Category Archives: Comics Reviews

August 5, 2025 · 12:00 pm

Molly and the Bear by Bob & Vicki Scott book series review

Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair and Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware. By Bob Scott and Vicki Scott. Simon & Schuster. (ages 8-12) 240pp each. $14.99 each.

Molly and the Bear is a syndicated comic strip by Bob Scott with a wide fan base going back to 2010. Bob Scott is a highly regarded cartoonist and animator who has worked with many of the greats in the comics industry including Jim Davis as well as with such high profile animation studios as Warner Brothers, DreamWorks and Pixar. Molly and the Bear is about an 11-year-old girl and her best friend, a very sensitive 800-pound bear. In partnership with his wife, Vicki, Bob turned this webcomic into a middle-grade graphic novel series. It is a wonderful collaborative project by two respected creatives in the world of comics and animation. The first two books in the series have just come out and I’m thrilled to share with you such a wildly inventive work.

“An Unlikely Pair”

Both of these books are coming out together and so make a perfect pair. That leads me to the title of the first book, “An Unlikely Pair,” which acts as an entry point, especially if you enjoy seeing two characters meet for the very first time. A big point I need to stress is that I’m always intrigued and overjoyed to see just how much quirky, artful and original storytelling is found within the pages of a book that has a younger demographic of readers. In this particular case, I firmly believe that Bob and Vicki Scott have achieved that classic “all-ages” appeal, and that has a lot to do with Bob’s refined sense of meeting the demands of a comic strip, traditionally meant to be enjoyed by any reader, whatever the age. This first book opens with Molly’s parents off to enjoy a drive and trusting their daughter to mind the home alone. This leads to Molly exchanging text messages with her pal, Harper, followed by her just dancing and enjoying a little freedom. But then, suddenly, a huge bear crawls in from an open window. In short order, Molly discovers this bear has some serious issues with living outside–and inside: he’s a complete mess who needs help. Molly decides to let him stay and just hope for the best. Of course, she will have to deal with Bear’s intricate system of worries. For instance, he’s afraid of heights, especially “mid-level heights.” Enough to boggle the mind of any therapist. And there’s your very unusual and funny premise.

Even if you are a highbrow comics connoisseur, I ask that you put on your white gloves, monocle and top hat and examine this work for yourself, just as you would any number of other works with a mass media following created by industry professionals (Carl Barks, Ernie Bushmiller, etc.). I think you’ll find the waters you swim here to be rather pleasant. Not only are the gags set up with precise timing but the compositions are consistently compelling. There is a level of skill here that can go underappreciated because it doesn’t call attention to itself but it’s there in every well-rendered figure and face, every well-established interior and exterior. I’m really charmed by the example above. Molly is luring her new best friend Bear to the safety of her bedroom with some ice cream, having him climb up a few stairs that he’s been terrified over. She manages to navigate a close call with her parents. By the next page, she races up the same stairs to check in on his progress and finds he’s overcome with a really bad case of stress-shedding. You see on these two pages Bear go through a roller coaster of emotions: from an all-time high to a lowest low.

“Campers Beware”

I actually read the second book first and only later went back and read the first book second. And I’m glad that I just leapfrogged into the material. Again, it’s all very polished and professional work with a certain subversive edge to it, just the sort of thing you find in all the old favorite animated TV shows like The Jetsons and The Flintstones. In the case of “Campers Beware,” Bob and Vicki deliver a hilarious story involving Bear beside himself attempting to befriend Dad while battling his fears of the great outdoors–and other bears. Really priceless stuff. Seek it out!

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July 14, 2025 · 11:58 am

The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees comics review and creator interview

The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic. Desmond Reed. Microcosm Publishing. 2025. 270pp. $19.99.

Desmond Reed is a rising talent in the world of comics. His latest book makes that clear. Years of dedication to the making of comics has resulted in his design being sharper, his insight being keener and, heck, the guy knows how to put on a good show. It is that focus on storytelling, as well as development of character, that leads us to such a smooth and pleasing comics experience. As Reed explains, he has five characters, the Cola Pop Creemees, who, among other things, represent different emotions and different aspects of himself, or yourself. I can see that this comic is very relatable, in the spirit of such groundbreaking work as BoJack Horseman. Let me just say from the get-go, the Cola Pop Creemees are very different and original, and if you see them turned into an animated series someday, well, you heard about it here first.

