tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66927293016092493892024-03-13T12:37:15.986-07:00Paper Tiger's Roar FeedUpdates and artwork from Paper Tiger Comix, as well as reviews of other small press and underground/ alternative comics, and random stuff to share which i find interesting, funny or which tickles my fancy. Enter travellerseantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-63809771239115458202017-01-10T13:37:00.003-08:002017-01-14T05:11:22.080-08:00REVIEW: Axel America by Andy Luke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I enjoyed this book a great deal. I'd describe it as a Gonzo surrealist satirical journey through American political skullduggery, conspiracy theories, corrupt media and crazy ideas made flesh. Along for the ride are Axel America, his family, and his conspiracy theorist allies. They're up against ambitious, arrogant billionaire and presidential candidate Morgan Rump, the Faux News media tycoon Oliver Macgregor, anchorwoman O.K. Burly, shady government agents, an ex-nazi scientist (Hermann Martian) and even at one point, the satanic minions of hell!<br />
Axel is a loud, anger-fuelled, paranoid shock-jock (with his own video podcast, 'truth live'), who I would say was based more than a little on a real-life conspiracy-theorist, down to their mutual love of using 'the bullhorn' as a means of communication. Anyone who is familiar with him (and the other character parodies mentioned above), will immediately get the humour and real-world parallels in this book.<br />
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Axel is a man too busy being angry, and ramming 'the truth' (as he sees it) down everyones throats, to check his 'facts' and sources. He is enjoyable and palatable as a character however, because although he's a severely flawed, overbearing, raging, confused, self-unaware and delusional fool, he's also at times completely sincere, vulnerable, likeable and has a certain amount of integrity.<br />
He's someone who really loves his family, and will go all out to protect them, even if a lot of the perceived threats are imagined. Sometimes he hits the nail on the head though, and things that others laugh-off prove to be right. He also comes out with some hilarious phrases, mannerisms and ideas of the laugh-out-loud variety.<br />
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Another parody of a real-life British conspiracy theorist in this book is the more new-age orientated, alien-obsessed character and friend of Axel named 'Milk Falk'. There's one chapter in the book, where Falk thinks that the best way to infiltrate a dinner party for the power-base of the elite is by attaching a fake lizard tail. I'll let you see whether or not he pulls it off.<br />
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At the heart of the story is the all American family unit; which takes the age-old American sit-com idea and subverts it. There's Axel, his long suffering, upstanding wife Liberty, the good natured, sensitive and eager-to-please son Constitution, and the rebellious, tempestuous teenage daughter, Martha.<br />
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There's room for little episodic chapters, lots of action and comedic skits, even some slapstick within the longer story arc of the clandestine power-mongers trying to rig the election, and them using Axel and a member of his family to do so.<br />
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The book is often chuckle inducing and also a cathartic read, finding absurd humour in even the blackest veins of the Corporate American rabbit hole, or when lampooning the unscrupulous behaviour of the deluded, and the devisive. Andy Luke also has fun with his characters, fleshing them out and having them interact in amusing and interesting ways, and isn't afraid to poke some fun at all sides of the equation, with interesting and original ideas.<br />
Stand out episodic moments for me included where Axel is forced to attend an anger-management group, and ends up causing mayhem but also a kind of anarchic bonding session, a chapter where Axel & his son are out hunting, and stumble across a bunch of animal rights activists (the banner slogans were priceless), the devasating effects of Axel's super-powered bullhorn turned up to full, and where his weaponised home-security system 'Axel-bot' is accidently triggered while Axel is away, and locks down the house, targetting his family and friends, and carries out it's programming to eradicate the threat.<br />
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Maybe it's just me, but I felt like there was a touch of the old Spike Milligan or Douglas Adams in this book, ie; the mischievous relish in finding the ridiculous and worrying in real-life and sending it up in a very funny and surreal manner. The book looks also at the hyperreality and hyperbole that exists in “The Greatest Nation On God's Green Earth” and much of the world today, where many people now believe whatever they want (or what they are told from manipulative sources).<br />
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The author comments on all this in numerous ways, never becoming preachy, and adding comic book-esque and pop-culture touches which are welcome and recognisable and part of his sense of humour.<br />
What I liked most about this book is the humour and imagination. It takes lots of ideas and has fun with them in often original and off-kilter ways. I enjoyed the ending a lot too, which I won't spoil. All that I'll say is that there's a good Axel moment where he addresses the public with one of his rants, and makes some pretty good (and funny) points. What happens during and immediately afterwards also made me think a little about the hypocrisy about those who just talk the talk and those citizens and activists who actually take on responsibilities and the thankless task of trying to create real change in a corrupt world. But I also think it was mainly about the character figuring out, in his comical way, in the moment, what he really wanted to do, and what was important to him.<br />
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The only criticism I have is a minor one, and that is the choice of title. “The Election Race” part of it. I think they shot themselves in the foot a bit there. Although topical, the election has been and gone, and the book is about far more than that event, and was written with not just the two candidates in mind (In fact one of the candidates only gets mentioned once or twice). The story and satire is of a much more broad, surreal, richer and ambitious scope, and I feel the title sells it short a little. So it's possibly misleading to anyone who just sees the title, who may think it's no-longer relevant, when in fact it's very much so.<br />
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Story-wise however, I have no qualms, it's a really enjoyable romp which I've recommended to my friends. I'd love to read a sequel one day. Oh, and did I mention I did the artwork for the cover? </div>
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You can buy a copy <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Axel-America-U-S-Election-Race/dp/1536999741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484082849&sr=8-1&keywords=Axel+America" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-36932342544717416212014-02-16T06:35:00.000-08:002014-02-17T04:04:48.356-08:00Review: Sleazy Slice #5 by Robin Bougie feat. Maxine Frank, Jim Rugg, Tom Crites, Steve Carter, Antoinette Ryder, John Howard & more<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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All I can say to this one is, what a comic! 68 pages of filth, hilarity, unfettered imagination, and a little bit of stuff to make you think...<br />
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Jim Rugg does the honours with the great cover, which includes lots of humourous toilet graffiti. <br />
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Robin Bougie and Maxine Frank collaborate on the epic 20 page 'Nakedgirl Bigbattle'; a fun comic which starts off like an autobio strip, and quickly morphs into a pornographic kaiju fantasy.<br />
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After a brief introduction by the pair, the strip begins when Maxine's cat start's acting weird, talking to her and ordering her around. It is soon revealed that her cat is a vessel to an alien consciousness which has been sent to give earth the chance to prepare a giant titan to protect them from an imminent threat, and that he'll give Maxine the blueprints to create such a gladiator once she's fed him moist treats.<br />
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Maxine creates an underground science lab and get's to work, and a week later is almost finished and tells Robin to come over to tell him what's going on. When an accident occurs with one of Bougie's drawings in Maxine's underground science lab, it inadvertently determines the form of Earth's champion (a sexy naked girl who looks a little like Velma from Scooby Doo), and she breaks out onto the streets, where she awaits for them to climb inside to pilot her (see pic).<br />
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With Robin navigating the Giant's motor functions, and Maxine controlling her weapon systems, they're off, leaving mayhem and destruction in their wake as they get used to the controls.<br />
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Suddenly, the alien invader arrives; a Giant alien woman, who leaps to the attack. Thus begins the epic battle through Vancouver city, with some brilliant pages of art such as these:<br />
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The alien starts changing shape, developing tentacle like fingers, and it soon becomes apparent she's not only interested in fighting, but getting it on.<br />
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Just when it looks like our Giant earth girl is overpowered with pleasure, and that she's going to get a particular brutal arse-fisting, Maxine unleashes a secret weapon (I won't spoil it), and the battle begins afresh soon reaching it's very funny and O.T.T. climax.<br />
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S.C.A.R. Comics (Steve Carter & Antoinette Ryder), provide a brilliant 16 page strip entitled "Australia After The Fall", a dark fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world, full of weird and wonderful chimera-esque mutants, the product of cruel genetic experiments, who had once been human.<br />
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Two trackers have been sent to find two missing women, in the dangerous outback where different species vie for dominance. As the story unfolds we see more and more of the different creatures and discover that some have strange laws, breeding rituals and religious rites.<br />
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When they eventually find the two women, all is not is at it seems, and the two manhunters need to figure out what has happned, or else lose their lives, or become sexual prey to one of the mutant group's breeding rituals.<br />
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I love the imagination in this one - all the numerous creature designs are inventive, there's a couple of twists and turns, and a nice philosophical bit right at the end.<br />
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Next up is "The Leather Whore" conceived by Bougie, with art by the perversely talented John Howard, and words, believe it or not, by Andrea Dworkin!<br />
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This is kind of a strange, hardcore, radical feminist exploitation revenge strip (I don't think Tarantino will be making this one though).<br />
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The first half depicts a catalogue of abuses inflicted on the prostitute by misogynist johns, next to the Dworkin quotes about victimisation of women. The second half of the strip shows the prostitute exacting bloody revenge on each of her abusers, along with some of Dworkin's more controversial quotes about women fighting back, that fit what's going on well.<br />
It made me think. I know that Dworkin herself had been a prostitute for a short while and also said she had been in an abusive relationship, which seems to have heavily influenced how she viewed male-dominated society, prostitution and sexual imagery afterwards.<br />
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It also shows how violence and power can shift, where the victim can endure so much to the point that, in extreme circumstances, they turn on their abusers with rage and violence.<br />
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I can't see that Dworkin would have approved of this strip at all, being as anti-sexual imagery as she was, and having such entrenched generalisations, but I found it strangely fitting, as it deals with the dark side of the sex trade, and a woman who had no power previously, getting her own back on the men with a bloody climax, and I feel that Bougie and Howard's sympathies lie towards her in the story. As controversial as some might find it, it's a very interesting strip which also shows on another level, sadly, how sexual violence and abuse, can cause such gender divides in people. Well, that was my take on it anyway, maybe I'm over analysing...<br />
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Jason Karns (AKA Fukitor) give us 'Carny Tramp', a darkly funny tale with a gory climax about a small-town woman who frequents the visiting carnival, run by a creepy freak-show owner. It feels like a 70's grindhouse film, and has a twist ending.<br />
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Karl Wills has a selection of his really nicely drawn 'Jessica of the schoolyard' strips that features a tomboy leader of a gang of schoolgirls, who spend most of their time picking on others and getting into fights<br />
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Finally, there are 4 pages of the late Tom Crite's excellent illustrations, which are beautiful, brilliantly detailed, laced with psychedelia, mandalas and occult imagery, and are something to behold.<br />
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Tom tragically committed suicide in the August of last year and I only discovered this today, and it came as quite a shock.<br />
