Stickleback

Stickleback
by Graham Annable
Alternative Comics
Two-color, 48 pgs, $6.95 US / Higher in Canada

It really is impressive how some people can do so much with so little. Take comics creator Graham Annable for instance: his Grickle and Further Grickle collections are comprised of a series of short comic stories populated with characters that are little more than stick figures, and yet the tales are filled with poignancy, humour, sadness and triumph. He manages to do this because he is able to convey truth that resonates in both his illustrations and his words. This is as evident in Stickleback as it is in Grickle and Further Grickle.

Farewell, Georgia

Farewell, Georgia
by Ben Towle
Slave Labor Graphics
BW, 48 pgs , $6.95 US / Higher in Canada

Tales such as these often take on a life of their own, growing with each telling, each teller adding his or her own particular brand of spice. In time, these tales make the rounds and become a defining characteristic of a community, a time and place. The best of these become folk tales, specific to certain locations, but also capable of crossing borders because people from all over can identify with their underlying qualities.

Ben Towle, having grown up in the South of the United States, has an interest in folk tales. If you spend any time in an area, you start to hear about the tales that tell the story of the community. Ben researched and presents in this fine collection from Slave Labor Graphics, four folk tales from Georgia.

Pistolwhip

Pistolwhip
by Matt Kindt and Jason Hall
Top Shelf Productions
BW, 128 pgs, $14.95 US / Higher in Canada

This graphic novel was released in 2001, and soon after its debut, the big name critics like the folks from The Comics Journal were singing its praises. Pistolwhip and its sequel / follow-up tale Pistolwhip: The Yellow Menace, tossed creators Matt Kindt and Jason Hall into the limelight. Pistolwhip opened new doors for both of these talented guys.

This Will All End in Tears

This Will All End in Tears
by Joe Ollmann
Insomniac Press
BW, 166 pgs, $16.95 US / Higher in Canada

This Will All End in Tears is a collection of five stories that tell the reader so much about the way life is lived without making us feel like we’re being told everything. Joe Ollmann knows what he and his stories are about and he has enough faith in his readers to allow them to take what they will from each. He avoids the conceit that his opinion and interpretation is gospel. Yes, these stories are his creation, but what you take from them is your own.

Clumsy: A Novel

Clumsy: A Novel
by Jeffrey Brown
Self-Published
BW, 226 pgs, $10.00 US / Higher in Canada

Failed relationships are a hard thing. In some relationships you can never exactly tell where they’re headed and when they do finally breakdown you look back and wonder if things could have worked out differently; if you did some action differently or said some unknown magic word that could’ve fixed it all.

IF-X Vol. 2 #3

IF-X Vol. 2 #3 Hamtramck Idea Men (w) Jill Hill, George McVey, Sam Johnson, Kathryn O’Connor, Chad Boudreau (a) George McVey, Mike Bunt, Bruno Letizia, S.T. Smith B&W 32 pgs w/ ads $2.99 US / Higher in Canada This is another small press anthology comic book, one that has been getting published for a couple [...]

Special Edition #1

Special Edition #1 Ronin Studios / Bohemian Zen (w) William Blankenship Jr., Mike Colbert, Josh Wigler, Chad Boudreau & Jeremy Still (a) William Blankenship Jr. FC 52 pgs $5.99 US / Higher in Canada This anthology comic reprints several web comics that appeared on the Bohemian Zen’s website. All the stories are drawn by William [...]

ERIC

Two years after the final chapter of Runoff, Tom Manning returns to comics with ERIC, a brief, weird and ultimately successful sophomore effort that showcases the creator’s range as a storyteller, yet feels somehow slight when viewed in the context of his previous work.

As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Runoff, comparisons are inevitable. And while ERIC’s story begins with scenes of a supernatural ritual reminiscent of Manning’s previous tale, it quickly shifts in tone to a character-driven story told on a much smaller scale. There are no complex mysteries or talking animals; just a sad, burned-out pop musician dealing with faded glory, paranoia and a loose grip on reality.

BAD MOJO

During the late 1980s and into the 1990s, I was a big fan of late night horror shows such as Tales from the Crypt and Tales from the Dark Side. Typically, they were on in the wee hours of the morning so I’d set the VCR, tape the shows and watch them the following day. Each program consisted of two or three short horror vignettes, quirky and creepy little stories that didn’t scare as much as they simply entertained. Bad Mojo, a new graphic novel written by William Harris and illustrated by Steve Morris, reminded me of these shows. The story plays out like an extended episode, albeit one with better writing and visuals then any of the stories that appeared on those shows.

MY NEW YORK DIARY

Julie Doucet’s My New York Diary, first published in 1999, is a classic in the graphic novel genre. It’s the true story of Doucet’s move to New York from Montreal in 1991 to live with a man she barely knew. At first the relationship seems happy and healthy, but as the story progresses Doucet begins to discover an obsessive, paranoid side to the man she is stranded with in a city that terrifies her.