From: [j r d] at [frame.com] (James Drew) Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 16:49:05 PDT Subject: REVIEW: Once-in-a-While #95.6 - -Poster: [j r d] at [frame.com] (James Drew) Once-in-a-While Reviews, edition 95.6: A.P.E. IIb (or not IIb) ================================================= by Jim Drew (Back "issues" are available...) A.P.E. II, part II (convention) Understanding Minicomics Not Available Comics APL Primer #2 Artistic Productions Penni Dreadful #3 self-produced Queer Zine Explosion #12 self-produced greymatter #8 Alaffinity Cud ashcan self-produced * On Ordering Mini-Comics: Prices usually don't include postage. A 12-or-so * page half-size mini-comic should be mailable for a single stamp. Add an * appropriate amount of postage to the money you send. Make checks out to * the creator unless you know otherwise (if I do, I indicate it). Spoilers ahead... ***** ***** ***** Alternative Press Expo (A.P.E. II) May 19, 1995 / San Jose, CA Part II (of II) Continuing the commentary on A.P.E. II, featuring everybody who's nobody in the comics industry, plus special guest appearances by Dave, Colleen, Jeff, Larry, and Rick. Additional attendees: Ward Sutton (_Hands_Off!_), Marcus Harwell (_greymatter_; apologies for misidentifying you in 95.4, Marcus), Terry LaBan (Cud). And of course others I didn't meet or forgot. Colleen Doran's hair is back to being platinum blond. In her snappy wool jacket, she looked more like con security than anything else. The other half of my table was occupied by two women from _Cenobium_, the original and longest-running Clive Barker/"Hellraiser" fanzine. While not my field of interest, I found the women friendly, and I was impressed that Barker had contributed artwork for the covers of a few issues. According to Rick Veitch, he and other artists are simply waiting for Alan Moore to finish the _1963_Annual_. He didn't indicate that Image had officially cancelled the project, although I didn't ask. A.P.E. itself did an inferior job in relating to its vendors, I felt. This was probably exacerbated by the late switch to May 14 rather than May 13, plus Slave Labor's turning-over the management to the San Diego Comic Con staff. Prior to Wonder-Con (late April), I had made a phone call to the correct number, asking for table space info, which they said they would send right away; no such info ever arrived. I eventually filled out a form I got at Wonder-Con and sent it in, but never received so much as a phone call of confirmation. Fortunately, everything worked out fine and my application had been received, so space was waiting for me when I arrived. A little peace of mind would have helped, though. Whether due to my late registration or the management's inadequacy, I of course had no temporary reseller permit when I arrived. (These are typically done for a one-month period for the county where selling will occur; one per con, in other words.) The staff provided a form which I dutifully filled out, but no feedback was given to me at the con or after. What do I do about the tax money I supposedly collected? ***** ***** ***** Understanding Minicomics Not Available Comics $0.75 / 15 pp Matt Feazell In Matt Feazell's world, the "mini" in "mini-comics" seems to be a shortened form of "minimalism" in addition to the expected "miniature." This is most clearly seen in his method of drawing characters as stick figures. _Understanding_Minicomics_ is sort of a satire of Scott McCloud's _Understanding_Comics_ work, but Feazell works his minimalism on this, too. Rather than explore the background and root causes and psychology of doing mini-comics, he simply gives a series of one-page (minimal) chapters on good/bad or before/after mini-comic "techniques". No explanation of each chapter is included, nor should it. Thus we get "Figure Drawing": a Greek statue vs. a stick figure. Or Repetition: if one image of someone getting hit over the head is funny, lots of copies of the same image must be really funny. Or Resolution: having the Earth blow up at the end is much more interesting than having it survive, no? This is well done (for what it is) and should provoke a giggle or two. (If it doesn't, see a psychiatrist. Or blow up the Earth.) * Not Available Comics, 3867 Bristow, Detroit, MI 48212. ***** ***** ***** APL