Fluke Loot 2008 part one.

Way back in April I came home from Fluke with a nice big box of minicomics. I promised to review all of the minis that were given to me. This will take several posts so if your mini is not mentioned then just hang in there. I promise I'll get to it. (If I paid money for your mini then maybe not.)

Regina Rich Middle School Detective by Chris Schweizer.

This little book is pretty fantastic. Great production. Full color cover and interiors. The story would be a great read for middle school boys or girls. Schweizer's drawing is nice and thick and chunky and a lot of fun to look at. The story is really clever but not too clever that a "tween" wouldn't be able to follow along and enjoy it. It reminds me of some of the better after school cartoons. It's the type of book I'd love to give to a kid but I'm greedy. I'm keeping my copy.

No Sweat #1 by Allen Spetnagel.

This is just a collection of sketches. I like these little sketch books. They are a great idea for comics and zine shows like Fluke. They are easy to throw together and are good trading and giveaway material. Slightly better than a business card and thousands of times the trouble to make. Genius! All that being said, (and I've said this before here at file under other) they are hard to review. The drawing in this one is nothing especially impressive but there are some funny gags like a unicorn reading a majick book.

Animals With Problems by Joe Rice.

This is another sketchbook mini. Not a lot to it but I like the size of it. It's tiny and the edges are rounded making it a comfortable little thing to hold. The smoking pig pic above pretty much sums up what's going on in this thing. I was more impressed by the art I found on Rice's website.

Mycology by Matthew Hieggelke.

This is a nicely produced little mini with a six page story about a couple moving into an apartment with a serious fungus problem. It's a Twilight Zone kind of story and I always love that type of thing. It's impressive to see it pulled off in just six pages. The drawing is minimal but effective. The cover has this really cool glow in the dark ink but I can't really show that to you with a scanner. Sorry. You'll have to get your own copy to see it.

Everybody Hurts, Even Sith Lords by Alex Bullett.

This is one of my favorite books I picked up at Fluke not only because I'm a Star Wars nerd but because it's really funny and well crafted. The cover is cut to compliment the shape of Darth Vader's helmet and the inside cover has a neat Vader pattern. The drawing has a Jim Mahfood look to it which is great for this kind of comedy. The story is funny and has some good laughs playing on the idea of Vader as a misunderstood love scorned REM fan. Vader apparently has an i pod built in to that chest plate thing but still has to wear headphones. Who knew? There are several fun guest pin-ups in the back. I especially like the one by Sean Knickerbocker. I liked this book so much I bought an extra copy to give to a friend.

More Fluke reviews coming soon true believers!

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith