Booty #21

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Booty
Issue: #21
Publisher: My Monster Hat
Distributor: Trees & Hills, Microcosm Publishing
Writer:Anne Thalheimer
Artist: Anne Thalheimer

Anne Thalheimer's autobiographical minicomic. This issue covers April 2007 to June 2008, including three different jobs, some interesting side hustles and a "bizarre boy year". Plus a move to a now house, some discussion of motherhood, plenty of Radiohead lyrics, and an excellent overview of the basics of roller derby. The book ends with a "100 random facts" page that was impressive, although I definitely needed the reading glasses for it.

Anne's work is always heartfelt and introspective, and quirky enough to keep it fun.

Rating: 7/10

Big Bad Best of Booty

This was one of several crowdfunding (Indiegogo in this case) purchases I made over the last school year and had shipped to a US address, to be waiting for me when I headed home for the summer visit.

Title: Big Bad Best of Booty
Date: June, 2015
Publisher: Anne Thalheimer
Writer: Anne Thalheimer
Artist: Anne Thalheimer

I'm a fan of Anne Thalheimer's autobiographical comic/zine, Booty, since discovering it at some of the Boston-area zine and indy comic events. I've reviewed individual issues here and here.

This is a "best-of" collection, featuring individual pages from past issues of the Booty zine.

Anne writes and draws about her jobs, her crafting and creativity, her travels, and gives some insight into life with ptsd. You also get Anne's experiences as a roller derby referee, plus guest appearances by her cats. Not to mention a range of geeky topics from the biology of squids to the game Apples to Apples to participation in a soup-swap (complete with sweet potato soup recipe).

The format of this results in some repetition, but this adds to the conversational tone. Reading this is like catching up with an old friend who you haven't spoken to in a while. It helps matters that this friend is so full of nerdy awesomeness.

Rating: 8/10

Booty #26

Picked this up from Trees & Hills at MICE this past fall. Read it on the Red Line train into Arisia tonight.

Title: Booty
Issue: #26
Publisher: My Monster Hat
Distributor: Trees & Hills, Microcosm Publishing
Writer:Anne Thalheimer
Artist: Anne Thalheimer

Anne Thalheimer can always be counted on for some really fun geeky autobiographical comics, a subgenre which is a personal favorite of mine.

The latest issue of her Booty series focuses on the loss of her 9-5 job, and her subsequent decision to devote her time to her monster hat making business, and to substitute teaching, tutoring, and a summer teaching opportunity at Yale to help with the bills.

There is a lot of emotion poured into these pages, and a lot of humor and fun as well. The scene featuring the Internal Monster Council of Doubt was particularly good.

This was a welcome addition to an excellent series.

Rating: 8/10

Booty #24

This was a Free Comic Book Day find, although it's not a freebie.I picked it up at the Trees & Hills table.

Title: Booty
Issue: #24
Publisher: Anne Thalheimer
Distributor: Trees & Hills, Microcosm Publishing
Writer:Anne Thalheimer
Artist: Anne Thalheimer

Booty is Anne Thalheimer's autobiographical minicomic series, and it's can always be counted on to be geeky and fun. Anne is a roller derby referee (!), and this issue has a good section on the mechanics of roller derby from an officiating standpoint, complete with a detailed set of diagrams. Also covered are road trips, life drawing at a Dr. Sketchy event, Halloween costumes, the ongoing battle against bad moods, and a detailed diagram of the contents of Anne's gear bag.

Anne's style loads every page with doodles, notes, and little fragments of thoughts. It's engaging and fun.

Rating: 7.5/10