The daddy of a cute adorable bear family has some kind of disorder where his cute adorable big eyes have grown to grotesque proportions. Cute has its limits. But what’s best is that the story is it then takes the silly premise literally, and gets all thoughtful and existential on us.
The attention to detail as well as the balance between image, narration, and dialogue make Ellen Lindner’s history of Western civilization’s relationship with eyewear an exemplary non-fiction comic.
Subtitled, “An American Girl’s Adventures in the Israeli Army,” Jobnik! is a memoir about the collusion of post-adolescent hormones with institutional bureaucracy and Middle East Conflict-inspired anxiety. Drawn in an unusual, somewhat-naive pencil style, it’s an inside look at a life most of us will never see.
This mini is a two-fer, “Food” a creepy/funny tale of extraterrestrial dinner swiping, and “Fall” a pretty reimagining of the seasonal gods who walk among us, and what might happen if they were to decide to change their minds about things. Very strange layouts that just…might…work at play here, as well. Worthy of study.
Keith Knight’s K Chronicles are consistently funny and worth checking out. This two-pager, comparing parenting to cartooning and available online via MDHP’s semi-annoying flash viewer, is a standout.
I love the double meaning of the title: Rabbi Kahn dies, and it turns out he’s not a rabbi at all; he’s not even Jewish. His life was a big con. This causes obvious problems for his very Jewish family, especially his oldest son, also a rabbi, who now must question everything, and proceeds to do so.
Victor Kerlow is one of the most prolific and talented young artists we’ve encountered in a long time. Seems like every time I turn around, I run across another of his slightly creepy, off-kilter tales. These two are the strongest of the BAC 2010 lot (meaning of course Sept 1, 2008-Aug 31, 2009).
I Kill Giants is the tale of a very angry 5th-grade girl living in her fantasies (of being a giant-killer) and thus holding the world, and especially any attempts to get emotionally close to her, at bay. It’s told very inventively and convincingly, and Barbara, the main character, is very appealing despite, and because of, her aggression.
