REVIEW: “The Archer” by Nate Doyle (self-published I believe) | “Area CC” by A. Degen, published by Snakebomb Comix
Nate Doyle and A. Degen have just set the bar for narrative storytelling in new alternative comics for me. They don’t rely on extensive dialogue or captions to tell their stories. They don’t use vulgar shock tactics to intrigue the reader, but rather, reel one in with emotionally engaging plots. Yes, that’s right, EMOTIONALLY ENGAGING PLOTS.
Basically, these dudes have their shit down. Their command of drawing is so good, they don’t need no damn words to hold it all together.
But to get serious. Nate Doyle’s “The Archer” is a cyclical story of morality and mortality. His simple yet staunch character construction allows the reader to become instantly connected to its protagonists/antagonists (both of which could be interchangeable), and is thus both shocked and moved by their ultimate demise.
I also find Doyle’s honest, illustrious drawing style to be quite appealing. He’s a cartoonist that follows his own muse, and doesn’t seem to succumb to current trends in comics and illustration. Keep up the good work, Nate.
A. Degen’s “Area CC” falls into a very similar vein of earnest and intriguing character, plot, & style development. He uses the emotion of curiosity to reel in the reader. My favorite!
Our protagonist/antagonist (also questionably interchangeable), Coco, is likeable and cute, without being over-sexed. Yes, there is sex in the comic, but it still seems to fall into a category of innocence that makes it seem fit for a younger audience. The sex is isn’t sexual, but rather, playful and sweet. The violence in the story is cartoonish and fun. This all seems due to Degen’s simple linework, which reminds me of a cross between 60s psychedelic illustration, french comic artist David B., with a kind of trans-cultural artistic touch (french, japanese, american), and a contemporary set of eyes.
It’s a basic story of cat & mouse. We of course, are rooting for Coco, the mouse, who keeps thwarting her enemies in outstanding and mischievous ways. Yet this story is better than that. I hated Tom & Jerry as a kid (and still do), but Area CC is so beautifully constructed in its various “big brother”-esque architectural spaces and environmental settings, one can’t resist liking it, and root for the tittering mouse.
*see links at the top to find purchasing info for both zines.
REVIEW: Lodaçal #2 & #3
Lodaçal, or “Lake of Mud,” is a trimonthly comic anthology published in Portugal by a man who goes by the name of Rudolfo DaSilva.
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Lodaçal #2 (June 2011) is truly a mixed bag of an anthology; aimed at no particular audience, but rather, at any and all who enjoy comics. Due to the wide range of styles, as well as different sensibilities in humor, taste, and story-telling, It is likely that any comics-reader who might pick up a copy will find a few comics that they love, some that they hate, and some that do nothing for them at all.
Highlights: “Meanwhile in the Shitty Kitchen” by Tom Toye, “Watch” by Jack Hayden, “Visions of the End” by Zé Burnay, “Bird Spurm Mountain” by Tetsunori Tawaraya, “Dog Walker” by Zach Hazard Vaupen, “Asteroid Platos” by Aaron Kaneshiro; Also, the incredible front cover by Jakub Tywoniuk, and inside cover by André Coelho.
Excerpts from Tom Toye’s visual treat of a viking-mutant shitshow
Zach Hazard Vaupen’s unique textural inkwork in all its badass glory
Zé Burnay does some fine linework in this tall tale
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The density of this anthology along with the randomness at which the comics are designed and ordered makes it a pretty decent sampler of works by young, upstarting cartoonists. Too bad it’s already out of print.
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Lodaçal #3 (September 2011) is a great improvement to #2. The overall body of work is stronger, and it reads better, too.
Highlights: “Sources of Inspiration” by A. Degen, “A true Story” by Inés Estrada, “Party Plans Part II” by Zejian Shen, and “Psycho Mansion” by Aaron Kaneshiro; Also, the Inside Cover by Lala Albert.
Inés Estrada draws up an endearing and whimsical fantasy world
Whereas my favorite comics in this issue I found to be fun, funny, or truly inspiring, there were several that were beautiful in their illustrative delivery, but simply didn’t make any narrative sense. Storytelling, it seems, is not everyone’s strong point. Additionally, there was one comic in particular, as in the last issue, that boiled my blood.
