Monday, March 10, 2008

Seductions - Aazurn Publishing

Seductions - Aazurn Publishing. Full size comic, full color inside and out. 22 pages. No price on book. Gary Scott Beatty (writer, typeography and colors) and Bill Bryan (art). Suggested for Mature Readers.

Nicely designed package. The story by Gary is very entertaining, takes you to different time periods following a vampire. How does he get his prey? How does he fit in? The art is a little off in the proportions here or there, but Bill is really pushing everything. He is stretching to draw so much, lush backgrounds, rooms full of people....Most of the time he really pulls it off. I just feel (and I'm being really picky here) that his figures look a bit too stiff and lifeless at times. His work does remind me of Neal Adams, and that isn't a bad thing.

Overall everything works great here, coloring, lettering, and art all flow nicely with the story. I was drawn to flip the pages to see what was going to happen next. Totally unpredictable story. Great work!
(5 out of 5 stars)

No price on the cover or inside which was strange. Seems a waste to put the same thing on the inside backcover as the inside cover, and a bigger waste to put the cover on the back cover as well. But that is just my opinion. Nice little bio of Gary and Bill in the back and nice ad page for Gary after that.

http://www.aazurn.com/

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Carrie Taylor's -Images


Carry Taylor's- Images. 8 page black and white mini comic + color covers. Writing: Carry Tylor, art Dan Taylor. $1.50 ppd.

A look at how people feel about their looks and how it can be considered an image disorder when they obsess about it. Women that think they look too fat no matter how thin they are, etc....

The art is very well done by Dan here and nice use of grey tones. The writing really makes you think. In the back there is more info about how this comic came to be and how Carry is actually doing something to help councel people with their self perception disorders.

(5 out of 5 stars)
Hey, a comic that can actually help people!

Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire #2




Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire #2. Full size comic, 30 pages, black and white, full color cover. $3.50
Scripting and Editing: Rick Silva and Gynn Stella. Pencils, Inks, and Lettering: Gynn Stella

This was an entertaining read with adequate art. The story of two nerdy scientists, minions, that go to work for Doctor Despot who has plans to take over the world. Finally see behind the scenes of what it really takes to run a evil Industry from the eyes of the minons that make it all happen behind the curtin.

Lots of info about the characters on the inside cover. This story is well thought out with lots of humor peppered around to keep you interested. As if you'd not be interested in how someone goes about taking over the world. The art is a big rough but with nice grey tones and lots of background work in the images, Gynn Stella shows she has the ability to tell the story well. She just needs a little more work in human anatomy but I'm being picky here. Get on the bandwagon and start reading Z & R: Minons for Hire! (4 stars out of 5)




Gynn Stella at the SPACE CON 2008.

Time Warp Comix #3, #4, #5 - Weird Muse Productions


Time Warp Comix #3- Brad W. Foster issue.


$1.00 (Or 50 cents and a stamp) Weird Muse Productions, Dan Taylor. 8 page mini comic counting covers. Green paper.

Brad looks back to the good old days of small press and compares artists to todays new upstarts. He didn't mention me in his rant but I'll still give this a (5 out of 5 stars). Super entertainment for only 50 cents. You can't go wrong.

Buy it at: http://weridmuse.ecrater.com/













Time Warp Comix #4- Krauss, Miller, Vojtko, and Shut. $1.00 (Or 50 cents and a stamp) Weird Muse Productions, Dan Taylor. 8 page mini comic counting covers. pinkish orange cover.

Nice Dan Taylor cover, nice panel by Siergey, funny story by Vojtko, Miller funny baby story, Krauss with a funny GEEZER tale, and Shut with a nice pattern art back cover. Happy to see these guys still at it. Is David Miller back doing art again? That would be fantastic. Great job Dan getting all this together in such a nice package. Brings back the days of Clay Geerdes -New Wave Comix. You could be riding the next wave here! Cover was reduced a tad too much but still (5 out of 5 stars!)


Buy it at: http://weridmuse.ecrater.com/















Time Warp Comix #5 - $1.00 (Or 50 cents and a stamp) Weird Muse Productions, Dan Taylor. 8 page mini comic counting covers. pinkish orange cover.