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I'd chatted with Tom quite a few times online in the past, and we swapped comics with each other (he produced the brilliant Malefact books). He always came across as a kind,intelligent, funny and supportive person, and he was a fantastic artist. One of the good ones.<br />
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It's sad news that he's gone, I'm going to miss him.<br />
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Anyway. This is an excellent comic, a middle finger to those who say that porn comics aren't art, and don't have anything to say.<br />
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Also, Sleazy Slice #7 and Cinema Sewer #27 have just come out so check those out too.<br />
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This issue is still available from:<br />
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<a href="http://cinemasewer.ecrater.com/"> http://cinemasewer.ecrater.com/</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-48819205251368754722014-02-16T06:33:00.001-08:002022-02-19T05:41:35.469-08:00Review: Cinema Sewer #23 By Robin Bougie feat Bob Fingerman, David Paleo, Patton Oswalt, Steve Rolston & more<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This 44 page Adults Only comic sized/style zine from 2010 is the 23rd outing of the long running brain child of Canada's Robin Bougie, and for those who haven't heard of him, Mr Bougie knows more about Sleaze than Silvio Berlusconi!<br />
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This crammed packed, professionally produced zine is full of reviews, articles, comics, illustrations and humour, and with Bougie's encyclopedic knowledge, there's an infectious, obsessive enthusiam to it all.<br />
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First thing to grab you is that great Bob Fingerman cover, like a classic, raunchy noir-pulp novel illo, complete with buxom, shapely Femme Fatale... Her victim died with a smile on his face.<br />
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Inside the theme continues as Bougie writes an excellent article on Film Noir, running through many classics of the genre (some well known, others lesser) with a brief synopsis of each, accompanied with great illustrations (by the brilliant David Paleo) and original film poster art.<br />
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The sadly departed and much loved Andy Copp who died last year, writes about and reviews two classic video mixtapes from the '80s and '90s: 'The Amok Assault Tape' and 'Video Macumba' (the latter being rumoured to have been made by Mike Patton, although this has never been proved). The article is accompanied by Bougie's excellent drawings.<br />
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There's a 5 page article where gay Belgian porn historian Dries
Vermeullen talks about frequenting fleapit adult theatres in the '80s, and he also looks at some of his favourite classic XXX cinema, obscure exploitation and blaxploitation flicks, replete with old film posters and more of Boug's great illustrations (I really like how he draws women) .</div>
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Josh Simmons contributes an interesting comic all about 'Messiah Of Evil', which he described as "The greatest early-1970s Southern California Fractured-Stoner-Magic-Lovecraftian-Blood-Moon- Zombie-Slow-Nightmare Horror Movie ever made".</div>
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Comedian Patton Oswalt writes a funny article (illustrated by James Lloyd) about his obsession with Jason Statham movies, and fantasises about how classic movies would be if Statham appeared in them. </div>
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'Dying To Be In The Movies' is a comprehensive history of on-set film deaths from 1920 to 2004, with background info on what happened in each fated film. Just a few examples of the fatalities include stepping on a live landmine, shark attack, decapitation by helicopter blades, and being struck on the head by a telegraph pole</div>
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There's an interesting review of the instructional video 'Self Loving With Betty Dobson' (known as the "Godmother of masturbation"). And a list of Bougie's favourite films of the ten years previous.</div>
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Other cult reviews include Jennie Wife/ Child, Fuego, Virginia, The Final Sin, Easy, Neon Nights, Beyond Love & Evil, Hell Of The Living Dead, Pumping Iron, She's On Duty& more, and there's also the very enjoyable "Ask The Bougieman" section where fans and readers ask Robin all manner of questions, and he gives his honest reply.</div>
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Finishing things off is this beautiful back cover illustration by Steve Rolston, dedicated to the strange, camp, Chinese Sci-Fi movie "I Love Maria" with Bougie's synposis underneath which makes it sound great fun.</div>
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If this magazine sounds like your thing, go to:</div>
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seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-11561851517577131782014-02-14T11:09:00.001-08:002014-02-15T12:29:00.023-08:00Review: Hootiebits The Magic Owl by Ralph Kidson (For Adult Birds & Mammals Only)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mrAkb1MEcn0/Uv5LdOrVmYI/AAAAAAAAAi8/t_SlBkaA5Vk/s1600/hootiebits+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mrAkb1MEcn0/Uv5LdOrVmYI/AAAAAAAAAi8/t_SlBkaA5Vk/s1600/hootiebits+cover.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a><b></b>This 44 page comic by the brilliant Ralphie Kidson is one of the funniest comics I've ever read, and i've finally got round to reviewing it (see my previous review of Giant Clam #3 for another great comic).<br />
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Hootiebits is a foul mouthed, no nonsense magic owl who works for god - fun work, he admits in his introduction. He could kill you if he wanted to ( Don't worry he's only killed 6 people in 10,000 years), he also gives magic treats to those who have been very good and who are deemed worthy enough. These usually amount to magic pellets (made up of the remains of digested pixies and fairies) which he'll puke up onto the pillow of the lucky sleeping recipient. These magic pellets grant wishes, like the guy who wanted to be invisible for example, who then proceeded to fuck his neighbour, and the next door neighbours dog. "I don't make the rules" Hootiebits informs us.<br />
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The one draw back and serious limitation of his power is that he's not allowed to leave the confines of Newick, Chailey, Barcombe and nearby areas. And so, has never been able to visit a branch of Waterstones. Bummer. Well, there is one other place he's been to, but I won't spoil the surprise.<br />
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He spends his time mostly getting shitfaced on booze before playing pranks on humans, or hanging out chatting with his friends who include Frowning Derek Nimmo Lion (from the future), the Elephant Man (who has his own sherry cart) and Scented Bin-Bag, who once saved Hootiebits life (you'll have to read it to find out how).<br />
He also, after getting blind drunk, is shocked to wake up in the bed of an amorous celebrity (I shook with laughter at that bit I can tell you), and he also later reveals his shrine to his favourite TV presenter. With guest appearances from the wicked nazi Swastikat, Blinky the pyramid, and Stamper Lloyd the elephant, and much more besides, it all adds up to a brilliantly surreal mix.<br />
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As usual, Ralph uses hilarious dialogue between his characters and impeccable comic timing, and the story goes off at lots of unexpected tangents that all seem perfectly plausible in hootiebit's world. There's lots of comedic gems in here you'll have to discover yourself, - I've read this comic a few times now, and it never fails to cheer me up and make me chuckle, so yeah, Hootiebits does have special powers.<br />
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You can buy Hootieboots and also Ralph's Giant Clam Comics (I've read issues #1 & #3 and they're very funny too) here: <a href="http://wildseedstudios.com/ralph-kidson/">http://wildseedstudios.com/ralph-kidson/</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-13398636911401889382014-02-08T09:57:00.000-08:002014-02-08T10:00:15.075-08:00Review: Stories Vol.2 & Catch Me If You Can by Martin Cendreda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two very impressive self-published comics by Martin Cendreda here. What's immediately apparent when looking at Martin's work is his quality of cartooning. Whilst reading these books, I also became aware that he's a very accomplished, and varied storyteller.<br />
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Stories Vol.2 is a 28 page comic containing 2 short stories, and 3 one page gag comics.<br />
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'Copy' is a story told visually, and is a darkly comic psychological thriller about an office worker who hates his job, and starts finding 'help me' messages amongst his paperwork. Looking around the office he tries to see if his co-workers are playing a joke on him. After a trip to the photocopier, he notices another message immediately after, which wasn't there previously. Freaked out he locks himself in the copyroom, and writes 'is this a joke?' on the paper and photocopies it, but the out-tray reveals the message "No joke".<br />
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As he becomes increasingly anxious, and his co-workers start noticing and mocking his strange behaviour, whilst the copier begins giving him mocking messages, the question remains is the protagonist loosing his mind, or has the office copier got a mind of it's own? And how is he going to react as things come to a head and man goes to war with machine?... Through subtle use of expression, dramatic angles, movement and contrast, Cendreda really creates a comedic but dramatic and slightly creepy atmosphere, whilst in the background, lampooning some of the attitudes, indifference and politics of office life.<br />
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'Swimming' is a first person, possibly autobiographical (?) tale about someone who never learned to swim, who recalls an intense dream where they are alone in the middle of the ocean during perpetual night. The dream becomes darker and more of a torment for the dreamer, but then a sudden change occurs. The story is ambiguous, and explores subconscious fears and what can happen when we manage to surrender and let go.<br />
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The three one page gag comics are a real change of pace and style, and feature 2 pages of Martin's anthropomorphic cartoon lowlife dog characters 'Matthew & Buster'. These comics are funny and charming and have the feel of old tough 'funny papers' comics, crossed with the tone or stylings of contemporaries like Clowes, Brunetti & Kaz, but with their own originality. The last one page gag strip is called 'Free Hugs' and features Herbert Hound trying to get some freebies and being out of luck, until the last panel's punchline...This is a great collection and showcase of Cendreda's talents.<br />
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"Catch Me If You Can" is a 40 page self-contained story, again told visually, about the relationship between a father and his daughter. The story is split into chapters which are cleverly separated by one panel pages images of an acorn gradually growing into a tree, (which we see the little girl mischievously kicking at the beginning of the story), signifying the aging of both characters and a leap to a different time period, which is also done by showing the daughter sneaking off and when the dad catches up, her having aged. This is a funny, tender and poignant tale, which in the wrong hands (or medium) could have felt clichéd and schmaltzy, but instead it feels authentic and natural, sweet but not saccharine.<br />
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There's a few great scenes, for example, one where the little girl, eyes bigger than her belly as the saying goes, keeps seeing kids with larger ice-creams and hounds her dad for the bigger ones (he gives in). Also there's a part later on where the dad goes to get his growing daughter an ice cream from the same place, and when he returns, she's grown into a woman and his expression reads like 'when did that happen?'<br />
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The last third of the book deals with the inevitability of loss, but also new life, and the daughter spending time with her own child in the place where her Dad used to take her, and the similarities between her relationship with her dad and her own daughter. Martin has a great way of drawing and portraying kids, which is animated and fun which really makes the story work.<br />
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Now for some great news, you can read Copy, Catch Me If You Can and many more of Martin's comics for free on his website (including new work in progress), you can also buy his original art and check out his illustration work there: <a href="http://www.martincendreda.com/">http://www.martincendreda.com/</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-49829293543503380512014-02-07T09:11:00.001-08:002014-02-08T06:29:09.326-08:00Review: Snud #1 & Slasher #10 by Gary Clinick & Friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's two twisted and savagely funny underground comix with a raw punk zine edge straight outta Scotland.<br />
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Snud #1 is Gary Clinick's solo A5 comic, full of short, darkly funny comics that all reflect contemporary culture in some way, through a psychotic, angry lens.<br />
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"Eat Shit And Like It!" is the story of a family who do just that. Whether watching high definition crap through their 3D telly, or eating up mum's specialty for tea, this family indeed enjoy all the fecal treats around them without question. Even their teenage daughter finds new shit to enjoy - at her boyfriend's band practice where one of the band takes a dump on a keyboard, or the new cult film they go and see later. <br />
