Mome Volume 3

Written by Various Artists
Illustrated by Various Artists
Fantagraphics

Fantagraphics' ongoing quarterly anthology continues here in this third edition, which sees a few of the contributors changed but most of the same names returning for another edition.

This time around, after the first part of a bookend of Sunday comics satires by Martin Cendreda, the main focus of the anthology is a long work by David B., whom some may remember from the book Nocturnal Conspiracies (which I really need to read). It's a fable of sorts about the Armed Garden, and takes pieces of various creation stories and mixes them all together, with a few modern, cynical additions.

The artwork is typified in the cover posted to the right. David B.'s style is probably best described as wood block print meets Edward Gorey. The characters are just realistic enough to pass for human, but often taken on shapes and impressions that are quite creepy, especially when they are lacking clothing. Often, the characters in this story are as naked and raw as the portrayal of human and divine figures.

It was well worth the space devoted to it, and I'm just sorry this one is out of print now. Maybe David B. will include it in a short story collection for English-speaking audiences some day.

Andres Nilson has the difficult task of following David B., but his juxtaposition of conversation snippets with odd drawings is so completely different from the fable that it works out pretty well. I don't think this is his strongest contribution, however.

Roll of Film by Jonathan Bennett mixes some actual photos with the story of a man obsessed with taking pictures, and I enjoyed this one a lot because I am often that person. It's a wonder our protagonist (and your humble reviewer!) are still in the land of the living.

I just don't care for Overpeck, as I've mentioned, so I'll be honest and tell you I skipped it this time around. The problem with ongoing stories in an anthology like this that only comes out every three months if that if you don't like a storyline, it bogs down the overall work a bit. I'll be happy when this one is finished.

One of the things I like about Mome is that artists can do almost anything, and sometimes do. Andrice Arp illustrates a broadside from the colonial days, using a period-accurate font and illustrations that might match up to an early Bible. It's short and bizarre, and wouldn't have a home anywhere else.

Gabrielle Bell and Jeffrey Brown return, doing their autobiographical comics thing. I like Bell and Brown's expressions of everyday life, which remind me of each other, especially when placed together like this. Brown is the more brutally honest of the two, though Bell doesn't shy away from making herself look ineffectual amongst others. This is true in both their stories here, though in very different ways. Overall, though both are confessing imperfections, I always get the feeling that Bell wants us to stay at arm's length, while Brown wouldn't mind if you were over his shoulder.

This edition of Mome contains what I think is one of my favorite Brown shorts, where he describes becoming a killer. It reminded me a lot of when the same thing happened to my mom.

Mome is not for everyone. There's a lot of art that's primitive, such as Nilson and Brown. Others are pretty vulgar in their depictions, and the language is definitely blue in a lot of places. But if you are fond of anthologies and like to be on the edge of indie comics while still being given the comfort of a larger publisher who can exert quality control, then pick up a copy of Mome. I'd recommend this one, if you can find it. As long as you know going in you're not going to love every story, you'll have a great time. I know, as with the first two volumes, that I certainly did.

Unlikely

Written by Jeffrey Brown
Illustrated by Jeffrey Brown
Top Shelf

While Jeffrey Brown may not write daily diary comics like fellow Top Shelf artist James Kochalka, he is nevertheless just as unflinching in his portrayal of the details of his life. In this autobiographical work, which focuses on when he "became a man", Brown shows that he is a very human individual.

That humanity plays out early and often in Unlikely, which chronicles Brown's doomed relationship with Allisyn, a girl with just as many hangups as Brown--though they're completely different from his.

As with other twenty-something dating stories, Brown and Allisyn drift together via mutual friends, though the attraction appears to be very much one-sided. Allisyn is the girl a guy like Brown wants but never can have--dangerous, attractive, and mobile. (In some ways, she's not unlike Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim in that regard, though they end up as quite different people.) He's with her anyway, however, and things go fine--for awhile, anyway.

It's hard to watch Brown and Allisyn drift apart, panel by panel. To his credit, Brown holds nothing back from the reader, showing all the problems as they build up to the inevitable climax and heartbreak. If you ever had friends whose relationships were headed for the rocks, the signs will be familiar, though I doubt even your closest friends will be willing to give some of the information Brown shares. (Some might argue he's sharing too much in Unlikely, but I think it's the only way for the book to work without seeming whiny.)

Those signs are everywhere, from bedroom incompatibility to comments about Brown being "better at everything" to issues relating to smoking to the inevitable sniping at each other. When the end comes--and I'm sure Brown saw it coming--it's no less hurtful for him, especially if her method and reasons are accurate. (One always has to be careful with autobiographical narratives, because the writer always has a bias.)