Dan Taylor cover, nice. Beautiful Erling page, "Mail Art" story by Jim Siergey that rants about the good old days and how things have changed- Brilliant! A very true (for me sometimes) tale of setting up to sell your mini comix by Bob Jojko....love this! David Miller goes crazy for 8 Track tapes? HAHA! Andy Nukes back cover....how do you do it DAN? Pack so much into such a small package! (5 out of 5 stars)

Buy it at: http://weridmuse.ecrater.com/


Friday, March 07, 2008

Space Pilot Girl- Comix Mill


Space Pilot Girl- Comix Mill, written and drawn by Tim Fischer. 9 page story, black and white digest size comic. Orange paper stock cover. Mature Readers $1.00.
Andrea the sexy space pilot is on a ship to get money owed her from a previous job. This leads to yet another adventure. The art is very good with lots of grey tones. The more mature parts are still handled well not becoming too over the top, too graphic. Tim just suggests things and that is enough. Still this should be for 14 and older ages. I recommend this book highly for those that are not squemish about some sexual conduct, and for people who like sexy heroes. (5 stars out of 5) Just wish this was a longer story.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

TAPROOT - The art of Matt Kish



Taproot- the art of MATT KISH. 16 color pages with color covers inside and out. Book is about 6" square. No price on the book.

There are a few comic pages (Matt's first comics!) and lots of his color pencil fine art works. These are truly amazing and I wish I'd stopped at SPACE to talk to Matt a while instead of just grabbing up his comic and running off with it. (I did pay for it first.)

See 2 photos on the back of the book of Matt working hard to keep you guys entertained.(Book designed by artist Steve Black, who did a great job.)

So dive into the world of Matt Kish right here in Taproot. (5 out of 5 stars). Get his work here: http://www.spudd64.com/comics.html

You know you want it.

The Secret History of The Ineffables-Craig Bogart

The Secret History of The Ineffables by Craig Bogart.
$2.00, black and white comic with color covers. 16 pages.

Mystery City Comics is Craig Bogart I believe. He does everything here, art, story, inks, etc....(with Tony Goins doing the lettering and Tom Williams doing the cover colors and production assist) and he does it well. I've read some of the other issues but can't remember exactly what the premise is. I just remember I liked all of his books. Here we have some folks breaking into the secret halls of the Ineffables and by doing so giving us a little tour though their building. A very interesting way of showing us around and giving us more insight into the super team. See president Lincoln kick some ass, and a strange super being: Clarity, who is made up of Abstract art!

You can't go wrong here: (4 out of 5 stars)

http://www.theineffables.com/

T Frags #202- United Fanzine Organization

Tetragrammaton Fragments (#202) is a digest book from the United Fanzine Organization. 28 pages, color on the inside covers. $2.00

This is a publishing group that is made up of small press publishers that band together, send books to each member, then get comments and help from the other members. T Frags is their way of communicating with each other. Each member puts an ad in their own book promoting all of the other members books. So once you are in the group and they accept your book, you get lots of exposure and help from the other members. Plus you get to read the books from the other members. It's a win-win situation!

This issue was a really good one with a full color cover of a High Seas Angel. There are reviews of the other members books, and there are some comic strip samples in here also. I actually liked the whole book and it is making me want to join the UFO again. I was a member back in the mid 80's. (4 out of 5 stars)

Contact the new chairman of the group Nic Carcieri at:
portalcomics@gmail.com
and their site is: http://www.unitedfanzineorganization.moonfruit.com/

One Year in Indiana- Kurt Dinse



One Year in Indiana by Kurt Dinse. True-ish stories about America's smartest Death Metal vocalist and his adventures in the Hoosier State.


Digest size, 28 black and white interior pages, yellow cover stock cover. $3.00


I love the art and the stories in this mag! Right from the cover I knew I had to have this book. I was at the SPACE CON in Columbus, OH walking around looking for something good to buy and read and review. This jumped out and grabbed me. The art is very well done with the lead character having a very strange look. Is he a cat or dog? Not sure. But you'll love to follow his adventures as he stays near a college in Indiana, and get cought up in the Frat hi-jinks that take place around a place like this. Find out how far he will go to get a beer. What games he likes to play and what long periods of drink and video games will do to a person, among other things. (5 stars out of 5).


http://www.myspace.com/oneyearinindiana or http://www.pungentbasementart.com/ Kurt even drew this weird cat person (himself?) from the cover on the inside back cover for me.


Ed Bolman on TV (Wife Swap)


Ed Bolman contributor to Slam Bang in the 80's and 90's and to lots of other small press rags was on TV last night. Wife Swap. They took his cool radio jock wife and traded her in for a crazy, freaked out, screaming, fright of a lady. Poor Ed. If they ever re-run it I'll post the time here. Meanwhile Ed has been busy working on a 4 issue comic book called: Rock and Roll Death Wagon! Soon to be out from Fan-Atic Press, no less. Watch for more info on this blog.

And yes, the guy on the left is Chuck Bunker (where is he now?) the guy on the right drawing is Ed Bolman. Taken at the Chicago Comic Con in 1987. Jim Main is our winner of the Who is in this photo Contest. Jim wins a free copy of Slam Bang #3 vol III. Congratulations Jim!