TRS2 October 2000

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TRS2 - October 2000

All reviews by Andy Luke unless otherwise stated

Alchemist #14
About time this classy anthology made a comeback! A collection of strips by pop sci-fi rebel John Miller. The first a tale of cultural uprising with throwins from Godzilla movies and Silver Age superheroes. 'Jimmy Battlesmash' on the other hand, combines Golden Age superheroics with an old soldiers postwar theme in a strip of anti-nazi commonsensibilities, kirbynodded. Also, seven shorter stories featuring regulars Captain Bum-Bee and Ghosty, and their annoying nemesis, Jimmy Masterson. Milller has a unique vision which doesn't always come through, whether its the very nature of his coded signals approach, or his narrow view of comicbooklet art narrative. Its a shame he doesn't draw bigger, or have studio access to a photocopier or a scanner, as some of his work suffers from being over-compacted. I'd certainly love to see him working with other s/p creators, Peter Poole, Andrew Lewis and Mitzy for starters. I imagine he would have a great strength as a cover artist. This is worth sending for. It is free with an A4 sae to David Hobden, 46 Canning Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 6LT.

The Anti-Internet Review #1-2
Zine about comics written as a zine with all its underground postulations and hints of academic markings in place. The world of virtual reality as focus, alternate realities, communication with regard to fantasy and reality are also in play. I reckon the AIRguys are new to all this, but their conviction is there. I'm unsure of the validity of their points and it does read like a sociological case study in mass media. This could be a zine that will blossom into something beautiful and unique. The Anti-Internet Review, PO Box 476, Folkestone, CT20 1JA. A pound covers both issues, A5, 12 pages each it is produced on a bimonthly basis. Website

Bad Animal
Jumping to the front of the alphabet! For those of you trying to get hold of the 90-second SHIRTLIFTER movie (its true! Check out the link at Bugpowder.com). Ripping Ralphie has put together this all-porn special. Featuring Dave Morris, Tim Brown and the 'cut' Hardcore Hamsters strip from DeeVee. You know you want it. All the regular characters in true Kidson over-the-top form. Ralph Kidson, 3 Langridges Close, Newick, East Sussex, BN8 4LZ. £1, A6 with 20 pages. Discover for yourself, how you don't need mylar to get turned on!

A Big Slice Of Brain Cake
The issue I have is #1, and is dated, and I'm fairly sure Chris has produced more between then and now. Anyway, its packed with short strips and gags : by far the best are 'Biscuit', (I await the sequels Chris) and a typewritten short story, 'Writers Block', which captures every facet of my worst day. Light relief that should provide a few chuckles. A4 and stapled from Chris Spicer, 80 Castle Road, Weddington, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 OEW. £1.30, 16 pages. See also Funny Strange.

The Book of Runes Collected Edition # 1 (of 6)
The man of the moment in UK hand-made comics, Darren Chandler has collected the early episodes of his magical greek sorcery epic. Originally printed in Games Workshops montly 'Warlock' magazine and in MONDO, this is pure undiluted Chandler bursting near alive from the pages and dare I say it, yes pulling the pupils. The Braveheart/Gladiater scenes are so fucking awesome and Chandy fillls every available space. I stare and not a clumsy on a page, packed with all manner of ugly netherworld creatures. Darren uses his dual role as writer to sparsely wax lyrical to a most elegant effect; intertwining visual deformities and bloodpumping tonguesweat, or is it a furring feverous prose? Iron Age netherworld tales usually aren't European, this book though, one of the best I've viewed for this month's sheet. Go see forth. A5, 40 pages, £1 by Darren Chandler, Sunday Morning Productions, 2 Brook Cottages, Brook Street, Great Waldingfield, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 0RZ.