Primer #2 Artistic Productions Limited $?.?? / 12 pp Creators: Randall Martin and Dan Plegel; John Villalino and Chet Huang; Randy Martin and Julius Wu; Jim Murdoch and Julius Wu; and John Troesh and Gemini Burleigh This mini-comic serves the real (modern) purpose of an ashcan well: it is a preview for two planned anthology books, _Spandex_Not_Required_ and _New_G.A.R.D.E._. To give both titles equal billing, this is done as a flip book, one title per side. _Spandex_Not_Required_ will cover a range of genres: horror, fantasy, superhero, black comedy. Slated for the first issue is an unnamed piece by Thomas Allison (whomever that is; the _Primer_ says he's an artist for DC, Dark Horse, and Harris), "It's a Miserable Life" (a parody of *that* movie), and "Adrionna the Amazonian" (Martin/Plegel), which is the only piece previewed in the _Primer_. What precisely the strip is about, I don't know. The preview starts with Adrionna introducing herself as a 17-year old "mystical protector" who shows her abilities by making her breasts expand. (Thrilling.) Then the preview diverges into some sword and sorcery vignette, still with the swollen teats. And then it goes into a "humor"/inside joke realm (which isn't very funny). The art (which is reminiscent of the work on _Platinum_Grit_ or David Horsey's editorial cartoons) and the lettering are quite competent, but there is nothing in this to entice me to buy the anthology; the parts that I can make sense of only repel me. _New_G.A.R.D.E._ is to be an anthology superhero book centered around a shared universe. This strikes me as a reasonable way to begin a new supers universe: start it in an anthology, which allows multiple creative voices to contribute without growing the launch cost too big. Then, if sales/demand warrant it, one or more stories can be spun off into its own series, to be replaced in the anthology by another facet of the universe. The first series in the anthology will be "VanG.A.R.D.E. of Freedom" (Villalino/Huang), focussing on the descendant of the Golden Age hero Manifest Destiny combined with the original VanG.A.R.D.E. from World War II being transported to the present. "Metaman" (Martin/Wu) is about the story behind the world's most perfect hero. "Flamewar" (Murdoch/Wu) is about a metahuman who covertly works forthe government to recruit others (a now illegal operation). And "Faust" (Troesh/Burleigh) is an immortal anarchist metahuman who got his abilities and long life by selling his soul -- literally. It is hard to tell what these series will be like from the _Primer_, since each is previewed with just a page of text overlaying presumably sample artwork. Textwise, each sounds like it has potential as new variants of the superhero idea. >From the art, the first two look to be capable, but "Faust"'s art looks inferior, and the negative-image artwork for "Flamewar" obscures evaluation. I don't know that either anthology will be anything to jump after. _APL_Primer_ gives insufficient information about _Spandex_Not_Required_ to give a recommendation one way or the other, but _New_G.A.R.D.E._ is probably worth giving a look at when/if it appears (which should be "sometime this winter," based on the stated release date for the other title). * APL, 2502 N. Mountain, Upland, CA 91784. [s--v] at [primenet.com] ***** ***** ***** Penni Dreadful #3 self-produced $2.00 / 24 pp F. Andrew Taylor This continues the story of Penni Dreadful, "the crankiest D.J. in Vegas." (#1 was reviewed in an earlier instance of this column.) Penni breezed into town and took over the creative side of a station that used to play Annette Funicello/Doris Day music; she worked blackmail on the station manager, who used to be in a punk band with her (Penni Dreadful and the Miasmatics). Based on the format of the strips, I assume they originally appeared in some Las Vegas alternative paper. Most of the strips in the collection relate to aspects of Las Vegas weirdness, alternative newspapers, or shoestring budget radio stations. One the characters added since the first issue is a full-of-himself talk radio personality; a refreshing addition, given the current status of talk radio in the nation. Half of the collection is an extended continuity where the station attempts to manufacture some media