Review: Eyeball Comix #2 UK Underground Mayhem!

This is a lovely produced 52 page comic; with high quality printing throughout.

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.

As with the first issue (see my previous review of issue #1), the driving force in terms of art and ideas are messrs Paul Arserott & Rob Amos (now going under the pseudonym 'Robscenity').

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!

So without further ado, let's get stuck into the strips!

 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.

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.

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.

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.

'Robscenity' continues his piracy theme from issue #1, and delivers another beautifully drawn and pervy underground comic entitled 'Pirate Sluts'.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

He has 3 different strips in the anthology, my favourite being 'Shotgun' pictured to your right.

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.

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.

Arserott's more cartoon-like approach to this mayhem has visual shades of Johnny Ryan and Mike Diana to it and is gleefully apocalyptic.

Artist Burgerlips' 'Guffball 3000' is a nicely drawn and coloured fake advertisment too.

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!  http://eyeballcomix.blogspot.com/

Review: Frightfeast by Mark K Allen

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)?

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!".

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...

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?...

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

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...

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you think you can stomach Frighfeast, then email Mark at Fetidsmile@googlemail.com. Sweet dreams!

What? You say you don't read Underground Comix anymore? WELL 'FHA Q!!!' (FHA Q #1-3 by John Orlando)

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.

Well, I hope SOMEONE, somewhere is having a bloody good read of them anyway!

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.

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.

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.

No one seems safe from being caught in the crosshairs and trapped inside the panels by Orlando's pen:

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.

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.

You can buy any of the three issues individually, or as part of a triple issue deal from JGM comics online:

http://jgmcomics.ecrater.com/p/15266892/fha-q-3

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!...

Animation: "The External World" by David OReilly

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).

Review: Kiahan (A Tale Of Migration) by Carrie MacKinnon

Kiahan is a harrowing and informative tale about a 14 year old boy, who the comic is named after and based on.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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":

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

You can get it via here

 Also here is a link to those who want to learn more about the issues and lend support: http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/

Review: JB's Comicstories #1 by JB

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; 'The Comix Company'.

Subtitled "Traumatism.vid"; The comic explores the murkier side of internet pornography, in particular, the more extreme aspects of live-feed webcam videos.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 here. Don't torture yourself, just buy a copy!

For Kelly Thomas...Untitled Piece by Michael Em

Artist Michael Em, 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.

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.
And the way they all reacted afterwards was so matter of fact, like it was all just so routine.

I thought this was a superb piece of art, and very moving and fitting. RIP Kelly Thomas