If you don't end this book feeling sorry for Brown that they didn't break up sooner, when the heartache would be less, I would be surprised. It's pretty obvious that Allisyn and Brown aren't compatible, but neither wanted to admit it. Once she's back to her old ways, it's essentially over for the two of them, and if you've ever been the dumped partner in a relationship that probably needed to end sooner, you'll definitely have some pulls at old, probably painful memories. Be warned.

Brown gives titles here and there to sections of the comics to aid in the narrative flow, most of which are pretty apparent as you read. The dialog within each 6-panel page is representative of snippets of conversation and flows naturally or awkwardly, depending. It's the kind of conversation that real people have, which is part of why this comic works so well. Brown does everything possible to make the story feel as real as possible.

The only barrier to this natural flow is Brown's art. He is not by any means very skilled at this point in his career. Bodies are out of proportion, and his use of shading for every night scene obscures more than it helps. These are line drawings at their most basic, though Brown does make sure that characters remain consistent in looks, if not in size, throughout the book.

You're not reading Jeffrey Brown's autobiographical stuff for the art, however. It's the content that matters, and if you ever had trouble in your love life, there's going to be a lot to relate to in Unlikely, even if you don't share some of his more personal quirks. Brown is by no means a perfect person, and some readers may find his side of things too emo for their taste, but I feel that any attempt to make himself look better than he did at the time would cheapen the impact.

I read a book like Unlikely because authors like Jeffrey Brown aren't afraid to show who they were at the time, good or bad. If you are a fan of autobiographic comics and haven't picked this one up yet, do so right away. Just make sure you keep some tissue on hand, just in case.

Clubbing

Written by Andi Watson
Illustrated by Josh Howard
Minx

Anyone who's followed my reviews for awhile knows that I really wish DC had given the Minx line a chance, but alas, it was not meant to be, and this was before the company really started down the road of extreme testosterone they seem bound and determined to follow.

Part of Minx's problems, however, came in relation to how they marketed the line. Take this book, for instance. It's written by Andi Watson, who know how to create a strong female lead. It features a strong, independent teen who's not afraid to be a "bad girl" if she thinks it's the right thing to do.

Our heroine, Lottie, works to make the best of her situation, solves a mystery, and saves the day in the end. She's active, quick-witted, and far from perfect. It's a character that Watson should be proud of creating, and one that should have made at least a dent in teen comic reading.

However, what does this book get saddled with in terms of a title? Clubbing, complete with a blurry set of teen girls doing...well, I'm not sure...dancing? Meanwhile, Lottie is Photoshopped into a country field, which doesn't tell us much of anything.

It's really no wonder that these books were not a commercial success. If I didn't know Watson from his other great books, I'd never have bothered with this one. As it is, I'm glad I did.

Lottie is an underage clubber who gets caught and sent to live with her grandparents in the boonies. She's less than thrilled to be taken out of her goth life, and who can blame her? The only teen in her vicinity "looks like a hobbit" on first glance, and isn't the most friendly person in the world. It's going to be an awful summer, even if her relatives mean well.

What makes this story so good, however, is that Lottie is never whiny about her situation--only frank in her opinion of it not being where she wants to live. She tries to find people to fit in with, but doesn't dwell too long when this doesn't work out. Instead, she moves on and soon we hit on the main mystery that drives the plot.

I think my favorite part of Clubbing is the resolution of this mystery. Lottie, as makes perfect sense, starts to get interested in the possibility that her perfect boring world is more than it seems. Watson leaves the clues for the reader to follow, while also allowing it may all be in Lottie's head. The ending, which flips several conventions on their head, ties everything together neatly but doesn't go for a perfect finish.

Watson's willingness to play with traditional ideas but re-frame them in a way that gives an old story concept a fresh twist works very well here. In the process, he's not afraid to comment on those traditional ideas, either, but it doesn't dominate the plot. By this, I mean that if he's doing meta-commentary, it's because it makes sense, not because Watson wants to show how cool he can be. (That's my big problem with a lot of genre-tweaking writers. They want us all to know how clever they are, and end up ruining the story itself.)

As with the best Minx titles, this one compares favorably with similar stories from Oni Press, a few of which Watson wrote. Josh Howard's illustration style reminds me of the Oni relationship comic format, with a lot of simple line work and only as much background illustration as is needed for the story. His characters look like real people, too, if just a bit more angular. Lottie is pretty, but not in a fantasized way. Similarly, her grandparents are heavyset, but look as though they can still move around.

I don't know if you can still get a copy of Clubbing, but I liked the book a bunch. Watson turns in yet another good script and Howard adapts it in a style that fits Watson's own illustrations. I just wish this book lived at a publisher that cared about it, because it's a hidden gem. Try to find it if you can, if you like indie relationship comics featuring teens that act like typical (if a bit special) teens. You'll be glad you did.

Salt Water Taffy Volume 2

Written by Matthew Loux
Illustrated by Matthew Loux
Oni Press

When last we left our pair of protagonists, Jack and Benny, they'd learned that a vacation away from the modern attractions of the world could be a lot more fun then they'd ever imagined. Chowder Bay might not have a television in its cabins, but who needs that when you have talking animals and larger-than-life creatures against whom you must quest to save the day?

Fresh off helping Angus save the town against a giant, taffy-loving lobster, the boys are ready to take on a new challenge--climbing up Mt. Barnabus, a massive, scary mountain filled with dangers unkown and guarded by a hat-loving eagle. Once scaled by their father, Jack and Benny must return in order to gain something lost. Can they do it, with a hungry wolf and a tip-taking turtle in their path?

The road to the top won't be easy, but if they stick together, anything's possible in this world of imagination played out in a world that's exactly the same as a real New England hamlet--if animals talked, of course. That same sense of wonder which I found so charming in the first book is present again. Jack and Benny never leave "our world", which is what distinguishes this series from other fantasy stories. They've merely stepped into a world of fable, where anything can happen and the humans involved don't think anything of it. This is a place where John Henry might show up, with the three little pigs trailing behind.

Loux writes about a place I'd have killed to be a part of as a child. (Aww, who am I kidding? I'd still kill to be in a world where tall tales were real!) His setting is perfect for a series of engaging, separate stories that can contain linking parts but don't have to be read together. Will you get more out of this book by reading the adventures in order? Certainly, but it's not required. Given that there's already been a book three (and I hope that means Loux is working on book four), having a solid and interesting setting is key.

This doesn't mean that Loux skimps on characters. Far from it. Jack and Benny, having developed a love for Chowder Bay, are now ready to explore it with an open mind, regardless of the risks. Watching them grow up as brothers and people is as important to the plot as finding a way to capture that which is lost. If you're looking carefully, you can see Angus monitoring their progress and making sure they are safe. I'm not sure about the parents yet. Right now, they're still outside the more fantastical parts of the story, but I have a feeling that's going to change eventually. I continue to appreciate that they are real (if a bit exaggerated) people. Jack and Benny love their parents and their parents love them. They aren't there to be mean or objects of ridicule. It's part of why I think this is a perfect book to give young people--having a good family dynamic isn't idealized, but neither is it mocked.

The story itself follows more of a typical quest narrative than I'd have normally liked, but it has several good laugh lines and improbable situations (a wolf who doesn't like to bleed and can't abide fruit) to keep it moving. The animal interactions are frequent (and often funny), and the overall message is a positive one about looking outside yourself. Best of all, it's not even preachy in the process.

I am a huge fan of the Salt Water Taffy books, and I definitely hope to be able to pick up the third volume at SPX this year. Can't believe I forgot to last time. Loux's story of two boys growing up over the summer just keeps getting better. If you haven't tried this series out yet, you need to do so right away!

Panel Patter Returns

I'm back! Did you miss me? :)

I'm happy to report that some transitional issues that took more of my time than I expected are over, and that I'm back to working on reviews again here on Panel Patter (and the sister blog for book-books, The Book Stew). I somehow thought I could keep up a regular schedule while moving and changing jobs, which was a bit silly of me looking back. I really don't know what I was thinking at the time.

Anyway, I'm more or less settled in and ready to get back into the swing of things. I've really missed sharing my thoughts on the wide variety of things that I read in a given week, even if my schedule wasn't giving me a lot of time to read, let alone review anything.

The only change I'm planning to make to accommodate the fact that I'm going to be working and going to school for the first time in--well, let's just leave it at "a while"--is that I'm going to shorten my reviews up a bit, depending on the book in question. I'm also more likely to group multi-volume titles together, as I feel I was often repeating myself and not adding a lot to the discussion of the work. The same is likely to be true when I'm reviewing mini-comics by either the same author or of the same type.

I have some other plans in the works, but let's save those for a later day. First things first--let's get some reviews going again. See you in the comments!


-Rob