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I won't give away anymore, other than to say the comic ends in true underground style and then is followed by an angry rant from the author. Certainly a funny comic about consumerism, materialist culture, and the crap that makes life stink.<br />
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"Grave Dogging" was my favourite strip here. A chuckle-enducing send up of dogging culture with a slasher movie horror bent. Karen & Gary are looking for action in the woods when they stumble upon a grave digging necrophiliac. Karen has a bad feeling but Gary ignores her asking the stranger "'Ere mate, do you want a go on my bird?". Needless to say the corpse-fucker doesn't respond in a way that Gary would like. The strip works well as a short, satirical and nasty horror story.<br />
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"Culinary Castration" is a one-pager about self mutilation and how to quickly rustle up a bit of cannibalistic cooking. With more than a hint of real-life Austrian cannibal Armin Meiwes, it really is a Kitchen Nightmare...<br />
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"The Healing Power Of Crystals" is a violent one panel funny, hard to go into it without giving the gag away, a somewhat pretentious description might be to say that it juxtaposes dubious hippy new-age beliefs, alongside uptight, pent up conservatism.<br />
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"Dolphins" tells the tale of a diver who comes to the aid of a helpless looking dolphin who has something caught around his fin. As soon as he is freed however, he repays the diver by sexually attacking him with his snout. The last 3 panels are drawn and written in a very funny way. I think it's safe to say, we won't been seeing these scenes on a David Attenborough documentary.<br />
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The comic also has a couple of other full page gag strips focussing on religion (the catholic church to be precise) and the police. It's a great first issue, where Viz style humour and good dialogue collides with underground comix that revel in their own sick humour. These are very limited and very cheap (£1 if I remember correctly), so contact Gary quickly if you're interested (see the end of this review). <br />
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Slasher #10 is a 36 page A4 anthology comic with colour cover, and free noise compilation. It's a bargain for £3. Like Snud, it has a similar underground, dark, twisted, humourous feel but with more varied content, and it's not for the easily offended! Some of the comics and illustrations worked for me, others not so much, but overall there was more enjoyable content than mediocre stuff in my opinion.<br />
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Gary Clinick again comes up with the goods - His first strip is a strange one - a female policewoman shoots the man who has previously shot her partner, she then becomes sexually aroused, tearing off her clothes and seemingly morphing into Raoul Moat for a patriotic pin-up poster. Make of it what you will.<br />
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There's his one pager commenting on the hypocritical irony of many jihad extremists, where one masked man holds up a drawing of Captain Haddock (a cartoonists representation of the prophet) and explains how upset he is about that fact, about how the artist has gone too far, whilst his accomplice prepares to behead the bound and blindfolded cartoonist knelt before them. Quite a bold comic all things considered. <br />
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His one pager depicting Nescafé's 'Abortion Strength African Blend' coffee, might seem in bad taste for some, but for anyone who knows anything about Nestlé's breast milk scandal and their draining of water from poor rural areas of India and Pakistan (leaving disease ridden sludge for the local occupants), will most likely find this comic perfectly apt, as I did.<br />
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"A Taste Of Flesh" is a very funny comic about a pub under the sea where football shirt wearing sharks start fights with student dolphins for talking to their girlfriends before the killer whale bouncers move in. There's a surprise ending which brings in a bit of social/ ecological commentary right at the end. Fans of Ralph Kidson's comics would like this one I reckon.<br />
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Clinick also shines on his strip about Saturday night "X-Factor" style 'talent' shows where every character in the strip is depicted with an arse for a head and anus for a mouth. The strip switches to a domestic dispute half-way through, where a self-righteously indignant punk walks in on his girlfriend viewing the show and judges her for it, before changing the channel to a nature program. The second half of this comic has some very real sounding dialogue and a good ironic ending where the punk character ends up being just as full of it as those he judges with contempt.<br />
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As for the other comics/ contributors, Noah Brown draws some bizarre and funny full page/ one panel comics with interesting looking characters, and there's a great comic involving a middle class mother and her son enjoying a responsible smoke of heroin. (Not sure who the contributer is on this one, but it's a good strip and actually feels good-natured despite the absurdity/dodginess of it's premise). There's also an illustration of a nightmare which involves a series of wanking and screaming man-baboons.<br />
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"So You Took Too Much DMT" is an interesting one page psychedelic line drawing comic with great art and various characters spewing forth their meditations, like hallucinations from a really strong trip. Again, not sure who did this one, but it's a really interesting page. A couple of the pages are a little mean-spirited or done more for edgy shock-value.<br />
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The music CD is very varied and interesting too, with lots of different styles and genres, but all experimental in there own way. The comic and CD represent great value for money, even for the most thrifty of buyers.<br />
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Contact: <a href="mailto:slashercomic@gmail.com">slashercomic@gmail.com</a> or visit the bandcamp site for these and more comics and CD projects: <a href="http://mongoloidproduction.bandcamp.com/merch/slasher-6666-issue-10">http://mongoloidproduction.bandcamp.com/merch/slasher-6666-issue-10</a><br />
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seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-82251144161141049342013-08-18T07:32:00.001-07:002013-08-18T07:35:36.895-07:00My Art: Pasta Phelps Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here's one I did earlier in the year; A drawing for the upcoming Playerist Zine, where I wrote a page of waffle about those who really rely on getting attention from others in the media - namely, hate groups like the Westboro Baptist church, and advertising. This is the combination of the two: Pastor (or Pasta in this case) Phelps Sauce.<br />
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As you can see by the pic, Fred 'Gramps' Phelps is no Paul Newman that's for sure.</div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-16342646327839296632013-08-11T10:14:00.001-07:002013-08-11T10:41:06.177-07:00Review: Kripple Killer Konspiracy by Ian Pyper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This 40 page book by Ian Pyper is his own unique expression of artistic anger towards the UK government's current ruthless policies towards the disabled, the mentally ill and the sick and vulnerable.<br />
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The book, which utilises beautifully rendered single page drawings with text (which could be described as somewhere between Underground/ alternative comix and Outsider art), comments on the dehumanising nightmare of conservative ideology which is currently molding British society into an increasinly uncaring, profit-driven system. Those clearly unfit for work (kidney dialysis patients, people with severe heart conditions, amputees, those with serious disabilities or the mental age of children, who need almost constant care etc) have been targetted and passed fit by corporate government contractors ATOS, who were awarded the contracts on the understanding that they would reach monthly targets designated by Ian Duncan Smith. People are being forced into the 'choice' of either having their money stopped (or 'sanctioned') indefinately, or of working themselves to death, or of ending up on the streets, or of killing themselves. Over 10,600 of those who were deemed fit for work have died since the governments welfare reforms started (it has been reported by The Independent and Guardian). Many of which were suicides.<br />
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The attempted justification of this Draconian policy via contempt-ridden propaganda, unfair assessments and widescale denial, is expressed through Pyper in the book also. As are the intrusive, anxiety enducing, inquisition style nature of the assessments themselves - where peoples' words are often twisted, distorted or ignored so that they don't score enough points to continue receiving benefit, despite their clear need for a safety net.<br />
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Ian Pyper's art expresses this victimisation and cruelty very well, which boils down the naked motivations of Ian Duncan Smith and ATOS; and those actual everyday practices and injustices that eye-witness ATOS employees turned whistleblowers-with-a-conscience have been exposing recently.<br />
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But that isn't all the book comments on.<br />
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The large-scale apathy of the general public, the 'it's not my problem', approach of many in society is also touched upon.<br />
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A worrying culture of those who feel no obligation to defend those who are being targetted is emerging, those who would rather bury their heads in the sand, think only of themselves, or blame the victims for their own fate, rather than stand up for their fellow beings. And we all know where that has led to throughout history.<br />
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As many artists indulge their own ego-trips and fantasies, chase the easiest route to financial gain, or attempt to escape the harsh realities of contemporary society completely, Pyper feels a responsibility to speak up and speak out, and to my mind, for this he is to be applauded. I felt like he could have gone into more detail about what is going on with these policies in places, but I am told he already is planning a second volume, and this is a great collection of art all in all. You can purchase Kripple Killer Konspiracy here: <a href="http://www.paraphiliamagazine.com/oneirosbooks/kripple-killer-konspiracy/">http://www.paraphiliamagazine.com/oneirosbooks/kripple-killer-konspiracy/</a><br />
I leave you with Pyper's own foreword, which is a very heartfelt and powerful piece of expressive writing in itself:<br />
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seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-61223137923463542112013-08-11T07:24:00.002-07:002013-08-11T07:49:48.255-07:00Review: Eyeball Comix #3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The third 60 page issue of Eyeball Comix is by far the best in terms of quality strips throughout.<br />
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First off is that striking cover by Kyle Platts which shows some surreal cyclops take on a battle between western colonialists and indigenous tribal peoples. There's also the great eye-popping full colour psychedelic inside and back covers by Gunsho (who did the amazing front cover for issue #2)<br />
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Betty Black starts things off with a great Eyeball Queen pin-up, who as can be seen in the pic, has been given a lovely bouquet of meat and offal.<br />
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Russell Taysom has a funny rhyming filler strip in 'Sexy Vamp' which is reminiscent of Johnny Ryan in it's tone.<br />
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Viktor Dunkel provides a genuinely disturbing horror comic, where a kind of psychotic visual revenge fantasy is acted out upon the late Dr Frederic Wertham (the McCarthy era comic witch hunter and man who was behind the shutting down and censorring of many comic companies in the 1950s along with public bonfires of kids comics and the introduction of the comics code).<br />
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In this strip entitled 'Pain & Knowledge' he is tortured by a demonic looking Skull faced 'gentleman' who performs a dark ritual within his 'Chamber of Mindfuckin'. <br />
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In the end, revenge is not meted out through murder, rather a much more sinister outcome takes place, which I'm sure the prudish moral crusader would have been horrified by.<br />
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Shades of Mike Diana, Clive Barker's Hellraiser, and touches of other Underground influences such as Rory Hayes and S.Clay Wilson in this strip I'd say.<br />
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Aidan Cook provides an entertaining Rock & Roll tale from the crypt, in his comic about a bullied school nerd who is beaten up by the jocks, who performs a satanic rite and invokes Joey Ramone to avenge him! A fun strip with lots of references to Ramones songs.<br />
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Barry Cook returns (accompanied by 'Lizard') with his Dr Sarcophagus character, whom I wasn't really keen on in previous issues. This story is better told however, involving a victim of one of the nazi doctor's minions - a sinewy flesh eating beast which absorbs and stores it's victims to return to it's master.<br />
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Robscenity's 'Sextermination In Paradise' is a darkly comedic S&M social satire involving a well-off pair of new-age Trustafarians who are enjoying their stoned country picnic until it's hijacked by a couple of psychotic sadists who easily subdue and kidnap them.<br />
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From here the unsuspecting pair are subjected to painful<br />
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humiliation (complete with absurdist and pitch black gags - I mean jokes, not the things that go in your gob - although there's those as well) before being reconditioned and set out into the world again on a mission.<br />
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The strip seemed to me, beyond the fetish-fantasy pervery, like a send up of two British cultural stereotypes on opposite sides of the spectrum; On one - spoilt and workshy drug-taking middle class hippy loafers, and on the other; the vindictive and fascistic mentalities of hardcore tories and Daily Mail readers who want to 'get tough' on the layabouts they perceive all around them, and force them into adopting their ideology and values. Rob's art is as beautiful as always, and his penchant for fem-dom hasn't changed, although this time, a male character gets to be dominant also.<br />
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The final main story is by Paul Arscott (formerly Paul Arserott) and is entitled 'DMT: Gateway To Oblivion'. This was a very effective tale, following the life of 'Herman Eddie'; a young drop-out who's been abusing various substances after leaving school.<br />
Obsessed with altered states, narcotic highs, and psychoactive experiences, coupled with a reclusive fascination for death metal, porn, the occult,and the morbid, young Eddie is already living an isolated and precarious existence before he tries his first hit of DMT. He experiences an intense, melting away of the reality around him, and encounters strange creatures who are trying to tell him something.<br />
Impressed by his hit, he buys a greater quantity of the substance and goes home, where he prepares a huge cocktail of LSD, PCP laced joints, then smokes heroin in a hope of deadening his body, before taking the DMT which he hopes will take him away from reality to the 'other place'.<br />
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Sure enough, Eddie trips like crazy and astrally projects from his body flying over trees and oceans before being sucked into a volcano.<br />
From here, Eddie's trip becomes a nightmare as his soul has been drawn into hell itself, trapped and unable to return to it's body, it is instead subjected to the many tortures of the underworld.<br />
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There is a twist of course and all is not as it seems.<br />
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This strip worked really well for me. It's narrated in a style similar to anti-drugs propaganda films, episodes of the twilight zone or old EC comics, which seem fitting in all respects. It's an OTT cautionary tale about abusing drugs, and the dark places the mind can go, and Arscott does a great job of putting all this into the constraints of a horror story and still making it gritty and disturbing but also darkly funny at moments. It's possibly my favourite of his stories so far.<br />
There's a couple of other good one page fillers in here by the above contributors and over all this is the strongest issue of Eyeball Comix to date (and I was a fan of the other issues). Get one while you still can! <a href="http://www.eyeballcomix.co.uk/">http://www.eyeballcomix.co.uk/</a><br />
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seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-73302075682565609712013-08-11T05:32:00.000-07:002013-08-18T05:13:57.827-07:00My Art: Girlfriend With Combover, Albert Tatlock, Fracking and other art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here's some other recent stuff. The one to the left is a play on The Smiths' 'Girlfriend In A Coma' lyrics. I did intend to shade the whole pic with brushpens, but then decided I quite liked the simple line art effect with a little brushpen shading.<br />
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I've also put the initial sketch up too, which had the brushpen shading. I rejected that drawing though as the comb-over wasn't serious enough.<br />
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I copied off the photo/ cover art of The Smiths 'Best...' compilation, making my own changes.<br />
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My next recent art was a silly idea based on lyrics of the '80s radio pop-hit 'The King Of The Rock & Roll' by Prefab Sprout.<br />
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The original lyrics were "Hot Dog, Jumping Frog, Albuquerque", but for some reason I liked the idea of them singing Albert Tatlock in the chorus (Albert Tatlock was a very old school character from the old days of TV soap 'Coronation Street' for those who have no idea what I'm wittering about).<br />
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And here's The Skid's tribute anthem to Mr Tatlock, updated for the modern audience:<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_b0Tf_AEuA<br />
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Here's one I did after reading that Frank Miller's black and white cover art for The Dark Knight Returns was going to be auctioned off and was estimated to sell for $500,000. What struck me most was how pumped up Batman looked, hence my parody.<br />
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Finally, here's a quick sketch that a drew and coloured in one evening in support of the Anti-Fracking protesters at Balcombe, West Sussex.<br />
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The picture shows Lord Browne, ex-BP boss and head of UK fracking company Cuadrilla, who also works for the government and is paid by the tax payer. On top of all that, his company have also been award huge tax breaks to frack around the UK by George Osborne. <br />
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For those not in the know, Fracking (the slang for 'hydraulic fracturing') is a very harmful way of getting to shale gas by drilling and pumping high pressure chemicals and water under the ground to fracture shale, releasing gas. The process causes contamination of water with methane gas and toxic chemicals, as well as the other toxic waste fluids being then left to evaporate causing air pollution, acid rain etc. In the U.S. where fracking has been going for some time, there have been many cases of sensory, respiratory and neurological damage caused through drinking water contaminated by nearby fracking gas drilling. Fracking also removes billions of litres of much needed water from the water table. Hear is a trailer for a very good documentary - 'Gasland', about 'fracking' in the U.S: <br />
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seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-2746754731684545332013-07-17T05:25:00.002-07:002013-07-17T08:56:58.839-07:00Review: Absence by Andy Luke & Stephen Downey - A comic about epilepsy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Absence is a superb and very unique comic.<br />
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Very personal, yet a very educational and informative read, Andy Luke has written an absorbing account of living with epilepsy and how it has impacted on his, and others' lives.<br />
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Stephen Downey, has done a great job to make the script visually engaging - using greyscale shading, he manages to create gritty, clear, yet beautiful and sometimes dynamic art, which reminds me a little of the '90s Vertigo era comics styles of Steve Yowell and Sean Phillips.<br />
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The comic begins with the recollection of Andy's first episode or 'absence' (see right page)- where as a child, he freezes in the street, much to the concern of his mum. In this milder episode, Andy has no recognition of his temporary absence, and is upset and unnerved by what his mum tells him.<br />
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From here the story goes through his early life and condition - starting with being sent to hospital and diagnosed (theres a great couple of panels where the young luke thinks "I'M TRON" whilst hooked up the the ECG glue pads and wires).<br />
There's memories of missing an exam, and a favourite teacher's surprise reaction to his condition, then a fast-forward to Andy's teenage years, studying through college, doing all nighters, out drinking, having the mentality that his condition is "not a problem and shouldn't get in the way of having a normal life".<br />
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As he burns the candle at both ends however, and takes a second job, his seizures become more violent.<br />
His memories then flash forward slightly, to a girl who he was smitten with while working as a care assistant in a home for vulnerable adults.<br />
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He recounts how she had really bad and frequent seizures, so much so, that she used to wear a riding helmet to protect to her head.<br />
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Downey does a great job of illustrating these sequences (click to enlarge the images on the left) and the girl's episode, while Luke explains a little more about what goes on in the brain whilst a seizure occurs, and what others should do if in a situation with someone who is having an episode. And later, he goes into how a sufferer feels after an episode, how draining (physically and emotionally) this can be.<br />
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The next stage of the story looks at ways the older Andy took steps to gain greater control over the epilepsy, and how through being open and aware, avoiding triggers, and through looking after his mind and body, Luke managed to avoid having seizures for 11 and a half years ("Before the days of his big crisps habit" as he calls it).<br />
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The next few pages of the comic look again, in more detail on how Luke experienced the seizures in the moment, the sensations, the disorientated sense of continuity, of being drawn away or 'bodyjacked' and disassociation from the external 'reality', taken off to somewhere far away.<br />
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There's a very sweet and funny segment, where Andy recounts the one person who has been able to 'call him back' consistently, his University neighbour, Hashesh (see above right).<br />
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The last few pages look at myths, prejudics and supersitions (in a humorous and slightly sarcastic way) surrounding epilepsy, before finally looking at 'bio feedback''; the gradual process of slowly acquiring voluntary control of an involuntary function, which Luke states is basically the process of learning.<br />
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He notes that in his 11 and a half years without violent 'grand mal' seizures, he was learning new skills, studying and accelerating neural pathways in his brain, which is what occurs when we learn (the bridge building metaphor highlights these connections).<br />
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He also urges for greater communication between sufferers and witnesses, bringing their perceptions together, which he insists is vital for doctors, patients, and supporters alike.<br />
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The comic ends on the idea that epilepsy is not something that the individual affected by it should be intimidated by, that rather, they can to a great extent, take control of their condition, and that they have an exclusive experience and knowledge. This last notion is expressed brilliantly visually, by a slightly mystical montage of the eye and space.<br />
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Absence is written and flows in a very natural way, it's never pretentious, it always feels candid, warm and open with moments of humour throughout. What's even better, is that it's completely free! You can read the 20 page comic in it's entirety <a href="http://absencecomic.com/">here</a> </div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-32090177660911258162013-07-17T04:10:00.001-07:002013-08-11T05:42:32.620-07:00My Art: Our Country's Leaders (Those Conniving Bleeders) THE COMIX READER 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So this particular strip was published in The Comix Reader #4.<br />
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A satire of our current Conservative/ Liberal Democrat government here in the UK (ConDem, a very apt and bitterly ironic title). I'm still not really sure what the Liberal Democrats do - they just seem to look sad and frown a lot while the tories rape and pillage.<br />
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I could have gone on a lot more and really laid into them, but, with the confines of one page, you need to reel it in and thing about a gag pay-off (a real groaner too - I love groaners).<br />
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This was a last minute submission too, done over a two day period right on the deadline, so it was fast and loose.<br />
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The Comix Reader #4 is a really good comic, some really great UK Underground/ Alternative artists involved, as in the other issues. You can buy them all for only £1 (or all 4 for £3.75) from the Paper Tiger website: <a href="http://www.papertigercomix.com/">www.papertigercomix.com</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-65268295283965100752013-07-17T03:56:00.000-07:002013-08-18T07:36:55.162-07:00My Art: Alan Sugar In 'Toilet Fun' THE COMIX READER #3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--95QjBpu0Tc/UeZ25HWB_0I/AAAAAAAAAVk/BZIqaxgV5Rc/s1600/alan_sugar_strip_COMBINED_colour_80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--95QjBpu0Tc/UeZ25HWB_0I/AAAAAAAAAVk/BZIqaxgV5Rc/s320/alan_sugar_strip_COMBINED_colour_80.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So, I'm aware that I've been doing a lot of reviews on her and promoting other peoples' stuff, and not really posting my art from the last couple of years.<br />
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I may as well promote myself too!<br />
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This is a two page strip which was combined to go into The Comix Reader #3.<br />
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It features Sir Alan Sugar, for those outside the UK who don't about him, he's a millionaire businessman who set up the BBC Reality TV series 'The Apprentice' (as later adopted by pinched-face combover king Donald Trump)<br />
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Literal toilet humour (mixed with satire) seems to be a speciality of mine...<br />
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The Comix Reader #4 is a really good comic, some really great UK
Underground/ Alternative artists involved, as in the other issues. You
can buy them all for only £1 (or all 4 for £3.75) from the Paper Tiger
website: <a href="http://www.papertigercomix.com/">www.papertigercomix.com</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-33621053215402467302013-07-12T14:14:00.000-07:002013-07-17T14:33:58.139-07:00Review: ROMP #1 & #2 by Aaron Lange (ADULTS ONLY)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t9L1Kz9ybjk/Ud_7gocV-JI/AAAAAAAAAT0/0UhDJmmqQK0/s1600/Romp_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t9L1Kz9ybjk/Ud_7gocV-JI/AAAAAAAAAT0/0UhDJmmqQK0/s320/Romp_1.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
Aaron Lange's Romp is a guilty pleasure. It's certainly x-rated, in your face, perverse. It's crass, bad taste and politically incorrect, but ultimately it's funny, brave, challenging, and has the ability to simultaneously poke at your sensibilities, whilst making you laugh out loud. What at first might look on the surface like a 'men only' shock-jock porno comic (no doubt many would either immediately reject it or buy it as such), actually is a clever, satirical and fairly open-minded comic (not for the easily offended mind you). It takes swipes in all directions, and slyly uses it's sexual imagery, characters and situations often to send-up politics, history, attitudes, stereotypes, bullshit and societal values, more than it does to tittilate and shock. Lange also indulges his obsessions, celebrates sleaze and artistic freedom, using deliberate puns and wiseacre comments, and 'moneyshots' as punchlines, to give the middle finger to those who would have us all live in a culture of 'morally-pure', guilt-ridden, repressive straightjackets.<br />
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To set the tone, issue #1 starts off with a visual pun. Above a P.O.V. drawing of a
menstruating woman (blood squirting out of her like ketchup), is her speech bubble which states "This comic is for anyone who's been busted for obscenity...PERIOD!!!". And at the base of the page is a quote from J.G. Ballard: "In a sense, pornography is the most political form of fiction, dealing with how we use and exploit each other in the most urgent and ruthless ways".<br />
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We then have a one page strip which uses the 3 panel format to send-up sex in the '70s, '80s and '90s with a gag and comparison for each, showing how attitudes change with the times and fashions.<br />
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The next 6 page strip entitled "Incest & Peppermints" is a very near the knuckle yet very funny comic about a bored, hippy stoner brother and sister, who decide to fuck each other to stick it to the man, and start a new world! Part of me was reading this one and thinking "this is wrong!", the larger part of me was gleefully relishing and laughing out loud at the self-important, 'free-love values' satire, and hilarious one liners.<br />
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'Career Girls' is a pervy 2-pager which kind of makes a point about the lengths some people will go to look good in the hopes of furthering their career, whilst catering for a niche fetish at the same time.<br />
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'Master Race Theatre' features Adolf Hitler as the frustrated and compromising artist, with his aryan muse, who get's truly inspired to paint his 'masterpience' once they get it on and he goes down south... Funny visual pay-off gag to this one.<br />
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The comic then introduces the regular characters 'Hesh & his pal Jay Jazz'; Hesh is a rather sensitive loser (prone to quoting old verse, philosophy and latin), who has no luck with the ladies, while Jay Jazz is an aging Beatnik lounge-lizard who knows how to charm the ladies and throw wild parties. I really like these characters and their miscreant exploits a lot.<br />
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The first story includes Jay Jazz posing as an alpha-male jock to pick up a girl at the bar ("Girls go for douche bags, you think I cruise for trim looking like a jazznik?" exclaims jay), Hesh then follows him home to spy & learn more about his technique of 'sealing the deal'. Let's just say his methods are unconventional.<br />
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In the second Hesh comic, our protagonist is prematurely awoken from his best and most erotic dream ever (see below), but when he tries to go back to sleep and get back to where he left off, he gets another sexual dream instead, but not one he bargained for!<br />
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The third story revolves around a Stag Party put on by Jay Jazz.<br />
Hesh, dons his ceremonial fez, drinks cocktails with the bachelor members of C.A.D. (Courteous Advocates of Debauchery), before meeting the evening's entertainment (a bukkake Barbarella), and Hesh having to undergo a humiliating forfeit (sending up male fraternal peer groups, and their weird customs).<br />
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The final two Hesh & Friends strips introduce a new recurring female character 'Ronnie'; a pretentious, posh & flakey arty-hipster type, who is up for a kinky good time, who the cringing Hesh finds scary and weird but is also attracted too.<br />
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More Pathos ensues for poor ol' Hesh, but the opportunistic Jay Jazz is in like Flynn, ready to accomodate Ronnie's weird sexual requests.<br />
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Issue #1 also includes this striking Centrefold Pin-Up for all you gender-bending, transsexual lovers out there...<br />
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Other strips include 'A Brief History Of Feminism', 'Per-Mission Impossible' (an ironic strip looking at how over-consideration, procrastination, and too much sensitivity mixed with liberal male guilt, can be a turn-off for women.) 'Post Racial Romance', 'What Women Think About', Nietzsche In Love' & 'Cocktail Party'. <br />
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As for issue #2 of Romp, there's loads more Hesh and friends, 'World War Blue'; another short gag strip at Hitler's expense, the very funny colour back cover 'Clownin' Around' (depicting clowns having group hardcore sex), and the epic 20 page "Hey, do you wanna..."; A playful, rhyming comic where a myriad of different women ask the reader if they wish to partake in their particular kink.<br />
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As with all of Aaron's work, this strip is beautifully drawn and inked, and he utilises full pages to create montages and retro pin-up style pieces throught this particular comic.<br />
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If you don't have a kneejerk reaction to it's use of taboos, pornography, and piss-taking of various mindsets & stereotypes, and don't take any of it too seriously, then Romp is very enjoyable and manages to pull off within it's pages what most sex comics fail at.<br />
In fact, I could be wrong here, but I think this comic's real purpose is for us all to laugh at ourselves, and the absurdity of it all, as well as the artist getting to indulge his visual fetishes, draw women, and express his thoughts in humourous ways and inject some wit and out-there ideas. It may be from an unapologetic male voyeuristic perspective, yet under the hip, tough bravado, there's a deviant angle to it all, and a sense of frankness and fun. <br />
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Romp certainly won't be for everyone. The sexually conservative and prudish would do well to avoid it which probably goes without saying, as would the easily rattled on the more liberal and radical feminist end of the spectrum. It's not a manifesto for all kinds of sexual, multi-sexual, or polyamorous liberation; it's a comic that primarily deals with a male fantasy viewpoint, and one artist's world view, with a bit of weirdness, fetish and alternative lifestyles thrown in, mostly for comedic effect. The self-centred Ronnie is the only female character who really has personality out all the female characters, although some of the other female characters get some good one liners. It's easy to see why Robert Crumb is a fan, because he is probably the nearest comparison I can think of in terms of content and intent; putting his thoughts, kinks and visual fantasies out there, and critiscising that which he sees as hypocritical, ironic or absurd in liberalism and feminism (not just the uptight right). The criticisms of feminism and liberalism by Lange seem pretty minor though, in case you're thinking he's Rush Limbaugh or something. Comparisons could be made to Rick Altergott and early Ivan Brunetti or Johnny Ryan too in terms of tone, but Aaron certainly doesn't feel like an imitator.<br />
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In fact, as a cartoonist, Lange is top draw, and I'm really surprised he hasn't been picked up by a major publisher by now. Romp #3 is now out too, which I haven't yet read. And he will soon have a new comic, 'Trim' coming out soon which I'm looking forward to.<br />
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You, can buy them, and other great comics, from the publisher (Dexter Cockburn's The Comix Company) here: <a href="http://here./">http://thecomixcompany.ecrater.com/c/1133573/underground-comix</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-37483999441057112432013-04-23T16:56:00.000-07:002013-04-23T17:54:43.219-07:00Review: Monty Comix #4 by Kayla Escobedo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What a great comic! Monty Comix #4 is another modern Underground Comix treat published by Dexter Cockburn's The Comix Company, and my introduction to Kayla Escobedo's work.<br />
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Kayla uses anthropomorphic characters ('Chiz' and 'Lil Whalegirl' being her stars) to tell stories that feel like they're based on real life, but with a slightly off-kilter, tweaked and surreal take.<br />
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The artwork is beautiful - full colour inks and fine-art style painting throughout, which works wonderfully in telling the stories.<br />
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There's a few single page comics, my fav of these is a true story about an investigation into a strange, foul odour coming from whalegirl's house.<br />
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The feature story however, is 'The Sleep-Over' starring lil' Whalegirl and her two friends.<br />
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The story starts at school and one of Whalegirl's friends is having a sleep over and invites her and another friend along.<br />
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Whalegirl's friend lives in a housing project with her mother.<br />
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After providing a dinner of pigs in blankets and salty chips, the mother goes to bed early, leaving the girls alone. They watch TV and talk about girls things.<br />
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Things suddenly change however, when Whalegirl's friend wants to show her pals the 'awesome channel' which she's discovered on cable.<br />
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The next few pages are conveyed brilliantly; with bizarre, exaggerated, grotesque images (which I found very funny), shown alongside the shock,embarrassment and uncomfortable expressions of the three friends who watch in silence as the images get more bizarre and explicit as they go (the image on the right is the first of these pages).<br />
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After this eye-opening sequence, the girls then go to bed, wide awake, and heads still reeling from what they have seen (apart from their friend who introduced them to this very adult world, who is shown sleeping calmly like a log).<br />
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The end of this story which takes place the next day, while still slightly comedic in tone, for me was somewhat tragic and revealing too. Despite the surreal sequences, Kayla creates an authentic and very matter of fact, yet sympathetic story.<br />
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It's this subtle and original story that really made Monty Comix #4 shine for me, and I really hope Escobedo keeps producing work of this quality.<br />
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You can get a copies of Monty Comix, and other great Undergrounds from: <a href="http://thecomixcompany.ecrater.com/">http://thecomixcompany.ecrater.com</a><br />
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seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-43388571592249233832013-04-23T14:56:00.000-07:002013-04-23T17:26:19.126-07:00Review: Cheap Laffs #1,2 & 3 by Nate Higley & Tavi Lux Veraldi (& Friends)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Some comics are done purely for fun and
the artist's own amusement and that can give it an immediate,
infectious appeal. Cheap Laffs started out as a comix jam between
Nate Higley and Tavi Lux Veraldi, and they've kept the spirit of this
playful spontaneity going throughout the 3 issues. Coming out of Ann
Arbor, MI, with a production ethic somewhere between Underground
Mini-Comix and punk zines, Cheap Laffs is great value and good
gross-out fun .</div>
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The two sparring partners are a good
double-act, occassionally appearing in the strips (and on the
covers), depicting themselves in self-deprecating ways and
highlighting their own twisted humour.</div>
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The comics have lots of influences
running through them; everything from slapstick cartoon violence,
horror film spoofs, surreal comedy, Japanese monster movies, to
everyday lowlives behavingly badly.</div>
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Some of the comics remind me slightly
of early Johnny Ryan or Evan Dorkin, or something out of a John
Waters movie.
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For a few examples, the comics include:</div>
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-A psychological horror spoof involving
a crazed sadist and some terrorised chickens.</div>
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-Anthropomorphised artist tools fall
prey to the x-acto knife</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ltwBkMvgnQ/UXcBbb9V5YI/AAAAAAAAAQw/vl_3liSoGJE/s1600/cheap+laffs+pencil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ltwBkMvgnQ/UXcBbb9V5YI/AAAAAAAAAQw/vl_3liSoGJE/s320/cheap+laffs+pencil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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-A cavalcade of deviants introduce a
first timer to 'Sex Pops'; an ice-lolly ad for the discerning perv.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F2XvJYkA_D4/UXcBwbUYWPI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/z8LjGJea6Hc/s1600/cheap+laffs+noelle+panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F2XvJYkA_D4/UXcBwbUYWPI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/z8LjGJea6Hc/s320/cheap+laffs+noelle+panel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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-A middle-aged man doing something I
never wanted to see with a Hello Kitty accessory</div>
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-A group of kid's getting a
stomach-churning 'treat' they never bargained for on Halloween night.</div>
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My favourite strips however, feature a
pair of trailer park metalhead ne'er-do-wells referred to only as
'Dude' & Brah'. These two keepers of the mullet make Beavis &
Butthead look like Siskel & Ebert. Always on the look out for
'pelt' (or any makedo substitute), their strips follow their
mis-adventures which include a mission to get tampons for mom, and
getting dolled up in makeup and attempting to woo a Christian Metal
chick, which spans a two-parter in issues 2 & 3 and has a very
funny and rather nasty finale.</div>
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Higley & Veraldi also enlist the
help of their friends/ guest artists Noelle Barby, Matt Hansen &
Janet Nelson, for a few fun collaborations that work well. And issue
#3 has a really nice illustration/ pin-up of one of the dude/brah
characters by Nick Melody.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pKFidr9gP2g/UXcCtkH677I/AAAAAAAAARQ/kZUPUT6bPYQ/s1600/CHEAP+LAFFS+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pKFidr9gP2g/UXcCtkH677I/AAAAAAAAARQ/kZUPUT6bPYQ/s320/CHEAP+LAFFS+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Also of note, issue #3 comes with a
very cool attached flexi-disc record with 5 Ann Arbor punk &
hardcore bands covering the same track “Make Babies Or Die Trying”.
An accompanying comic by Steve Peterson & Josh-Redd Sanchez
explains the origins of this song, and how it became a local comedic
anthem with a cult following, and a tradition at local gigs.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At only $3 dollars for a record and a
20 page comic, this makes Cheap Laffs #3 a steal. And issues 1 &
2 are only a buck each (or trade) if they haven't sold out already.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To get your hands on a copy, email
<a href="mailto:nicfitcomics@gmail.com">nicfitcomics@gmail.com</a>
before they run out.</div>
</div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-1872189308490705382012-09-26T16:42:00.002-07:002012-09-26T17:31:20.919-07:00Review: Eyeball Comix #2 UK Underground Mayhem!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6i5hSW_MiFw/T_cRRpykWgI/AAAAAAAAANg/UkKYJo7g4Yg/s1600/eyeball+comix+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6i5hSW_MiFw/T_cRRpykWgI/AAAAAAAAANg/UkKYJo7g4Yg/s320/eyeball+comix+2.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
This is a lovely produced 52 page comic; with high quality printing throughout.<br />
<br />
The first thing that hooks you is that amazing cover by the artist Gunsho....It really is eye popping; quite apt for an anthology called Eyeball Comix.<br />
<br />
As with the first issue (see my previous <a href="http://papertigersroarfeed.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/review-eyeball-comix-1.html">review of issue #1</a>), the driving force in terms of art and ideas are messrs Paul Arserott & Rob Amos (now going under the pseudonym 'Robscenity').<br />
<br />
In true Underground anthology tradition, there's a real mix of humour, sex, and violence; real life horror, fake ads, pirate sluts, heavy metal demons, funny grotesquery, alien invasions...Even Bruce Campbell makes an appearance!<br />
<br />
So without further ado, let's get stuck into the strips!<br />
<br />
First up is Paul Arserott's brilliant 'Creepy Crawl'. This genuinely creepy story tells a real-life tale of Susie Atkins AKA Sadie Mae Glutz; member of 'The Manson Family' and killer of Gary Hinman.<br />
<br />
The strip focusses on the testimony of Virginia Graham; the woman who shared a dormitory with Atkins in a L.A. Detention Centre before Atkins' trial.<br />
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Whilst incarcerated there, Atkins decided to boast and confide to Graham about her involvement in the Charles Manson Family murders and her violent fantasies which she had planned, and wished to act out on other celebrities.<br />
<br />
Arserott brilliantly renders these disturbing fantasies which clearly illustrate how deranged and damaged this Manson family member was, and the kind of power Manson had over his followers.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FIELLzotHrA/UGOH14h-XVI/AAAAAAAAAOM/CFaDBYCzVKg/s1600/eyeball-+pirates2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FIELLzotHrA/UGOH14h-XVI/AAAAAAAAAOM/CFaDBYCzVKg/s320/eyeball-+pirates2.jpg" width="203" /></a>'Robscenity' continues his piracy theme from issue #1, and delivers another beautifully drawn and pervy underground comic entitled 'Pirate Sluts'.<br />
<br />
This darkly comic tale is simple enough: A motley crew of male pirates spot a group of comely seafaring women encroaching on the border of their territory.<br />
<br />
Deciding they will teach the wenches a lesson and rape and pillage while they're at it, the pirates set sail and invade the woman's camp with no idea that the lasses are battle-hardened pirates themselves and more than equipped to deal with their male counterparts.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UgNOHGkCWbo/UGOJLon0MVI/AAAAAAAAAOU/GjbRtEVSh30/s1600/eyeball+-+pirates+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UgNOHGkCWbo/UGOJLon0MVI/AAAAAAAAAOU/GjbRtEVSh30/s320/eyeball+-+pirates+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
What really makes this strip is Rob's tongue-in-cheek humour, the way he draws his foul perverts and busty pirates, and his clearly genuine love of portraying feisty, dominant women overpowering, humiliating and maiming those who would do the same. You can tell he gets off on it.<br />
<br />
This is female empowerment exploitation style, akin to an X-Rated Russ Meyer flick (if he'd ever done a pirate film). Where in the end, the women make sure they get what THEY want (as the last page, which I haven't shown, clearly demonstrates).<br />
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This issue also welcomes the debut of Kyle Platts, who has a really interesting and grotesque drawing style and a great warped sense of humour.<br />
<br />
He has 3 different strips in the anthology, my favourite being 'Shotgun' pictured to your right.<br />
<br />
Aidan Cook provides 2 Thrash Metal influenced satanic horror/ darkly comic strips, one briefly featuring cult B-Movie favourite Bruce Campbell as a Genie. Whilst certainly different, I wasn't really knocked over by either story, which to me, seemed to want to focus on coolness and appeal mostly to niche metal fans, rather than focussing on telling a more interesting story. I did really like Cook's one page poster portraying a living-dead graveyard metal-head though.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ON3mzDcjgUM/UGOP46KT2iI/AAAAAAAAAO8/IWJsQr0-re8/s1600/eyeball+-+fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ON3mzDcjgUM/UGOP46KT2iI/AAAAAAAAAO8/IWJsQr0-re8/s320/eyeball+-+fly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Mr Arserott reappears for the final strip 'Blowflies from Outer Space', a very entertaining, darkly comic B-moviesque tale about brain-eating blowflies who stowaway on a moonlanding vehicle and invade earth.<br />
<br />
Arserott's more cartoon-like approach to this mayhem has visual shades of Johnny Ryan and Mike Diana to it and is gleefully apocalyptic.<br />
<br />
Artist Burgerlips' 'Guffball 3000' is a nicely drawn and coloured fake advertisment too.<br />
<br />
Whilst there's more 'meat' to it than issue 1, I still feel the comic suffers from a few other filler strips/pages that felt unnecessary. Eyeball #1 started off great, and issue #2 improves upon it, so hopefully, in the future it will become a stronger anthology throughout every page... Despite those niggles, it remains one of the seldom few original and quality UK Underground Comix out there. Check it out! <a href="http://eyeballcomix.blogspot.com/">http://eyeballcomix.blogspot.com/</a></div>
seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-24438057618818552922012-07-05T22:03:00.000-07:002012-07-05T22:27:06.382-07:00Review: Frightfeast by Mark K Allen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When this comic arrived in the post for me to review, I hovered over the envelope and froze, sensing a putrifying evil presence within....Dare I open this unholy Pandora's box (or rather, pandora's envelope)?<br />
<br />
Of course I bloody did! ...First thing to assault my eyes was the psychedelic carnage that is the front cover; a warning to the faint of heart of just some of the twisted madness that lies within..."SLEAZE, GORE...NOTHIN' MORE!...SIGHTS SO HORRIBLE, YOU'LL HAVE FRIGHTMARES!".<br />
<br />
I tentatively opened the book and was immediately greeted with maggot-ridden dementia; the narrating character is introduced; huddled by the bins of an alley, injecting substances into his rotten, pustule ridden flesh, recounting his past of the teacher who threw flaming shit at his face, and his cannibal parents who he blames for his own ghoulish behaviour...<br />
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He confides that his drug-addled psychotic mind is so twisted, that his body has rejected it, and a second brain has grown in his arse for the sole purpose of kicking himself in the head.... The story then morphs into another nightmare scenario; is this a drug hallucination of the narrator's fevered mind, or is he awakening from a nightmare into an even darker reality?...<br />
<br />
The comic has now gone into the world of 70's exploitation horrors and 80's video nasties - the familiar terrain of the gorehound. A nazi scientist is conducting inhuman experiments on a tropical island somewhere; creating bloodthirsty zombies and hideous mutants to serve his twisted will. He sends his thug subordinates to look for fresh 'samples' as he has almost exhausted his supply of playthings<br />
<br />
On another part of the island, a group of not very bright film makers and actors have arrived to make a movie, not realising the danger they are walking into...<br />
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Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist (or a nazi one) to figure out what's on the cards....But who will survive the carnage, and what will happen when the scientist's creations develop a will of their own, and mutate in ways their creator could have never imagined?<br />
<br />
