Today's SPX Spotlight is on two mini-comics from a creator I discovered out of the Womanthology book. That collection had its issues, but served as a way for me to find new creators to look for. Satone was one of them.
The
paranormal becomes the normal in these two mini-comics from Vanessa
Satone. Domestic Disputes shows why choosing
an alien roommate can be a bad idea, while Bait for the Beast of the Deep
examines the perils of potential inter-species dating. Both comics are on the short side, but they
feature strong, well-designed visuals and witty dialog that make for enjoyable
reading.
Of the two
comics, Domestic Disputes is my favorite.
Split into two short stories, Sue, our everyman character, must deal
with alien roommate, who is fussy, furious, and carries a faulty death ray that
he isn’t afraid to use—if he can get it to work. They argue over common roommate
issues—cleanliness, bills, damages—but because of the nature of the
relationship, these disputes become extremely funny, such as when the alien,
who has made a resurrection device, complains that the true reason why the
electric bill is high is due to leaving the lights on at night.
Bait for the
Beast of the Deep is the more visually interesting, with some strong character
designs for a world where mer-people live in a water apartment in a major
city. (The background scene where a fish
is drinking coffee in the middle of this deep pool cracks me up every time I
look at it.) It also features more
sharply defined character profiles and expressive faces. The story, however, isn’t quite as clever, as
the short is a setup for a relationship joke, and those just aren’t as a funny
to me.
Vanessa
Satone is a very talented creator and was a participant in the Womanthology
project. Based on these comics, she’s
got a bright future and is definitely worth seeking out at SPX. Satone and her
comics are exactly the kind of thing I enjoy most about going to shows—finding
new people to add to my roster of cool creators to look for!
Stuck fighting monsters and can't make SPX? Well, you can find Vanessa at her website here.
