Sunday Comix Jams

Here's another book from the random stack of unread comics. This is from a Columbus OH based small press, so I am guessing I got it at one of the SPACE conventions.

Title: Sunday Comix Jams
Date: 2007
Publisher: Sequentially Speaking
Writer: Mike Lucas, Matt Wyatt, Max Ink, Michael Neno, Ray Tomczak, Ellen Wyatt, John Miller, Sheldon Gleisser, Mustafa Yasir, Jennifer Oestreicher, Frank Cvetkovik, Victor Dandridge, Kevin Rapp, Mike Carroll, Steve Galgas, Buster, Mike Haris, Kevin Scott, Jocelyn Hach, Dan Leister, Leigh Cimons, B.A. Richardson, Phonzie
Artist: Mike Lucas, Matt Wyatt, Max Ink, Michael Neno, Ray Tomczak, Ellen Wyatt, John Miller, Sheldon Gleisser, Mustafa Yasir, Jennifer Oestreicher, Frank Cvetkovik, Victor Dandridge, Kevin Rapp, Mike Carroll, Steve Galgas, Buster, Mike Haris, Kevin Scott, Jocelyn Hach, Dan Leister, Leigh Cimons, B.A. Richardson, Phonzie
Editor: Mike Lucas, Max Ink
Cover: Ray Tomczak

This half-sized 32-page b/w minicomic collects jam comics from the Sequentially Speaking group's Sunday Comix meetings. For those not familiar with the jam concept, basically someone draws a first panel and then the page gets passed around the group for people to continue the story by drawing the next panel. I've even participated in a couple of jams, and it's loads of fun.

It also tends to result in somewhat incoherent books. That's definitely the case for much of this, but once you understand that this is almost entirely improvised, coherence begins to matter a bit less.

There are some decent laughs amid the general absurdities brought about by the format, and some fun geeky references too. There were nice nods to Felix the Cat, EC Comics, and the "super-gorilla" stories of silver-age DC, along with a fair amount of Sequentially Speaking in-jokes.

Surreal and a bit uneven, as might be expected, but entertaining nonetheless.

Rating: 5.5/10

Bonus Review: How The Trendy Dog Went To Salem MA And Became Ichabod Crane

Title: How The Trendy Dog Went To Salem MA And Became Ichabod Crane
Date: 2008
Publisher: Aya Rothwell
Writer: Julia Abrams, Aya Rothwell
Art: Julia Abrams, Aya Rothwell

This quarter-sized minicomic was drawn as a jam between Julia Abrams and Aya Rothwell at a cafe in Salem MA in 2008. The trendy dog in introduced in proper surreal style before the action moves to a tarot reading in Salem, followed by a Legend of Sleepy Hollow themed brawl. A nice moral wraps things up at the end, while the introductory page shows a quick guide to how a jam comic is put together. Not quite coherent (not that you'd expect that from an improv like this) but surreal and quirky with some good laughs.

Rating: 6/10

This is a bonus review. of a book I picked up at the Arisia convention (shown in the photo with writer/artist Aya Rothwell). Look for more Arisia reviews tomorrow.