28 page minicomic. 5 x 8 in. Black and white with a color cover.
So...Buttons is a collection of short auto bio stories by Jonathan Baylis. They are in the Harvey Pekar style of first person conversational narrative. I love Harvey Pekar so this works fine for me. Baylis also follows the Pekar method of using multiple artists to draw these stories. I like that too. I love the variety of it. I love seeing how different folks handle the same author's voice and storytelling beats. Another Pekar comparison I will make (and I promise this is the last) is that Baylis' strength is in his conversational storytelling. Both in his dialog and in the way he speaks to the reader. The character's (in this case Baylis') voice is clear and easy to identify with.
(This page drawn by David Beyer Jr.)That the stories are interesting or at least clever is also a bonus. Baylis has also managed to recruit a strong cast of artists. Each artist has a distinct style from the others but they all make good comics. Good drawing, inking, lettering and storytelling chops.
This is a good looking book with a nice thick color cover but it feels like a sampler. It is a good sample though and I'd like to see more.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith
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