Inbound #2

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Inbound
Issue: 2
Date: 2008
Publisher: Boston Comics Roundtable
Writer: Matthew Reidsma, Jason W. Salzarulo, Charles Schneeflock Snow, Kevin Kilgore, Rachel Maguire, Ron LeBrasseur, Jay Kennedy, Cathy Leamy, Justin Clibun
Artist: Matthew Reidsma, Shelli Paroline, Eric Haines, Kevin Kilgore, Rachel Maguire, Ron LeBrasseur, Jay Kennedy, Cathy Leamy
Editor: Dave Kender, Dan Mazur, Ron LeBrasseur, Shelli Paroline
Cover: Braden Lamb

Anthology from the Boston Comic Roundtable. Very nice collection with a good variety of stories, including a comic adaptation of Justin Clibun's true account of US soldiers in Iraq. There is a humorous science fiction story by Charles Schneeflock Snow and Eric Haines, as well as a silly tale of mad science called Too Many Robots by Ron LeBrasseur. Jay Kennedy and Matthew Reidsma each provide a different and unique examination of the superhero genre. There is also a very creepy dark fairy tale by Jason W. Salzarulo and Shelli Paroline, and one of Cathy Leamy's wonderfully quirky slice-of-life story, this one dealing with her sister living an alter-ego life. A wordless and surreal tale by Rachel Maguire rounds things out, along with a humorous fictional history of comics creators in Boston.

All of this was good, and I enjoyed the variety of styles represented here.

Rating: 8/10

Wish Me Luck

From the unread comics stack. This is a minicomic by Boston Comics Roundtable, so I must have gotten this at one of many Boston-area conventions.

Title: Wish Me Luck
Publisher: Boston Comics Roundtable
Writer: Donna Martinez, Joseph Peters
Artist: Donna Martinez

Quarter-sized minicomic about a bellydancer and a man going through some relationship drama. There is a lot to be read between the lines here, in what is really just a small slice of a bigger story. The dancing sequence is the real highlight of this minicomic. It is lovely, and is some good, effective wordless storytelling.

A nice sample that left me interested in seeing what artist Donna Martinez can do if given a bit more space to work with.

Rating: 6.5/10

A Conversation About Spiders

Continuing to make my way through the stack of recent convention finds. I ran into Aya Rothwell the second day of the Boston Comic Con. She was there with Boston Comics Roundtable. I picked up her latest minicomic.

Title: A Conversation About Spiders
Date: 2012
Publisher: Aya Rothwell
Writer: Aya Rothwell
Artist: Aya Rothwell

As a fan of biodiversity in all of its many (and many-legged!) forms, I can very much relate to the poor nature geek in this minicomic. He tries so hard to describe the wonders of the arachnid world to his arachnophobic friend, but she gets more and more disturbed by each new fact. This is an amusing and informative minicomic (quarter-sized), and it contains a bonus page of spider-sketches.

Rating: 7.5/10

The Way It Crumbles

Title: The Way It Crumbles
Publisher: Boston Comics Roundtable
Writer: Dan Mazur
Art: Dan Mazur

Half-sized minicomic that tells the sad tale of a down-and-out elf who once lived in a hollow tree and made cookies. Once the satirical elements are revealed it's easy to see where the story is going, but writer/artist Dan Mazur still manages to tug on the heart strings getting you there. The art is beautiful, especially in the final scene. This is a good bit of urban fantasy and a nice play on the traditional faerie tale structure.

Rating: 8/10