interest by leaking a story that Penni insulted talk radio shock-jock Howard Stern on the air. The ensuing strips do a fair job of both predicting what Stern's reaction might be -- "You've got to be kidding. Why would I care what a fourth-rate D.J. said about me?" - -- but also couch it with humorous bits about the character. The cover of the collection parodies Stern's autobiography, _Private_Parts_. Taylor's art's is heavily caricatured, but he is also consistent with it, making for a good package. He has a good handle on the characters, making for a good strip, one enjoyable even by people who have negligible real knowledge of Las Vegas. * F. Andrew Taylor, 4151 West Sirius Ave. #14, Las Vegas, NV 89102. ***** ***** ***** Queer Zine Explosion #12 self-produced stamps / 28 pp Larry-Bob This is not a comic book; rather, it is a meta-zine. _Queer_Zine_ _Explosion_ is an adjunct to Larry-Bob's _Holy_Titclamps_ zine, which reviews other zines. This is merely a catalog of queer zines (including several small-press comic books), listing size, content, price, and ordering information. (Note that Larry-Bob tells you where to order the zines from; he does not stock them himself.) For people interested in the zine scene, such a catalog is invaluable. I count listings for 273 (or so) queer zines (he uses small type), ranging from the latest issues of _The_Desert_Peach_ or _Hothead_Paisan_ to literary journals like _Wilde_Oaks_ to zines with names that clearly indicate their subject matter like _Patti_Smith_ or _Lezzie_Smut_ to more obscure things like _Red_Hanky_Panky_ (which is comics, many involving, er, putting big things in small orifices) or _Breathing_and_Blinking_ (about Boy George). _Queer_Zine_Explosion_ also lists zines which are not currently publishing but for which back issues are available. A few items found on queer bookstore racks (other than comics) are included -- like _Diseased_Pariah_ _News_, covering HIV and AIDS concerns -- but gay-mainstream magazines like _The_Advocate_ or _Bear_ or _Mandate_ don't show up here. Also listed are setions on Internet Resources, Queer Music Venues, Books, Music, Penpals, Calls for Submissions (plural; "send your work here" rather than "be my slave" B-), and Non-Queer-Specific Zine Resources. I've only read through about a third of the issue, but there are already several items which I'll simply *have* to order. A single issue of _Queer_Zine_Explosion_ is available for two 32-cent stamps; a four-issue subscription is $2.00. (_Holy_Titclamps_ is available for $3.00 each of four issues for $10.00.) Cash only. Some of Larry-Bob's advice is going to get added to my "On ordering" bit at the top of this column: include your name/address/what you want with your order, not just on the envelopeon; mini-comics creators are only human, so be patient; mini-comics creators love feedback; don't put it off, as things go out of print and people move. * Queer Zine Explosion, Box 590488, San Francisco, CA 94159-0488. [l--be--s] at [bellahs.com] ***** ***** ***** greymatter #8 Alaffinity $2.95 / 20 pp Marcus Harwell, Adam Harwell _greymatter_ takes place on a world which doesn't rotate, leaving half always in light and half in dark. There are a pair of significant storylines going on. First is the war between Waedchyll and King Arniez, one faction from each side of the planet, battling over the Tower Territory, with the Fulufa people caught in the middle. The second story concerns the friendship between a pair of aliens -- one human (Jan), one horse-headed (O'Sea) -- who crashed on the planet and have blended into the populace. At the time of this issue, the war has suddenly ended with the selfless sacrifice of one of the main characters, Puingsy, and Jan and O'Sea have had a fight and gone their separate ways. The first half of this issue shows the troubles Jan and O'Sea are having without the other to lean on, and the other half deals with Waedchyll's surrender demands and the anguish of King Arniez and his people over Puingsy's death. (Note: Despite the planetary setting and the presence of a spaceship, this isn't science fiction. Or if it is intended to be, it is pretty poor; a non-rotating inhabited planet is pretty infeasible. The light/dark dichotomy is apparently symbolic.) The uniqueness of _greymatter_ comes from the shared aspect of the story. Half of the book is Marcus' (Jan and O'Sea), and half is Adam's (Waedchyll and Arniez). There is some interaction between the sets of characters -- and when it happens, each one draws his characters in the pages of the other Harwell -- but they are pretty distinct. (This may change in the coming 92-or-so projected issues, though.) I was given a packet of issues of _greymatter_ at last year's San Diego Comic Con. As I recall, I read them, but I never got around to reviewing them. (Maybe when I find them again.) As I recall, I wasn't overly fond of the series because the early issues were still *very* obviously a learning process for the Harwell brothers: neither art nor story were very good. Things got better by the fourth or fifth issue, but a reader wanting to get the whole story haa to wade through a lot to get to the decent stuff. (Yes, I know, early _Cerebus_ issues were bad, too. Frankly, these weren't even that good.) This issue doesn't alter my opinions much, although it does expand them some. I can read the intent behind Marcus' part of the story well; his page and panel design works quite well. Unfortunately, his artwork isn't up to matching his intent just yet (but it is getting better); I feel the last vestiges of a cartoony style trying to become a realistic one (a la Dave Sim, early on). Adam's half of the book this time is text with accompanying illustrations (some full-page, some as insets); this may be his way of downplaying weaknesses and emphasizing strengths. Adam does beautiful penwork in the backgrounds of his larger images, but the characters are a weakness. I am simply not fond of the cartoony character designs for the likes of Taxpuedo, Glaskmo, and Puingsy (nor do the names "work" for me). Also, the faces of the traditionally human characters (which these others must not be, although no one ever comments such) are too round to be real -- they end up looking like they belong to children (or they evoke those of Jeff Nicholson in _Ultra_Klutz_: too cartoony to be real, too real to be properly cartoony). I hate giving negative reviews, but I don't have much choice with _greymatter_. This book is not *bad*, but it is not *good*; it is not good enough for me to justify buying it. Others may want to pursue this in hopes that it will become the next _Cerebus_: an initially mediocre book which turns out to be ultimately good and important. ***** ***** ***** Cud ashcan self-produced $?.?? / 11 pp Terry LaBan Following his recent three-parter in _Dark_Horse_Presents_, Terry LaBan's _Cud_ is scheduled to be published by Dark Horse (in color?), due in October. This ashcan is presumably art from the first issue of the series. LaBan is also scheduled to write a 6-issue _Grendel_Tales_ arc and the first arc of _The_Dreaming_ (Vertigo). _Cud_ centers on the lives of Eno and Plum, a pair of Generation-X characters. Eno is a chronically unemployed slacker, while Plum's father is extremely wealthy. The initial eight-page story in this issue, "You Can Bank on It," concerns yet another way for Eno to get cash quickly and easily: sperm bank donations! (Are you sure this is _Cud_ and not _Pud_, Terry?) The second features Eno and Plum's pal Angie O'Plastey (that should be a drag name; it ranks up there with Patti O'Furnaychure and Lois Carmen Denominator) in "Revenge Au Lait," where Angie proves what a good employee attitude she has after getting fired... by getting revenge! LaBan's artwork is a weird blend of underground and "Archie" styles that works amazingly well. (I've long held that the "Archie" style is more accessible than most other contemporary comic art styles.) The tenor of the stories is "offbeat sitcom," but the writing avoids trying to force a laugh track. I'll probably pick up issues of the new _Cud_ series. - ------------------------------ | Ron introduced me to a quartet of Art's Jim Drew | friends, pointing to each in turn: "Marc, this [j r d] at [frame.com] | is Glen, Garry, Glenn, Ross." "Two-Stepping Smurf" | "That should be easy enough to remember," | I said. B2h+ t e cd s k g+(p) rv q p | With a conspiratorial glance and a smirk, S8/5 g l+ y+ o+ a+ u++- j++ | they all switched places. And hats. {opinions: mine != frame's} | - Marc Lynx, "For Art's Sake"