Cartoonist and Publishers.

The world of cartoons and comics has always dealt with far more than might meet the eye, depending upon where you venture off to. In the world of Desmond Reed, you enter a kaleidoscopic world of the real and surreal. For instance, our heroes live in a house in the shape of a hand. There is plenty to be anxious about in the real world, and this comic manages to tackle many of these issues within its quirky borders.

Cartoonist and Comics Festivals.

Desmond Reed has set the stage and, from there, he can modulate the tone. Stories vary in length with some far-out zany and others more contemplative. Reed’s most serious and ambitious work to date is one of his longer stories, “Memories,” winner of a 2022 MICE Mini-Grant. Here, he focuses on his most madcap character, Wallace T.J. by allowing for a careful look back at his development and the darker side to his life.

“Memories”

Life is quite a journey with plenty of bumps in the road and that’s where a daring artist like Desmond Reed steps in to create art to defy even the most challenging of times. Believe me, there’s always room for another valiant artist to lead the way, especially one as gifted as Reed. It all comes down to the reader getting a chance to know the work–and so I encourage you to seek out this highly inventive work and let it speak for itself. I can tell you that Reed has a magic touch, with his pared-down whimsical style, when it comes to addressing some very serious issues like addiction and depression.

The Cola Pop Creemees live inside a hand.

Desmond Reed is not afraid to go down to depths of despair and come back up with a tear and a smile. It is a combination of a pared-down style and a direct straightforward narrative. Think of it as a friend who sets you down and needs to tell you something. Maybe there will be some humor thrown in that both of you share. But then you get to the story, without pretense, and you just get it. That is what is happening here. Reed has constructed characters that you can tap into in the very best spirit of comics. You can say that the lodestar guiding us cartoonists in such matters is Peanuts, and, I dare say, there’s some of that Peanuts DNA in the Cola Pop Creemees gang.

Some much said within a special world.

What irony there is to be found here is subverted by a persistent vision of perseverance. That is not an easy thing to achieve and it has everything to do with Reed following his own instincts and staying true to his authentic self. That’s where you get original work and not some trendy “next big thing” that is aping some previous “next big thing.” Yes, it is possible for comics to be funny, sincere and have some redeeming quality that will speak directly to you.

It was a lot of fun to get to chat with Desmond about his new book and sharing thoughts about the cartoonist life. I hope you feel the same. So, please do check out the above conversation on the Comics Grinder YouTube channel and please view, LIKE and COMMENT directly on the channel. Every bit of input and engagement helps us continue.

Keep up Desmond Reed here. And be sure to visit Microcosom Publishing here.

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May 28, 2025 · 8:00 am

A-T WALKER by Micah Liesenfeld comics review

A-T WALKER #1 and #2.

A-T WALKER (Issues 1 and 2). by Micah Liesenfeld. Micah Nova. 48 pages total. $8 each or $12 for both.

Summoning the strength to move forward.

When a comics artist enters into a life crisis and decides to document it as a graphic narrative, that person has made the transition from just being a cartoonist to being a comics journalist. That’s how I see what Micah Liesenfeld is doing. His daughter, Eva, has a rare disease, Ataxia Telangiectasi, also known simply as “A-T.” This condition goes all the way back to five years ago, at the time of Eva’s birth. Little by little, after some false starts, the A-T diagnosis emerged: a degenerative condition that eats away at the patient, with the risk of cancer and a short lifespan. There is an ongoing search for a cure and the focus now is on management and quality of life.

Navigating the medical world.

This comic provides something of a medical record and an essential window on how one family and the medical community are responding to one child’s condition. This work is being made available as single issue comic books with the goal of it being collected into a graphic narrative book. Liesenfeld would like to see the book become a success and have proceeds go to the A-T Children’s Project, an organization currently funding research like gene therapy that could cure the disease in the near future.

“She has an ear infection.”

