CANDY OR MEDICINE Vol. 2

Candy or Medicine Vol. 2 edited by Josh Blair.

16 p b&w minicomic.

http://www.candyormedicine.com/home.html

Available in person for $1 or here for $1.50.

I really like the idea of Candy or Medicine and if it did not exist I would probably do the same thing eventually. That it is an anthology of minicomic creators is nothing special but the idea that it comes out on a quarterly basis (and has so far delivered) is something to admire in the often flakey world minicomics.

From the website's about page: Candy or Medicine is a quarterly mini-comic anthology published by Josh Blair. It showcases a diverse talent of mini-comics creators, provides a low-cost exposure of mini-comics to new audiences and shows people of all ages and skill levels that they can make comics. Candy or Medicine is always seeking contributors of all skill levels.

This is a great idea and I'm glad Josh Blair is pulling it off. As far as the quality of the comic itself? Well, when you open things up to "contributors of all skill levels" from the world of minicomics, the results can be hit and miss. Vol. 2 is probably more miss than hit. There are some nice sketches from Matt Feazell and some nice cartooning by Liza Miller but most of the strips look like first attempts at comics. That being said, Vol. 2 is easily interesting enough to justify the $1 (or $1.50 online) price.

If Josh can keep this thing on schedule and keep spreading the word it could develop into a nice anthology. Josh seems to be working hard at getting this thing out there but it can only be as good as it's contributor's comics. If you are like me and want to live a world where a good quarterly anthology of minicomcs exists then I suggest you submit your own comics to Candy or Medicine. I've already sent in my three pager for the next volume.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Jamie Cosley's NOBODY LIKES TONY PONY

Nobody Likes Tony Pony by Jamie Cosley

24 p b&w traditional pamphlet comic sized with color cover.

http://jamiecosley.blogspot.com/

Purchased here for $2.5o.

I had a bit of familiarity with Jamie Cosley's drawings and strips from "art sharing" thread at The Comic's Journal message board so I was pretty excited when I opened my mail and found this Tony Pony comic. The cover is very well designed and makes a strong first impression. If I were at a comic shop, I would pick this book up and take a look based on the cover alone. It has a simple yet bold design and a pleasing color pallet. The interior art is equally polished. Simple but clean and effective. From what I gather by looking at the creator's blog, this book is a collection of one page web comic strips. Each strip is about four panels long and presented vertically in standard comic page style but I think they would work just as well horizontally in newspaper style. The character design and cartooning are pretty strong. The strips are about Tony Pony who works in an office chair store. The expected retail comedy about oddball co-workers and crazy customers is pretty mild but funny. Most of the strips deliver. If I did the math, page by page, I think I would say that it works more often than not. That's more than I can say for a lot of newspaper strips or webcomics.

I would like to see a little more visual clues on just what it is like to work in this office chair store. I'm not one to suggest that every panel needs detailed backgrounds but if you look at each strip on it's own, there is not a lot to clue the reader in about the setting. In Peanuts if you see a desk and a chalk board, you know right away that you are in the classroom. In Dilbert, if you see a long table and a flip chart, you know they are in an office meeting/boardroom setting. Not that I have any suggestions on what visual clues would make a reader think "oh, office chair store".

Judging the book as a whole and not as a collection of strips, once again, I think it could use a few more panels establishing the setting. Maybe one or two exteriors. Maybe even an old school Marvel style "hey kids, look at this amazing cut-away of the Baxter Building" type thing to paint a picture of Tony Pony's world.

A few of the strips deal with Tony Pony and his son. I like these strips more than the office jokes. A man that is a horse being the father of a human boy dressed in a bear suit is pretty funny regardless of the punchline. Looking at the creator's blog, it looks like the strip may be headed more in this direction. I like Jamie Cosley's style and sense of humor so I bookmarked the blog and will check in on it again. One thing particular that caught my eye was this image of Solomon Bounce. I can't think of any way a comic about a three armed space rabbit with a walrus sidekick could go wrong.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

My favorite minis of 2007.

I picked up tons of minis in 2007 but when I went back through my boxes to pick out my favorites I found that many of them were from 2006 or earlier. I thought for certain that I had new minis from J. Chris Campbell, Drew Weing and Eleanor Davis but nope, they were from 2004 to 2006. Here are my favorite 2007 minis from the box. I'll save my longer thoughts on why they are my faves for future reviews here at file under other.

Paper Pusher by Brad McGinty. The third funniest mini I've ever read. (The first two also being by Brad.)

Rashy Rabbit by Josh Latta. You really can't ask for more from a $3 comic. Nice cover. 32 pages of great art and story. Why can't every comic be this good?

Manley Days Vol. II by Jeffery J. Manley. This thing is very impressive. It's the size of a quality paperback but I sill think of it as a mini-comic because of it's hand crafted nature. The book is beautifully made and the content gives you a whole year of Jeff's Manley Days strip. Well executed, funny and touching. All that for just ten bucks. Wow.

Big Deal Comics & Stories #8 Eddie Goes to Portland by Patrick Dean. A nice thick mini with a fantastic color cover collecting an odd ongoing story from Dean's now retired Flagpole strip.

Arguably Comics No. 4 by Adam Casey. There is not a ton of substance to this mini but I'm including it because it is a great example of what I look for in a good $1 mini comic. For one buck it has an awesome color cover and every page makes me laugh. It's the perfect type of mini to pick up over and over again for a quick chuckle.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith