a really unique style that is highly detailed, and rich in symbolism. Each illustration is full of little symbols and sigils waiting to be discovered, reflecting a variety of spiritual traditions and mythologies. The ancient wisdom mixes with a punk vibe for a really fun effect overall.

This is one of the most visually attractive minicomic series I've run across.

Rating: 8.5/10

An Invitation to the World of Luisa Felix, Cartoonist

A book I picked up at last year's MECAF convention in Portland ME.

Title: An Invitation to the World of Luisa Felix, Cartoonist
Date: 2013
Publisher: Drowned Town Press
Editor: E.J. Barnes, Paul Curtis
Artist: Louisa Felix, E.J. Barnes, Natalie Ewert, Larry Blake, Steve Peters, Keith O'Brien, Michele Witchipoo, Frank Humphris, Eric Jensen, Paul Curtis

Hoboken NJ cartoonist Louisa Felix was active in the small press and comics APA scene more than four decades, writing and drawing comics and comic strips in a range of genres from funny animals and gag strips to film noir and horror stories.

This tribute collection shows of the range of her work, and includes concept sketches and roughs, along with finished comics, and tributes by other small-press comic artists working with characters that Ms. Felix created.

I loved the classic old-Hollywood feel of her work, with an art style that evokes Betty Boop and classic Popeye cartoons. The stories are fun, and her technique of inventing a cast of actors in a Hollywood meta-story and then "casting" them into her cartoons was a very clever way of creating a coherent comic book universe involving such a wide range of stories.

This is very obviously a heartfelt tribute, and is was delightful to discover Louisa Felix's work through this collection.

Rating: 8.5/10