Graphic medicine comics provide a unique opportunity for the reader to gain some essential grounding. Many of life’s challenges do not come with a manual or some tutorial. Even YouTube videos don’t always fill in the gaps. With an excellent comic like what Micah Liesenfeld provides, it is as if you’re there. A-T Walker is a personal essay, field notes and an immersive medical record experience wrapped into one. For instance, you need to be ready when this or that doctor is not exactly responsive or providing ideal service. Doctors are not gods. Liesendfeld keeps track. One doctor lectured Micah and his wife, Aicha, on not relying on antibiotics but then neglected to catch the fact that Eva’s white blood cell count was zero, even though this was already an unusual situation that required carefully looking over every detail. Patients, and their loved ones, have rights and essential insight and information that must be paid attention to by the medical team. All things made clear in this comic.

Micah Liesenfeld has been making comics since 1989 when he was in the fifth grade. His efforts over the years have honed his skills to a direct and impactful style. He can truly communicate with words and pictures in a way that is both memorable and to the point.

If you are compelled to do so, you create a work of graphic medicine.

This is a storytelling style that grabs the reader from the very start. The way that Micah draws his people and situations is very palpable. The way he tells his story is putting it on the line and telling it like it is. Like I’ve said before regarding graphic medicine work, it’s not for everyone. Many people will feel too overwhelmed but, given time, will want to sort through a crisis and express what happened in one form or another. If it comes naturally to you, and you are compelled to do so, then you create a work of graphic medicine.

The most important factor needed in pursuing a successful work is a purpose. Clearly, Liesenfeld is compelled to see this series, and ultimately a book, to completion. I can just feel it on every page: the steady pace; the desire to be clear and convey the facts to the reader; the need to reach out to the reader. Every figure gets to be heard, especially Eva and her parents, Aicha and Micah. I know that Liesenfeld is creating the best work of his life right now and all of us in the comics community wish him and his family the very best.

A-T Children’s Project (atcp.org) is an organization currently funding research like gene therapy that could cure the disease in the near future. The bold audacious goal of the project is to raise enough awareness in the world to prompt attention to help fund the research and speed up the hope for therapies that make their lives more manageable and even a cure … even for Eva and the kids currently living with this disease in her lifetime.

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May 23, 2025 · 2:30 pm

Hanging On by a Thread by Noémie Naoumi comics review

Hanging On by a Thread. Noémie Naoumi. Black Panel Press. 2025. 240pp. $14.99 PDF, $34.99 hardcover.

Noémie Naoumi is a Lebanese artist, now based in Paris, who has created quite a remarkable graphic memoir. It is about being young, full of life and determined and falls within the category of graphic medicine. Our story begins with Noémie, an 18-year-old art student in Beirut, with a sense of adventure and humor. And then she is diagnosed with a form of cancer. All she knows is that her life has taken an abrupt change. It’s not the same life anymore. She thinks of herself as a whole other person and doesn’t blame her boyfriend if he wants to break up but he’s steadfast in being committed to her. What follows is Noémie’s journey, as she learns about what is happening to her, the treatment process and life beyond it.

As I’ve been reading more and more graphic medicine works, I’m always humbled and intrigued by what I read. These are often auto-bio with the main character confronting a life crisis and following a certain path: depicting one’s self; learning about the challenge ahead; and some kind of conclusion.

“The best oncologist. The best PET scan. The best cancer.”

What happens is that the comics creator becomes a comics journalist, out in trenches, providing dispatches for the reader and perhaps for themselves to help make sense of it all. This is not a task for everyone. I can only imagine that most readers have at least one life crisis that they would just prefer to leave private. However, it is these very kind of life events that cry out for discussion and analysis. Going back to Noémie‘s first impulse, you have been forever changed and you will never quite go back to what it was like before. Well, you can fight like hell to regain your life, that is for sure.

Noémie Naoumi is, no doubt, a powerful artist. Her attitude is to tell it like it is in her paintings and illustration and, most certainly, in her comics. Her art has the energy of a live wire with a worldly-wise sensibility. It is clear to me, and it will be to the reader, that cancer is not going to stop her.

Hanging On by a Thread, in the end, is a story of hope and courage. Going back to Noémie‘s initial thoughts that, indeed, she was now a different person since her cancer diagnosis, this graphic memoir attests to a strong spirit that retains strength, good humor and self-autonomy.

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May 20, 2025 · 7:23 pm

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 40×40 comics review

The deluxe hardcover edition.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 40×40. Ed. Rantz Hoseley, Cat Mihos et al. Z2 Comics. 160pp. 2022. $40 for hardcover.