Comic Artists Of The Future #18
Shane Chebsey is working too hard again. Not content with preparing for the imminent re-release of Imagineers, heres another issue of CAOF. 'Flick and Jube' opens, a tale of fugitive levitators. Cracking artist Simon Mackie has all the hallmarks of young underground creator's Adrian Tomine, Seth, Chet and Joe Matt. Stephen Prestage makes his overdue return in a tale of competent political caricatures, realised with relish by Rob Burke. There are contributions from Simon Elridge and Colin Matheison, plus 'One Good Turn' by Chow. The tale of a lonely hiker in a bleak winterland rarely has the edge of Chow's other works, due to a somewhat cliched ending. Also, the setting doesn't' let the artist's striking and pervading inks haunt. Not up there with the great CAOFs, but there are still a few gems. Shane Chebsey, 10 Cleveland Avenue, High Ercall, Telford, Shropshire, TF6 6AH. £1, A5, 28 pages. Smallzone

Dark Ascension #2-3
Gangsters, humour, ghouls, horror and guns. I don't really want to give the story away because these are fabulous comics. The soundbite - The Sopranos meets Re Animator, may contain traces of Preacher and Malus. Will Marshall's encompassing eyes have a firm knowledge of the direction ahead and he is prepared to risk frenetic fast-paced thrill sequences. Creating a compelling well-built tale, economically sound and all with keen gruesome wittiness. James Devlin has some really great visual storytelling down, and suceeds in creating Marshall's desired atmosphere towards the sense of smell. On top of those qualities, he has an amazing penchant for expressions -reminiscent of Campbell, McCrea and Dillon. His style seems to be influenced by Miller, Gibbons and early early McFarlane. It is all of these styles, yet never derivative. There is simply too much to look at. Special mention must also go to David Craig for lettering 'Charles' with necessary haunt. These three creators show professional, and work as a team. Buy the first three issues of this four booklet mini-series before the chance passes you by. Probably the most enjoyable UK s/p series I've read this year. Available from Dragnet Press, 1005 Paisley Road West, Glasgow, G52 1EQ. Each issue is £2, black and white States-size, thirty two pages much.

The Gecko #1
I've always thought it a mistake for first-time s/p ers to do a superhero origin in the first issue, worse to do a multi-part origin. At the plus, the character goes through a 'motor stage' and his sidekick is a fat guy called hogie. The ink is quickly applied yet the style defined is this, similar to that of PARATAXIS, with the energy and vitality present in the capture of body language and distinctive facial features. Right up to the manga eyes, well styructured and formed scenes of depth and time spent on some clever layouts. Despite my opinions of its shortcomings, this is crafted comicbooklet fiction, and is endearing and light fun. Available from Paradox Comics, 30 Hill Street, Poole, Dorset, BN15 1NR. 32 US pages for £1.50 & 60p postage and packing.

Jock Kirby's Lost Hero
I attempted to review DEAD SUPERHEROES in trs2 a few months ago and was unprepared for John Simpson's horrible world of 'erupting abdomens and exploding eyeballs' in tribute to the work of Jack Kirby. Throw Dek Baker, the true candidate for Kirby's powers on this world, into the mix and there is a substantial amount of work that both creators must be very proud of. That magnificent 'energy' I spoke of reviewing KIRBYVILLE and WARGODS#12 is present: it helps that Dek is pencilling Kirby Fourth World fan favourites. Inked with some kind of Denis Wheatley fluid, John Simpson makes sure that the villains (and because its his book, the heroes) appear in their full nasty power and ferocity. This is one of the finest handlings of Kirby characters I've seen yet, and I have a feeling Jack would enjoy it. Even though its fucked up. Available from John Simpson, 1/1, 5 Harland Cottages, Scotstown, Glasgow, G14 0AS. £2, A4.

Leaflits
They just keep coming! I am nothing" ~ In this fold-out is the barely stated tale of an individual, wrapped and content with his malformed life of non development. ãFaster Pigeon!Eat!Eat!" is a nesrly impenetrable tale, perhaps of the unconscious conjob net that is retardation or ignorance or stupidity. "A Collage of Crows" is a madcap scrawl of outsider, art as reconciliation and the paradox it is in both bridge and discharge. An unpleasant journey into the mind of creative zeal suffocating. Ten 'N/A' strips , each delivering their usual unpredictable assortment of touching, funny and balance relevant statements delivered by an anonymous commentator. Its amazing that John/Sean can say more in one page of comic art than many writers can say in eight times that. The Leaflit concludes with 'The Man Who Thought Himself to Death", standard Robbins/MacRoibin fare, with little meat. However, the savourers of Morrissey, Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits could do worse than to gather round. A5, 35p Something Occurred ; On the Loose ~ The problem and polish with the Leaflits, is that he's a writer's writer. He has me reaching whenever possible for the dictionary. When that's not enough, zest grabs me and I grab the encyclopedia, slang book and thesaurus. This tale is bereft of those obscure words yet perhaps a little too intrusive for the average comic book reader's palate of synthetic emotion. "Something Occurred : On the Loose" is a compelling tale of friendship and fear and time and hardening. A3, 35p Stripped Bare (An Introduction to Sean MacRoibin) ~ I was all set to give this leaflit the big hype, classy sell-lines and marketer's orgasm howl it so richly deserves, but hell... this is bleak. The sheer uncommunicative comic book reader and his anonymity, shared by the small press creator is clearly not immune to the effects of death. This Leaflit goes way beyond publicity stunt for sales sake (which it richly deserves, sales that is) : here John Robbins has made a major fucking chess move and like Sim with Cerebus, the decision is written permeating author and reader with a sense of loss, irreplacable loss. And if you've only ever read one Leaflit, this will hurt... A3, 35p. John Robbins, 11 Avonmore Avenue, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Eire. To order a set of leaflits, send John a fiver for a collection that pisses on Pre-Crisis Supergirl's grave.

