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slime update and mocca grabs

April 14, 2015July 9, 2017by Joseph Luster2 Comments

I updated the Slime page on the site today, because the comic is now available at a couple more shops! In addition to Forbidden Planet NYC and Desert Island (Brooklyn), you can pick up Slime at JHU Comics in NYC and Staten Island.

There are under 10 copies left now, so grab it quick, either in person or on the online shop!

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This past weekend was MoCCA Fest in New York, which meant multiple levels of way too many cool comics to buy. I wasn’t able to scratch the surface of what I wanted, but I had a really good time, picked up a few choice comics, and dug the new venue way more than last year’s.

Here’s some of what I grabbed:

Clockwise from top left: A.T. Pratt‘s Good Garbage, Rob Corradetti‘s Artists of Today, Youth in Decline and Jillian Tamaki‘s Frontier #7, Andy Ristaino‘s Night of the Living Vidiots, and Wren McDonald‘s What’s in Brick’s Bag.

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cab comix

November 11, 2014July 9, 2017by Joseph LusterLeave a Comment

This past Saturday I hopped over to Brooklyn to check out CAB (Comic Arts Brooklyn), which I had been looking forward to for a while. The day I went is basically just all exhibitors selling stuff, which is the best, because I was able to buy a bunch of new comics and get most of them signed on the spot.

I posted a general pic of my haul on Instagram and Twitter and whatnot, but I figured other big nerds like me might want a closer look at some of the stuff I picked up.

I really dig Jonny Negron‘s stuff, but the only thing I have of his that isn’t part of an anthology is more of an art book. I think his work really explodes in color, but it’s cool to see it in a more lo-fi look, and the way Song of Mercury was printed gives it an ethereal quality that plays nicely with its theme.

This is the only one of my new purchases I’ve had a chance to read, so I won’t really be commenting on the content of the others yet.

One of the books that was hyped prior to the show, Earthling, is the graphic novel debut of German artist Aisha Franz. Apparently she also has a ton of minis, though, so I really need to pick those up somewhere, too…

Patrick Kyle‘s Distance Mover has been on my list for a while, and this was a really good time to finally buy it since he was sitting right at the table behind the stack.

I’m really looking forward to Alex Degen’s Mighty Star and the Castle of the Cancatervater. Koyama Press isn’t putting it out until April 2015, though, so thankfully there’s this supplemental comic to tide us over until then. I haven’t read any of Degen’s work yet, but I dig what I’ve seen on his tumblr so far. He was there at the Snakebomb table, too, and was really nice and excited that people were seeking out The Philosopher.

Ryan Sands’ Youth in Decline label does some of the best work for comics out there. The Frontier series, which is leading the charge both in printing quality and featured artists, is only getting better as it goes on, so I was glad to finally nab the Sam Alden issue.

Let me pull you aside and tell you something not-so secret: Sam Alden is awesome. His pencil work first blew me away in Backyard, and I love the two-color tones in this one.

Emily Carroll‘s Through the Woods is one of the top comics of 2014, and it looks like she might have just the best issue of Frontier on top of that. I don’t know nothin’ about that myself, though, ‘cuz I haven’t read it yet. Just sayin’… it looks like it.

Michael DeForge is great so I try and grab everything he puts out. First Year Healthy is his newest book, making its debut at CAB, and it looks like another departure, if not in style than in narrative at least. I can’t wait to read it but I also really want to savor this stack of comix and not blaze through them like I normally do.

ANYWAY, yeah! CAB was really cool! I want to have some comics of my own there in 2015!

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ever deeper into the monstroleum

August 29, 2014July 9, 2017by Joseph LusterLeave a Comment

Back in May I wrote about the first volume of Monstroleum, a really fun illustrative journey that’s part adventure diary, part bestiary. JFish, AKA Jason Fischer, recently returned for more with volume 2, continuing the harrowing journey of Voluspa the Tall as she endeavors to learn more about the demise of her people at the hand of the Dragon King Smaurin.

photo (2) — My copy with the requested Medusa-Hydra drawing

Like the first volume, this Monstroleum entry is a further exploration of Jason’s storytelling abilities, and it doesn’t disappoint. The illustrations are fantastic, but they’re best served as visual complements to the text, which makes all the little details in them that much more effective. The world is well fleshed-out, and the fact that you can see bits of other steps in the journey in the backgrounds—ladders lie barely visible in the darkness, precarious staircases crumble, and specters float behind fully-illustrated monstrosities—is icing on the cake.

I previously compared reading Monstroleum to a classic NES instruction manual, but it also reminds me of playing something like Shadowgate. The first-person perspective isn’t lost on the reader; enemies appear just as Voluspa describes the encounter. A Giant Slug peers down from a musty stone wall, Slimes creep toward the reader, and a snarling Wolfen gives you the old side-eye like it just got busted doing somethin’ afoul of the norm.

Monstroleum vol. 2 has its own natural arc to it, ending at just the right moment of respite, but still leaving you with more on the mind. Thankfully you can subscribe to the series so you won’t have to worry about missing the next leg of Voluspa’s increasingly wide-eyed and exciting adventure.

Get individual volumes or subscribe to Monstroleum over at JFish’s website.

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enter the monstroleum

May 26, 2014July 9, 2017by Joseph Luster1 Comment

Friend of subhumanzoids JFish (AKA Jason Fischer)—who will forever be known in my mind as Big Man Face from the short film of the same name—recently kicked off a new comic series called Monstroleum. Comic isn’t even the right term (it’s actually a mini-book), but those are what JFish is known for in addition to his amazing artwork. The first volume is out now, and what makes Monstroleum interesting is that it’s the first time we really get a taste of JFish’s own narrative voice. It’s not surprising to find he’s got storytelling chops that complement his art nicely.

JFish’s previous comics work, from Jaephisch & the Dark Rainbow to Junqueland, has had him teaming up to illustrate with a writing partner. Monstroleum is all him, and it tells the tale of Beatrude Voluspa the Tall, a dwarf who sets off on her first adventure and plans to document all the wild creatures she encounters along the way.

The result is part travelogue and part NES instruction manual, so of course it’s right up my alley. Each page has a drawing of a monster, both in the form of a full-on illustration and a fantastic little sprite-style profile. Completing the page is a description from Beatrude’s journal, each of which maintains a consistent voice and paints a vivid mental picture of the land and the long, tough road taken between each notable encounter.

JFish calls Monstroleum “a love letter to all the fantastic adventure books and games I grew up with,” and it really shows. The storytelling comes off as effortless and it’s clear loads of care was put into each illustration, plus you can get original drawings of a monster of your choosing if you pre-order upcoming volumes or subscribe to all five. Here’s JFish’s take on a chimera he did for my copy of volume 1.

Monstroleum is available to purchase from JFish’s website.

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snow & co.

January 16, 2014July 9, 2017by Joseph LusterLeave a Comment

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to write about this, but I ordered this Snow & Co. mini-comic last time I was in Dublin. It worked out nicely because I saw it posted over at the Eaten by Ducks blog and was close enough to make shipping inexpensive.

Pictured above is just the cover and a mish-mash of interior images I stitched together. You can see more at that link, but yeah, it’s a pretty beautiful little comic. The story itself is simple and fun, and the character designs are great. There’s a little bit of Adventure Time flavor in there, especially the look of Lady Birdwing.

After reading it I was really interested in what materials were used, because it has such a warm, painted look to it. Thanks to the wonders of The Internet I emailed the guy who sold it to me and he relayed my question to the author, Dieter Van der Ougstraete , who responded with the following:

Snow & Co. was painted in acrylic, watercolors and mostly gouache.
I used regular color markers for the text.
The pages are painted on big sheets of aquarelle paper.
I’ve then later added the text in photoshop.

Definitely recommended if you can get your hands on a copy!