Frightfeast is like going on a coach tour of gleeful sickness with a bunch of intoxicated cenobites; You'll either be in heaven or in hell, depending on your tastes.<br />
<br />
For those of you who prefer complex, multi-layered stories, character development, high brow subtleties, and the serious, atmospheric build up approach to horror, then this probably won't be for you.<br />
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For those however who prefer to wade right in, enjoying all things splatter and the wantonly graphic, whose minds have been warped from many a late night orgy of shlocky, violent celluloid gorefest; then this will DEFINATELY be your cup of (bloody) tea.<br />
<br />
Me, I like both (depending on my mood) and to my mind, the comic can be enjoyed on the level of visual experience and pitch-black humour alone. At moments it's disturbing and the next knowingly OTT and absurd; giving a knowing wink to the genre fans it is made for. It's almost like Allen's possessed, desensitised mind is not really concerned with a traditional plot, but rather exorcising itself onto the page, spewing up every gruesome influence that has crept it's way in there, mutating, and adding to a collage of warped and savage creativity which certainly has a morbid fascination to it.<br />
<br />
Mark has an edgy and interesting art style; pages are often montages which have a natural fluidity and dynamism to them, and great use of contrast and motion.<br />
<br />
There are references to the more obscure Italian and Grindhouse horrors, to classics like The Thing, Cannibal Holocaust, I Drink Your Blood, Evil Dead and Hellraiser II, with the humour of early Peter Jackson (Bad Taste/ Braindead) in places. Plus there's a nice little 'reality check' and twist at the end.<br />
<br />
If you think you can stomach Frighfeast, then email Mark at <a href="mailto:Fetidsmile@googlemail.com">Fetidsmile@googlemail.com</a>. Sweet dreams!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-25592992083032148492012-06-20T17:52:00.000-07:002012-06-20T19:58:29.267-07:00What? You say you don't read Underground Comix anymore? WELL 'FHA Q!!!' (FHA Q #1-3 by John Orlando)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-smP-1nADjGg/T-JgUcxmwGI/AAAAAAAAAMI/FYJZW9SvCZk/s1600/fhaQ+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-smP-1nADjGg/T-JgUcxmwGI/AAAAAAAAAMI/FYJZW9SvCZk/s320/fhaQ+3.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
So, I was hoping to review issues #1 & 2, of John Orlando's 'FHA Q'; (a quality looking contemporary U.S Underground Comix), but it looks like the copies he sent over from the states got lost somewhere in transit.<br />
<br />
Well, I hope SOMEONE, somewhere is having a bloody good read of them anyway!<br />
<br />
Having seen numerous panels and teaser strips online for the book, I can honestly say that FHA-Q looks to not only keep the tradition of the U.S Underground comic alive and well, but it also reflects the tone of great satirical comics like MAD and Humbug, bringing them up to date for today's hectic and crazy world.<br />
<br />
The warped tone of themes and characters includes all kinds of sympathetic freaks, misanthropes, weirdos, eccentric geniuses, curvaceous women, swipes at corporate greed (vs the everyman), the recession, life on the street, and scenarios that mix the modern world with slightly surreal goings on.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9_gXkUuZaE/T-JqCn11ExI/AAAAAAAAAMU/9wvEL5IEH7o/s1600/fhaQ+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9_gXkUuZaE/T-JqCn11ExI/AAAAAAAAAMU/9wvEL5IEH7o/s320/fhaQ+2.jpg" width="209" /></a>John has also promoted the comic by showing lots of the fake advertisments and reader testimonies that lampoon the consumerist society in which we live.<br />
<br />
No one seems safe from being caught in the crosshairs and trapped inside the panels by Orlando's pen:<br />
<br />
From what I've seen so far, anyone and everyone from art critics, pretentious intellectuals, the self obsessed and greedy, to those who angrily attack things they don't understand, to judgemental misanthropes and the terminally humourless.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ad0xLuIQeL4/T-JuJ8xIfgI/AAAAAAAAAMo/JFl5hHYX_Po/s1600/fhaQ+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ad0xLuIQeL4/T-JuJ8xIfgI/AAAAAAAAAMo/JFl5hHYX_Po/s320/fhaQ+1.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
<br />
At the time of writing this, issue #3 has just come back from the press and is available to buy along with the other two issues.<br />
<br />
You can buy any of the three issues individually, or as part of a triple issue deal from JGM comics online:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://jgmcomics.ecrater.com/p/15266892/fha-q-3">http://jgmcomics.ecrater.com/p/15266892/fha-q-3</a><br />
<br />
Be warned however, as Orlando states in his own disclaimers; reading it can bring about all kinds of weird side effects, maladjustments, or warp your mind for good!...<br />
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<br /></div>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-2707151299246540172012-05-21T16:13:00.002-07:002012-05-25T03:23:32.598-07:00Animation: "The External World" by David OReilly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What can I say? This is one of the best animations I've seen. I'd seen Oreilly's previous animation 'Please Say Something' which was also very good, but this, to me, is outstanding. I've watched it 3 times and it just confirms it's brilliance on each view (to me anyway). The voice artists include Julian Barratt & Adam Buxton (if anyone's interested).<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OxPyN6IK1tM" width="560"></iframe>
</div>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-60366680588577375992012-05-15T15:39:00.000-07:002012-05-15T15:51:41.642-07:00Review: Kiahan (A Tale Of Migration) by Carrie MacKinnon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dVPpPv79EeM/T7LTqh2XnNI/AAAAAAAAALk/lzEmjih_eqI/s1600/kiah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dVPpPv79EeM/T7LTqh2XnNI/AAAAAAAAALk/lzEmjih_eqI/s320/kiah.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
Kiahan is a harrowing and informative tale about a 14 year old boy, who the comic is named after and based on.<br />
<br />
Carrie met him in a detention camp in Calais; a place of squalid conditions, lacking in basic human rights. The comic is based on Kiahan and his brother's story along with other real testimonies and experiences of other migrant 'refugees and asylum seekers' who Carrie met.<br />
<br />
Kiahan was born in Afghanistan, but when his father was killed by the Taliban, he and his brother fled the
country and the comic chronicles their journey and attempt to make their way to the UK for asylum.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zl8GAb-9o5Y/T7LZ25K0cII/AAAAAAAAAL8/WB0Xu4I5V4w/s1600/kiahan+sample2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zl8GAb-9o5Y/T7LZ25K0cII/AAAAAAAAAL8/WB0Xu4I5V4w/s320/kiahan+sample2.jpg" width="223" /></a><br />
The comic highlights the exploitative people-smuggling trade, where Kiahan and his brother spend all their money to be packed into a truck with others and smuggled into
countries that don’t want them, and the dangers of deportation, beatings or death that they face on the way.<br />
<br />
When they reach Calais, Kiahan and his brother Amir try to claim asylum, but are separated when the authorities don't believe Amir is 17, and he is segregated with the adults into a different part of the camp.<br />
<br />
It is here that the story is interrupted by a two page segment that uses quotes from those living in the terrible conditions in the camps, interspersed around Carrie's evocative and slightly surreal art which was inspired by the quote; "it was like dipping your toe in an enormous pool of lost people":<br />
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<br />
When Kiahan and Amir finally are allowed into the UK to live with a foster family; we then also see the prejudice they are subjected to in British society. The comic also conveys Kiahan's wish to not be pitied by others; he and his brother want to learn english, fit in, work and be a useful members of society. Without giving too much away, the story ends on an ambigous note.<br />
<br />
Interspaced
between the comic pages are text pieces that range from reports on the
Calais shantytowns where Kiahan lived, to more general pieces of
information on refugees, detention centres, and the 'No Borders' group; to whom Carrie is affiliated.<br />
<br />
I found this to be a very moving and passionate work; both informative and personal. Carrie's use of subtle water-colour like shading adds a subtlety and mood to the art.<br />
<br />
There
are website addresses and contact information for a lot of different
support groups involved with refugees in the book too, should you be inspired to get involved.<br />
<br />
The comic is only £1 (+postage which is only 50p in the UK!). All the proceeds of the zine go to the 'No Borders' campaign. <br />
<br />
You can get it via <a href="http://www.blackbirdtree.co.uk/Zines.html">here</a><br />
<br />
Also here is a link to those who want to learn more about the issues and lend support: <a href="http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/">http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/</a></div>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-74860205595344700932012-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:002012-05-11T20:57:50.209-07:00Review: JB's Comicstories #1 by JB<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have a bizarre, darkly funny, bold and unnerving little comic here by the mysterious 'JB', once more coming from Canadian Underground Comix Smut Peddlers; '<a href="http://thecomixcompany.ecrater.com/c/1133573/underground-comix">The Comix Company</a>'.<br />
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Subtitled "Traumatism.vid"; The comic explores the murkier side of internet pornography, in particular, the more extreme aspects of live-feed webcam videos.<br />
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The star of the comic is 'Louiese Diseasy' accompanied by her ghostly yet loyal little friend 'Weesy'. Louiese is somewhat of an internet celebrity for her no-holds-barred (or should that be holes?) solo amateur sex videos which attract 1000's of viewers every evening. Louiese considers herself an empowered artist of the adult sex cam, earning money and having a 'wishlist' of gifts that her voyeuristic admirers buy for her.<br />
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Enter the not quite so popular 'Little Baby Teef'. LBT as he is known on the internet, is a troubled and isolated chap who lives in his mother's cellar and has just spent his last bit of internet creds buying a special anniversary DVD edition of 'Nightmare Before Christmas' for Louiese (from her wish list).<br />
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To make ends meet and fuel his porn-addiction/ obsession with Louiese, LBT has a pay-per-view webcam portal of his own; a much darker and masochistic affair, where he uses every extreme BDSM method at his disposal (which is thankfully mostly left to the imagination), torturing himself (or more specifically, his genitals) for money. <br />
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Far from being repulsed by his actions, Louiese considers him the ultimate freaky artist and showman for whom she has the upmost respect."What a monster!" she declares.<br />
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Soon, after, LBT goes out in his van to get some food and happens to recognise Louiese going into the same takeaway place with weesy. Too maladjusted and over-excited to just go up and speak to her, LBT instead kidnaps her off the street, leaving the stricken Weesy behind.<br />
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Louiese is not a bit phased, thinking that her abduction and blindfolding is a planned kidnapped fantasy gone wrong. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TREVOR, I TOLD YOU FRIDAY!!!". After removing her blindfold and realising that it's not Trevor, instead seeing the sweaty ski-mask wearing pervert who tries to reassure her that he's her 'number one fan', Louiese then knocks seven shades of shit out of her captor, before exposing his genitals, which she then recognises from LBT's masochist-cam.<br />
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The two decide to team-up and shake up the online sex world, "together we'll stir emotions and reveal brutal, basic human truths" declares Little Baby Teef, like some nerdy little Marquis De Sade.<br />
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For well over half of the rest of the book, Weesy the ghost searches for Louiese utilising a human host, whilst LBT and Miss Diseasy go on an even more twisted and imaginative odyssey together, garnering interest from all over the internet, which builds, in ways they had not predicted, to a tragi-comic finale, where calamity strikes, then everyone gets what they want...err, kind of.<br />
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Now, this may just sound like an abject lesson in how far human kicks can go, and in many ways it is. The comic, it seems, satirises and comments on extreme sexual fetishes, voyeurism, self-abuse, as well as the 'trollishness' and shallow behaviour of many on the internet; the modern trait of 'viral' videos, where for many, everything is entertainment to be laughed at, sneered at and shared.<br />
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Internet anonymity and privacy (or lack of) plays a part in the story, as does loneliness, taking oneself too seriously, exhibitionism, public ridicule, self loathing, and self-mutilation.<br />
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There's also a good balance/ representation between the two BDSM 'freaks' of the tale; Louiese comes across as sexually liberated, pretty well-adjusted (if just as full-on) and fairly sound of mind, whilst LBT represents someone who is pretty disturbed, yet pitiful, with many hang-ups.<br />
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How much you read into this comic is up to you. At it's core is a black comedy in underground comix mould, but even at the end, the punchline says a lot about how messed up people can be. It also felt like, to my mind, that along with the absurdishness, grossness and humour, it was also somewhat critical of those who judge, ridicule and bully those who are different, just as it was a cartoonish exploration of the extremities of sado-masochism and self-martyrdom...I found it a refreshingly different read, and a very original idea.<br />
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JB also has to be commended on his art style; both the colour cover and his black and white line art look really nice, with a natural fluidity throughout the pages....You can buy the comic for $4 <a href="http://thecomixcompany.ecrater.com/p/11262604/jbs-comicstories-underground-comix-jb">here</a>. Don't torture yourself, just buy a copy!<br />
<br /></div>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-87394681877395355592012-05-09T17:49:00.000-07:002012-05-10T15:37:00.775-07:00For Kelly Thomas...Untitled Piece by Michael Em<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Artist <a href="http://nutsilica.blogspot.co.uk/">Michael Em</a>, made this piece after listening to the audio of the police beating and tazering Kelly Thomas, a mentally-troubled, homeless and unarmed man, to death. As they beat him, Kelly cried out, saying he was sorry, and later
screaming "help me" and screaming for his Dad.<br />
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I've seen the video myself and it's easy to see that it was an unprovoked attack. The two cops who were there initially intimidated and bullied Thomas, then brutalised him, before being joined by others who tazered and jumped on him like a gang of thugs.<br />
And the way they all reacted afterwards was so matter of fact, like it was all just so routine. <br />
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I thought this was a superb piece of art, and very moving and fitting. RIP Kelly Thomas </div>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-11533262643695474282012-05-09T15:27:00.002-07:002012-05-09T16:14:51.600-07:00THE GREEN SLIME!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I had to share this trailer. It looks a wonderfully cheesy 60's creature-feature B-movie, enhanced by the narrator's accentuation; "the Greeeeeen slime!". Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, the song kicks in at the end. Fantastiche! (P.S: I've noticed that the blog cuts off part of the video screen, so you might want to click on the youtube link at the top of the viewer to see it in it's unadulterated glory!)</div>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g79_ljVC5Wk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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....Amd here's that groovin', haemorrhoid poppin', acid-rock space-ditty in all it's glory:<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Izr3Cidaz1M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>seantigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00113619819654809931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692729301609249389.post-59896696582673897202012-04-29T21:05:00.002-07:002022-02-19T05:39:00.633-08:00REVIEW: Hot Little Cut #1 by Carrie Q Contrary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So begins the first of several reviews I'll be doing over the next couple of months, of various salacious, kinky, sex-orientated comix sent to me from Dexter Cockburn's 'The Comix Company' in Canada.<br />
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Dexter and his band of merry perverts are regularly cracking-out comix like no-ones business, getting their creative juices (and libidos) flowing and stimulating their imaginations before getting right down to it; beavering away before the next 'release'.<br />
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It's good to see a comix publisher that has not only kept the torch burning for the uncensorred delights of the Underground of yore, but is releasing new and progressive variations on the adult, sleaze and humour sex-comic genre, and breathing new life into an often ignored/ avoided area of comics by the more prudish.<br />
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I kind of like that 'Dexter Cockburn' and Miss 'Contrary' are using pseudonyms; the names are not only amusing, but also tacitly imply that their work is going to be naughty, underground and explicit enough to warrant aliases from which to peddle their filth under.<br />
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And so, without further ado; our premier comix exhibitionist show of the evening, is Carrie Q. Contrary's 'Hot Little Cut' #1; a 32 page comic made up of 3 different stories and a couple of one page illustrations.<br />
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The first story 'Attack Of The Giant Libido', is a fun fantasy strip which is part 'Attack Of The 50 ft Woman' and part 'Gulliver's Travels', put in a sex-crazed horny blender. Having no luck satisfying her cravings herself, our protagonist ventures off into the outside world; where she continues to grow, more and more, just like her out of control sex-drive.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_07_oavqE4/T536n_pED-I/AAAAAAAAAIk/s8We2jVY5h0/s1600/HLC2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_07_oavqE4/T536n_pED-I/AAAAAAAAAIk/s8We2jVY5h0/s320/HLC2.jpg" width="259" /></a>Pretty soon, she finds a suitable male specimen and picks him up, but unlike the usual creature-feature victims, he seems to be only a slightly shocked, but more aroused, and quite willing to endure whatever is in store for him.<br />
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As can be seen from the page above, she has a novel yet functional use for her tiny lover, as he squirms around inside her. After a literally earth-moving climax (that would put Godzilla to shame), suddenly a whole host of frenzied, horny guys want in on the sexy lady theme park, and so the story becomes a kind of pornographic Gulliver's travels.<br />
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Whilst Milo Manara did a very beautifully drawn version of a Giant 'Gullivera' back in the day, his version seemed a little too controlled, posed, and almost voyeuristically clean-cut. Carrie's version uses quick brush strokes, and moves quickly and more urgently, as though she herself is getting swept away with the fantasy, which seems more flowing and 'down 'n' dirty' as things gush, shudder and explode throughout the panels. I won't give much else away on this one, other than it's a good-humoured, raunchy fantasy comic.<br />
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'Time For A Bath' is a humourous one-page filler comic, all about Carrie getting carried away in the bath tub. <br />
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'Shameless' is a longer strip, the first part of a to-be- continued autobiographical comic. Part memoir, part confessional, the story starts by taking us through Carrie's earliest sexual awakenings; of discovering and exploring her body in different ways.<br />
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I found this the most unique of the three stories, as well as the most honest and personal. Told in a straight-forward style, in a fairly minimalist way, the strip recalls, balances, juxtaposes and subtly blends all the unashamed, innocent curiosity of childhood, and the more secretive and increasingly self-aware world of burgeoning sexuality and pleasure. Probably not the easiest thing to pull off for a lot of people, but Carrie does it naturally and with aplomb.<br />
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This feels like a more mature and thought-provoking work to me (don't get me wrong though, humourous fantasy and titillation is just as valid) which illuminates an area which is seldom talked about, and is generally seen as more taboo for women to discuss it seems, or at least not as readily seen and heard. For instance, we've seen the likes of Robert Crumb and Chester Brown sharing their early sexual experiences in their autobio comic work, but there are very few female cartoonists (to my knowledge) who have given similar insights.<br />
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Also worth a mention are the illustrations. As well as the 'tuff girl' cover, we have 'My Little Porno'; a send up of the popular toy franchise (lets hope Hasbro don't get wind of it!), and an amusing and nicely drawn colour pin-up style bit of debauchery on the back:<br />
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You can buy 'Hot Little Cut' for only $4 (+ shipping) along with lots of other weird, wonderful and depraved comics at the <a href="http://thecomixcompany.ecrater.com/c/1133573/underground-comix">Comix Company website</a>.<br />
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I've still got a little space to use up here, so I will bid you good day, and watch out for more Comix Company reviews, along with many other Underground and Alternative Comix reviews in the very near future!<br />
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As The Cramps said; "STAY SICK!" ;)<br />
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Laters Alligators!<br />
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