Nightclub Nick #4-6
I forgot to mention these last trs2 which is something of an annoyance as these really are an amusing treat. The concluding three parts of Nightclub Nick's trip to America, all arrived through the post in one go ; along with TALAMADER #4. Tim Brown is so hyper-proficient. How the fuck does he do it? Conveying a message with only a minimal use of a pen, Brown's 'road trip' story is qua(l & nt)ity genuinely funny. I really, really like this comic. And the Boston bar scene had me in hysterics. Above par, and capturing many of these feelings we knew all too well...but need a reminder of why we do. A treasured banana skin. These, in fact all six issues of Nightclub Nick, are available for 80p each from Tim Brown, 22 Woodborough Avenue, Winscombe, Somerset, BS25 1HB. A5 with 24 pages.

Pleasant Features
Something different in trs2, a CD collection of short stories written and read by Peter Poole. Over an hour long, the tales are as short as a minute and as long as forty minutes, so the non Radio 4 listener can dip in and out at leisure. The eponymous lengthy opner I first listened to on a wind's rainhowl night and my heart both fainted and raced. Two high school art students make masks, the other makes a demon. Visiting a pensioner with esoteric interests, random trick or treat becomes devil worship and ritual offering. Poole's voice alters in volume and tone accordingly to illustrate characters in this compelling tale of humour, fear and ocassional ambiguity. Following is 'The Cell', a heavily descriptive piece, dense like the subject matter. "Muggy air is squeezed in a tight-packed cube, stopped six ways like a dice" : a man imprisoned builds a ship with his imagination and delirium, which he believes will take him to safety. 'Sunstroke' is another tale fit for the Halloween time featuring suspicion, murder and corpse disposal as amusing as Shallow Grave. 'Two Mini Sagas' is aminute and a half weaving of fact and fiction, past and future, to illustrate Poole's view of the present in humanity's evolution? The closing piece: clothes maketh the man in the story of the carefree and without inhibitions 'Inspector Alec'. Poole's voice is friendly and tells well. £3.50 including post,, from Dream Power Pictures, Po Box 521, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6HY,

(Of Mike Weller) I simply haven't the time to read a 400 page book although I definitely will have something to say about it in the months ahead. His last book S-Club 7 Vs The Anti Capitalists (£1.50) gave me a mean hard-on. For a clue as to the coming jubilations regarding his recent work, read John Robbins review of:
Space Opera: The Artist's Book
A transcendental text combines with strips and illustrations to send secret signals that spark all manner of electrical activity in the brain, and down the spine - that leaves one tingling. Mike Weller can write rings around 'himselves', and others ; and in SPACE OP casts a spell difficult to resist; wherein things are lent focus, the metre (or something) seduces, and my Anhedonia is interrupted. Always involved and involving, at times such was the suffocating convolution of the read that I fully expected the book to collapse in on itself - in truth, I'd been sucked in from word one. Somehow simultaneously deconstructing and constructive, the combination of imagery and text is decidedly jolting, and, with seductive child-like luminescence, is often a source of tickling unease. In a sense SPACE OPERA is a 'powerless fantasy' - like the believer relieved of responsibility by 'the will of God'. Ultimately however, despite the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, we create this illusion of convenient relief ourselves - it is present only because we allow it. (Perhaps "get writing or get written" emerges the 'intrinsic' message of SO.) Space Opera I think confirms what we have all suspected in our obliquest moments: that fact is not stranger than fiction; that we have allowed ourselves to be dummified and nothinged into invisibility. Though often confusing (in an endearing way), SO is certainly not the impenetrable work a thematic synopsis might suggest. For all the intellectualising this book could generate, it is essentially a spirited, fun read (for adults), that intoxicates in much the same way that the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four once did. Pretty much then a 'Negative Zone' for the new millennium! Limited to 50 copies signed and numbered by the artist if requested) SO: TAB is a 400 page A4 paperback, costs £25 (inc. p& p) and is available online at Zybooks or check availability with Mike Weller at Visual Associations c/o 3 Queen Adelaide Court, Queen Adelaide Road, London SE20 7DZ (JR)