“Doing Alright with the Boys” by Wiktoria Radkiewicz

Comics anthologies come and go all too quickly. But, given a little time and patience, some will return, emerge, finally arrive. Here is a great case in point, a wonderfully zany comics anthology from a few years ago that is devoted to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. My guess is that at least half, maybe more, of the talented crew of writer and artists were either too young, or not even born, to enjoy Joan in her heyday. I was. And I can tell you that she hit the pop culture scene (“I Love Rock n Roll” released in 1981) like a bat out of hell, although perhaps a rather polished up bat. Not that I ever had any problem at all with Joan Jett. There was a time when I would have obeyed any order she gave me. Perhaps I still would!

“Bits and Pieces,” written by Barbara Kesel, Line Art by Aneke Murillenem, Color by Kelly Fitzpatrick

Here’s the thing, Joan Jett was (still is) an original and she made it despite the media machine that I think could have easily derailed her career before it even started. Her brand began as a loud and brash singer who loved the old rock ‘n’ roll: a fuzzy nostalgic nod back to some simpler time when you “put a dime in the jukebox, baby.” Huh? This would have been way before Joan Jett’s time. The lyrics made no sense, really. And, at this point, Joan Jett had fallen into the trap of massive marketing packaging. Well it happens to the best of ’em. I’m taking the long view, looking back historically to the earliest days of pop culture.

“Nag,” written by Annie Zaleski, art by Andrea Bell

Put it simply, Joan Jett had the street cred as part of  The Runaways and had to navigate the world of super pop stardom by the time she was part of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Another fine example is the marketing make-over that John “Cougar” Mellencamp had to endure and the process he had to go through to prove his own artistic integrity. Like I say about comics anthologies, if you give something enough time, the good stuff will reveal itself.

“You’re Too Possessive” by Hannah Templer

After all, there was always something about Joan Jett. If Elivs Presley could be forced to literally sing to a hound dog, then I think Joan Jett’s real talent and star power could survive having her image oversaturated. I’m sure that too much exposure made it seem like it all came too easy for Joan Jett. On April 18, 2015, over 30 years after her first hit song that launched her career, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You can’t tell me there wasn’t a lot of resentment and prejudice over Joan becoming a rocker It Girl. But the passage of time wins out. It’s great now to see Joan Jett celebrated in this comics anthology, with fresh eyes, focusing on the music, lyrics and overall vibe. I think what this collection does best is a combination of celebrating the content along with the band’s spirit, and that’s important in this ongoing process that public figures go through, well beyond their own lifetimes. The process to return, emerge, and finally arrive once again, over and over, forever.

Here’s the thing about anthologies. You must have a clear plan of action, a clear theme, and a unified effort. I should be able to call up any two random examples and they should be able to speak to the book as a whole. What I get from this book is an amazing showcase of talent with creators tackling the Joan Jett theme from a wide variety of viewpoints. Yes, it’s very important to know what your anthology is about and this book is very clear and follows through. I would have this book easily nominated for this or that award. I swear, the mighty comics industry, to a very discernible degree, will listen is you’re simply loud enough and this book packs a lot of volume. I am curious to learn more about each and everyone involved with this book. And I’ll do my utmost best to update you on my findings.

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May 15, 2025 · 7:00 am

The Death of Me? by James Burns comics review

The Death of Me? James Burns. Burns Comics. 64pp. Available for Free.

I greatly appreciate a James Burns comic for it’s heart-felt and straightforward approach. Burns depicts himself in his comic pretty much the way I imagine he is in real life: just a guy trying to get some answers and live his life. There’s a distinctive sense of humor to what he does and, of course, a sobering honesty.

Life has no guarantees.

No, not all has been well for Mr. Burns. As he jokes in this book, he sort of stumbled upon a life crisis genre all his own. There was the comic book about his detached retina. Then there was the one about his gall bladder surgery. Very traumatic events, no doubt, and certainly worthy of an exploration through the comics medium. You know, in fact, we now have this steadily growing and evolving comics genre, graphic medicine. So, Burns was ahead of his time when he started documenting the ways his body “betrayed” him, as he states himself in his work. In this 64-page comic, Burns tells you what happens when you get the notice that you’ve got prostate cancer–and the journey ahead.

The beast that can help save a life.

