Seems to be my weekend for telling people about mini-comic subscription services. This time it's the Australian Mini-comic of the Month Club, which I joined last year and re-subscribed for another year.
I wrote earlier this year about how much I was enjoying my subscription, so I'm not going to repeat myself a lot here. Basically, this is a unique opportunity for those of us in the United States to be exposed to creators from the other side of the world. If that idea appeals to you, don't bother reading any further, just go ahead and sign up.
For those of you who need a bit more convincing, let's talk for a minute. Unlike webcomics or comics published by a label with enough oomph to reach shelves in other countries, mini-comics are, to a large degree, a regional thing. As I spoke about when I made my 2012 list, there may be awesome folks making mini-comics in, say, Tulsa, Oklahoma or somewhere in Nottingham, England, but as a general rule I'm unlikely to find out. Most of the creators I know that are working in the photocopying biz come from the East Coast of the USA, because that's where I go to shows.
When an opportunity comes along to expand those horizons at an affordable rate (the US price works out to $3 an issue, a slight increase but still very manageable), it's generally a good idea to take it.
Anyone who likes the medium of mini-comics will find a lot to enjoy here. It's the usual gamut of personal tales, short stories, and other ideas that work best when placed in quarter size and lovingly reproduced. The art quality on these is even a smidge higher than I sometimes see in similar comics. Seeing the perspective of another country on the problems of today's society in the personal comics has been especially interesting for me.
I'm a big fan of variety and learning about new things, especially comics. If you are, too, then get a subscription before July 31st and ride a wave of international minis for a year. I have a feeling you'll want to join again in 2014.