Plastic Farm #9

Title: Plastic Farm
Issue: #9
Date: March 2005
Publisher: Plastic Farm Press
Writer: Rafer Roberts
Artist: Wendi Strang-Frost
Copy Editor: Nan Roberts
Backup Story By: Scott Cristian Carr, Jeff Westover

This issue delves into the origin story of Raoul the baggage handler, a tale which begins with a man hiding from his bill collectors and quickly spirals into bizarre experimentation and government conspiracies.

What I really liked in this issue was all of the minor details that were brought in from previous issues and strung together. Rafer Roberts is telling a complex tale here, one in which everything is connected even though things to not at first appear to be.

Backup story was "The Continuing Adventures of Fat Man and Little Boy", a post-apocalyptic comedy by the team of Scott Cristian Carr and Jeff Westover. I liked the post-apocalyptic culture they have created, and the distorted take on what life was like "afore the war".

Rating: 7.5/10

Plastic Farm #3

Continuing to make my way through the pile of purchases from SPACE.

Title: Plastic Farm
Issue: #3
Date: September, 2003
Publisher: Plastic Farm Press
Writer: Rafer Roberts
Artist: Dave Morgan, Jake Warrenfeltz
Backup Story By: Sean Frost, Wendi Strang-Frost

Plastic Farm has some of the most unusual and creative covers in comics, and this issue's photo cover is one of the most fun in the series.

This issue also represents a departure as writer/artist Rafer Roberts turns over the art chores to Dave Morgan and Jake Warrenfeltz, who each take a story. First up is the story of a country couple whose dinner is interrupted by a call for help. This is one of those quick/nasty/ironic pieces, and it works pretty well. I particularly liked the space given to the art and the very sparing use of dialogue.

The second story is a much more straightforward tale, a hardboiled cop story about an undercover operation that doesn't end well. It's got good dialogue and action and a nice buildup of suspense.

Nothing in this issue's stories appear to have any connection to the first two issues. It will be interesting to see how the series develops over the long term, but readers looking for immediate continuity will find themselves at a loss.

Backup story, Johnny Public: Queen of Hearts Preview, was a better fit for Plastic Farm than the previous two backup stories have been. In fact, this bizarre tale of a woman visiting her father's grave fits pretty well flavor-wise. It featured some nice artwork (and a cat!), with some surreal character depictions.

Rating: 7/10