This particular journey will involve radiation therapy. After doing some research, and soul-searching, Burns concluded he was willing to accept the pros and cons of radiation therapy. As Burns proceeds to unveil the whole process, you can’t help but feel like you’re there with him–and that’s part of the point. The subject of illness and life-threatening events, in general, is a very delicate subject. I think Burns is letting the reader know that, enough is enough, let’s get on with it and talk about it.

The joy of baking bread.

This journey will also, thankfully, involve baking bread–or, at least, it could. It does for Burns. Baking bread is one fine way to cope. I know my cooking and baking skills have improved exponentially over the years as my own life has become more complex and challenging. Who knows, you too may end up a master baker or chef. Life happens. Death happens. Sometimes you need to be a grown-up about it and discuss it. I hand it to James for finding ways to balance informing the reader with being down-to-earth. James Burns has made a great contribution to the graphic medicine genre of comics. For anyone confronting prostate cancer, or who knows someone who is, or just wants to learn more about the subject, this is an essential read.

To view the wide selection of comics created by James Burns, be sure to visit him at Burns Comics. Also, be sure to visit Malecare for details on prostate cancer and how to receive a free PDF of this comic book. Malecare is a leading prostate cancer nonprofit organization and the most respected prostate cancer patient advocacy group globally. Founded in 1998, Malecare has grown into America’s first, largest, and foremost men’s cancer support and advocacy nonprofit​.

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May 2, 2025 · 9:15 am

The Toxic Avenger, Volume One graphic novel review

The Toxic Avenger, Volume One. By Matt Bors, Fred Harper, et.al. Dewitt, NY: Ahoy Comics. 2025. 130pp. $17.99.

Guest Review by Paul Buhle

Matt Bors is a Comics Storm in himself, now barely 40 and evidently uncontainable. Raised in Canton, Ohio,  he began cartooning for a student newspaper and moved quickly into political cartoons, at 23 the youngest syndicated artist of the day. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize twice over, winner of the Herblock Prize, he grew restless or perhaps watched the daily press collapse around him. His own first GN appeared in 2020, with his signature boldness of horror and humor in the title itself: War Is Boring.

A restless organizer, he made himself part of the new, globally-based Cartoon Movement, traveled to Afghanistan with the always-controversial Ted Rall, each of them more outrageous than the other. He joined a newly-syndicated project, The Nib, and when it failed, relaunched it a few years later. Three years ago, he announced that he was leaving editorial cartooning for political comics journalism.

The Toxic Avenger emerges from a Syracuse publisher AHOY, the first in a series to be created by a new artist in a new genre. “When I first approached [Ahoy] about reviving the Toxic Avenger in comics, I wasn’t modest,” said Bors. “I pitched a new origin, outrageous new characters…Now, Fred Harper and I have been given the green light to go fucking nuts.” The first is in what might be called a Creature Feature, those following within, also satirizing, the ever-popular genres crime, romance, SciFi and so on. They are planning a video grame and maybe, maybe a theatrical release of The Toxic Avenger itself (or himself).

My own background in Underground Comix (and before them, the EC Comics of “real war” and Mad Comics, 1952-55) leaves me rather stunned at the apparent genre-professionalism of Toxic Avengers. It feels like one of those Richard Corban environmental-horror comics of the 1970s where the grotesque is slick and commonplace, flesh slides easily off bones and may leave the surviving creature more than intact, and humor, at least a kind of humor, is never far away.

Mr.Avenger, huge, green and with one eye both smaller and situated above the other. He is a friend to the kid activists. They are collectively taking on the “Church of Troma” for-profit hospital, whose bigshots are busy rationalizing the latest toxic release into the community, poisoning the water supply. The Green Giant is busy rescuing his pal, a creature even in worse shape, from this supposed health-facility, while the very bohemian and cross-dressing teenagers are organizing around and against “The Quarantine.”

To say it goes on from here, with the forces of State Oppression growing steadily uglier, would be an underestimation. It turns out that extra-planetary, super-intelligent insects have the government fronting for them. To suggest that it would lead to one super-human creature going toe-to-toe with another is…familiar to any seriously addicted comic reader.  “

“If you ever want to tell someone you love them…don’t wait until your skin melts off in a large industrial accident.” (p.77) A sweet thought of a cute teenager who, with a few adjustments  (no beehive hairdo) might have fitted well, almost, in a True Love comics of the 1940s-50s. True love will win out, even here. To give anything more away would be a sin, although the involvement of those curious cicadas that I saw every seven years in my midwest childhood (they came, they mated, apparently, and they died, leaving a backyard mess), have something to do with all this.

Outside my world but not that of comic readers is the final pages of “Variant Covers,” with some (black and white) alternative character sketches. Donald Duck was never like this. Nor the wild and unpredictable Underground Comix, even.

Matt keeps busy and The Nib also marches on, through the web. It’s a cartoonist/comic artist saga of today that inspires, for this comics editor, astonishment and admiration.

Carry On, Matt!

Paul Buhle

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April 29, 2025 · 4:20 pm

So Buttons #14 by Jonathan Baylis comics review

So Buttons #14. w. Jonathan Baylis. various artists. Alchemy Comics.  36pp. $10.

Jonathan Baylis and his anthology So Buttons, comics by a variety of top tier cartoonists based upon Baylis’s life stories and observations (a la Harvey Pekar), has been around for more than a minute, more like over a decade. Folks in the comics industry might even take it a little for granted as they just assume it will always be around. Well, such a comic book is a very special thing. I reviewed the previous issue, Lucky #13, you can read my review here). And I thought I’d say a few words about the most recent, the current #14. Well, it has the Harvey Pekar vibe nailed down just fine, as usual–and that’s a good thing, certainly not something to take for granted at all.

Look at it this say, for those still dipping their toes into indie comics, Baylis provides an essential service. Those still just starting out, figuring it all out, can turn to a comic book like this and it’s like being invited backstage, or to an after party hootenanny. Your ticket, you lucky bastard, to get to hang out with some of the coolest cartoonists just shooting the shit and having fun. That’s the very  best way to approach this collection. I’ll go over a couple of examples from a couple of my favorite cartoonists.

Alright, example Numero Uno, is words by Baylis and artwork by none other than Brian “Box” Brown. I never found out why Brian has “Box” for a nickname. I’m sure there’s a story there. He might have even told me once but I don’t think so. By the way, Brown is one of the great explainers via comics. I’m a big fan of his work, like his take on cannabis. I’m a big supporter of cannabis and so it was a total flat out honor to review and interview Brown on his book, CANNABIS: The Illegalization of Weed in America. Anyway, the whole spirit of these comics stories is that they are highly anecdotal: one part ephemeral; one part very personal. Gently mix for best results. I suppose it’s basically one of the stories you might save to share with a group of friends at a bar, that sort of thing. A little gem you keep in your pocket for just the right moment. In this case, Baylis wishes to put into perspective his love for The Howard Stern Show and, in the process, share a bit about his life’s journey. I believe it all adds up with great authenticity: a neat combination of writer and artist. I mean, it really feels very conversational and something you won’t find just anywhere. You had to be there, in that bar, hanging out. In the room when it happened.

Another fine example: and this one is more of a set-up to get something off one’s chest, that’s the motivation here, I think. Words by Baylis and artwork by the lovely Sophia Glock, who happens to be one of the very first cartoonists that I reviewed early on in my career as a comics reviewer. It was, I believe, Sophia’s very first mini-comic, The Deformitory. And, it was a great treat to review Glock’s Passport, an amazing coming-of-age graphic novel. In this vignette, Baylis wants to explain why he was so late to the party in reading the work of The Hernandez Brothers, specifically Love and Rockets. Well, is there an explanation for such an egregious error? Ha! I kid. You know, we are only human and we don’t really need to explain ourselves, now do we? One explanation forces yet another explanation ad infinitum, risking cancellation, tar and feathering and total and utter banishment. Of course, if you really want to explain yourself, then, by all means, do so! Baylis wants to: he begins to imply that he wasn’t all that clear on why Los Bros have been granted such a lofty place within the indie comics ecosystem. This triggers an argument by Glock on behalf of such an esteemed status. In the end, Baylis is, more or less, convinced; leaning more towards unconvinced. Again, another one of those moments that you can be grateful was caught and preserved within these pages.

By all means, seek out this gift to the comics community and anyone hankering for a good yarn. I believe Baylis, and company, are all just getting their second wind and there’s much more ahead. In fact, I look forward to what Baylis continues to do with this unique platform. The price of admission is reasonable and you never know who might show up to the party.

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April 21, 2025 · 10:30 am

SLICED TIMBER #1 by Nick Diak comics review

Sliced Timber #1. By Nicholas Diak. Killer Pterri Comics. 2024.  32 pp. $9.99.

Nick Diak is a whirlwind of cartoonist energy! It’s page after page of fun stuff, coming at you in all directions, a kaleidoscopic journey paying tribute to MAD Magazine, various kid magazines like Nickelodeon and Highlights, Cartoon Network fare and a tip of the hat to such greats as Daniel Clowes and even Moebius.

If you are looking for a grab bag of loopy and goopy comics, this is an impressive effort from a rising talent. I can see the passion and determination on display here and it gets my attention. I think that’s the number one thing about new comics on the scene: they need to make you take notice. That’s because so much has already been done by so many other creators at such a higher level than a newcomer could ever hope to overtake. It depends upon what the cartoonist is trying to achieve. Is it just a hobby, something to do with a bunch of pals or is it a calling? Because, if you’re taking this seriously, the comics need to have some X factor, something truly genuine at its core, whether it’s weird, personal, hilarious, whatever the case may be.

It’s total mayhem!

For example, Nick does a great job with, “KXW,” a 5-page comic about a clown and other colorful characters in a wrestling match scene. The clown eggs on these two ogres and then suddenly a human-velociraptor hybrid is unleashed. It is full-on goofy, so be sure to tap into your inner 12-year-old. And that’s the beauty of it. I’m not sure exactly what is going on but, then again, whoever is when it comes to pro-wrestling. Nick states in the back page notes that this story honors hours of playing the Nintendo 64 game, WWF War Zone, and hours of viewing the now legendary YouTube podcast, Cartoonist Kayfabe.

 

The point I’m making is that new comics need to have something to offer, an X factor, and this comic book delivers with its uninhibited exuberance. Even the little extra surreal bits give added impact, like a pterodactyl off to a corner on the comic book cover demanding, “Eat more comics!” Funny. Goofy. Done with passion and determination, Sliced Timber by Nick Diak, is a comic book just waiting to be eaten!

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February 25, 2025 · 5:40 pm

Milky Zest by Steve Hogan comics review

Milky Zest. Steve Hogan. Acid Keg Comics. One-Shot. 2024. 28pp. $5.99

I would never tell Steve Hogan to stop making comics even though this comic book is begging me to do so. Ah, I only kid. I kid in the stubbornly ironic way that Hogan loves. If you followed alt-comics in the ’90s, you know precisely what brand of humor I’m talking about. It permeated the very air. All of hipsterdom worshiped the crass sarcasm tempered by a devastating self-deprecation. That was Gen X sensibility for you. In our youth, we valued spot-on humor and were not overly timid and cautious in its pursuit. It was a certain vibe we were playing with in music, fashion and comics: Peter Bagge’s Hate; Daniel Clowes’s Eightball; Rick Altergott’s Doofus, and so on.

Steve Hogan provides a sharp wit that harkens back to the snarky humor of ’90s alt-comics and makes it his own. At a deeper level, Hogan also honors the respect for craft with spot-on design sense. The antecedents date back even further to mid-century modern, dealing in crisp clean lines and a wry and dry sense of humor, often dealing with wacky and larger-than-life subjects. To engage in this kind of comics as a cartoonist today is certainly tricky. You don’t want to just repeat something that essentially already was a sly post-modern look back. That said, this retro style of comics is totally valid and various contemporary cartoonists work in it to one degree or another: Sammy Harkham and Rich Tomasso are a couple of excellent examples. As you can see from the page excerpt above, and the panel excerpt below, Hogan revels in visual treats and packs in as many added gags as possible.

The story for this comic is a fun MacGuffin-packed roller coaster of a tale. If you like a good comedy thriller with the very fabric of reality at stake, then this is for you. And, along with all the irony, there’s even a sweet romantic subplot. It turns out that our hero, Milky Zest, is a good guy with Tuesday, a good woman, by his side. It’s up to Milky to prove his worth as the newbie at a private detective agency. Little did he know that he would end up in the thick of a case with earth-shattering repercussions. Yeah, that sounds about right. All in all, I enjoyed this comic and, without a hint of irony, I look forward to what Steve Hogan does next.

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