Sunburn #14
A Canadian anthology comic mostly with Canadian creators, that is just bursting by the staples with exciting talent. Most of those are short, one-page strips, the exception Andy Goldfarb's eight page pictorial narrative on disease, quite hilarious and Daniel Clowes is obviously a strong influence. Cat Sullivan's 'Christ's Magnetic Goolies' and Brad Yung's 'Stay As You Are' are my favourite pieces, yet I can honestly say that each one of these cartoonists mentioned has a solid area of the professional, in this compilation of (the) varying. Karl Thomsen, PO Box 2061, Winnipeg MB, R3C 3R4, Canada. A4, 36 pages with a card cover. Available fom Fanzine Fanatique, 6 Vine Street, Lancaster LA1 4UF?

Tales Of Urban Horror
Jay Bonney is the writer of three total horror tales and as you might expect they are particularly ugly, and hold the reader in the vice of fear, psychologically messy. Horror isn't to my liking especially when it is as stomach unsettling as this. No thanks of course to the inkmen with wide and competent styles which give these cranial cramps, added effect. US size, 28 pages, £1.70, Jay Bonney, 7 Harold Priory, Bedford, MK41 0SD or from Smallzone. E-mail ministrycomics@aol.com Present NB: I feel unsure stating this, but shortly after reading the first strip in this anthology, I had a particularly unpleasant personal experience similar though reduced in effect to the events depicted therein.

Top Notch Tosh #3
This comic has gained a lot of high praise lately, Andrew Lewis something of a rising star. 'Back Again' has a beautiful wonderful European dreamlike narrative quality which resonates images of calm. 'Bad Bad Jane' : Hollywood-style identity swap film with a strong Minnie the Minx on ecstasy in violent class. These tales are told as usual with utilisation of black and white, moving in the art direction of that chosen by, say, John Miller. The freedom given to his illusion of character movement worked to the advantage. In addition, more freehand than Miller's eye for the mathematical.. 'Obadiah LaGrasse' despite his big nose (or because of it) proves to be a highly amusing story, as he faces off against the fat guy from Issue One. T-Shirts all round. Nightclub Nick/Talamander creator Tim Brown joins Andrew Lewis on the finale, bringing a richness and visual finesse,, greater emotional investment from this reader. A bleak and pessimistic view that the universe is always ready to kick some people in the face. Its not what I expected but I think I'm getting to like that there. Andrew Lewis, 39 Priory Court, Brynoch, Neath, West Glamorgan, SA10 7RZ. A5, 24 pages, £1.

Wreck and Wrestle #2
From the outlet , this is a helluva lot more accessible than Ste's Cage Crisis from nearly a year ago. Size (A5) is a resonable change, although if I were to be picky, US format would suit it best. Yeah, so what we have here is 'Night of the Mat Monsters', a pay per view -esque event reprinted from Wrestlermania fanzine. Ste Wareing has a very clear art style , not completely to my liking : much of the anatomy and physique is way too similar . However, its the great manipulation of the 'superhero' ideal for a keen enthusiasm's labour of love. For those not indulging, in the subject matter, this is a difficult view despite Wareing filling his pages full of detail. The best? Steveo embraces the pantomime that is modern wrestling, capturing the over-the-top characterisation and story direction it is well know for. This comic does not have any significant mind-altering sequences but it may have you reaching for the popcorn. Steven Wareing, Atomic Comics, PO Box 70, Preston, Lancs. PR1 9GU. £1.80, A5 , 32 pages

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