Perhaps I’m not the only one who was put off by Afonso Ferreira’s poor sense of humor in “Lady Helicopter”, which displays both homophobic and misogynistic attitudes that, say, a 13-year-old boy might have. We are treated to his fantasy of a hot babe coming out of wormhole, ready to service him for, oh, 3 pages. The kicker is that this babe turns out to have a penis, in which upon realization of this, our boy proceeds to choke on his own vomit. Nice.
Afonso Ferreira’s “Helicopter Lady”
This particular comic stood out to me the same way that Zukk Ozaki’s “Nucrea Addict” did in Lodaçal #2. Maybe it’s because it came right after my own, but this 8-page comic about a manga-esque blonde getting fucked for 6 of those pages, didn’t really appeal to me.
Look at the detail in that perfectly shaved vagina - Zukk Ozaki’s “Nucrea Addict”
Alas, this might be the danger of having a comic anthology that spreads itself too thin. While Lodaçal may reach a broad audience, each reader is bound to find something that doesn’t appeal to them. Overall, however, Lodaçal is a strong effort to compile new artistic talent in one reading space, and I’m interested to see how it develops and improves in the future.
*Look forward to Lodaçal #4 and The Lodaçal Hors Serie #1, out now!
REVIEW: STREP THROAT ZINE | edited by Laura Perez-Harris for THROAT ART
hi so i’m gonna start doing regular reviews now as a personal practice. i’m starting with the STREP THROAT zine because this is something i’ve watched being put together for the last six months, and literally peed myself a little when i got to hold the final product in my hands last weekend at BCGF.
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The STREP THROAT zine is a miraculous artifact for representing itself both as an accessible zine (in all it’s photocopied glory) and as a hand-made art book. It is a solid mixture of interviews, musical playlists, comics & illustrations, that also comes with a DVD of films. Despite the fact that there is so much different media stuffed into this little photocopied zine, I didn’t feel overwhelmed or put-off reading it.
The highlights of the zine are the hand-printed linocuts scattered throughout the book and also on the cover. Laura told me she put them there as “color splashes” to help break up the pages. Did you look at the first two pictures I posted at the top? Those linocuts are beautiful. Simple and playful, yet striking designs with bold colors that indicate a kind of honesty & unique attitude being thrust upon the work without being too self-conscious. That’s my kind of work.
Other hand-made elements that appealed to me were the cover-material (printed on WHO KNOWS WHAT but what looks like some sort of early-90s Nike campaign ad), and the individually hand-painted DVDS. HAND-PAINTED DVDS!!!! (pictured above).
The other highlights of the zine are the two interviews with Robin Crutchfield (performance artist and founding member of NO-WAVE band DNA) and Gabe Fowler (owner of DESERT ISLAND comic & art book store in Brooklyn, and curator of SMOKE SIGNAL). For you no-wave and comic book nerds out there, these interviews are golden.
An excerpt from Robin Crutchfield’s interview: “In New York, No-Wave was a reaction to the norm in art and music. A rejection of rejects of all that came before, and all that was acceptable in popular art and music: art that couldn’t be bought, taken home and hung on a wall.”
An excerpt from Gabe Fowler’s interview: (On being asked if he had any strong feelings about comics generally being classified on a “lower” tier of art) “Some comics just belong on a lower tier, just like some fine art belongs on a garbage heap. The glory of looking at artwork is the freedom to make these decisions for yourself.”
My only criticism here is that I wish Robin Crutchfield’s interview was broken up a little more, perhaps with images of his performances and other art-related acts. Additionally, there are some spelling & grammatical errors which I regret not having proofed! I also wish that with the written musical playlists, there was a link to download them (*update: download links will be posted soon by laura/throat)
Lastly, there are some great little illustrations & ‘toons sprinkled throughout the zine, which help make it fun and entertaining. Nothing over two-pages, but I think the short-format comics work to help in displaying as many young & potential talents that could fit!
This entertaining & accessible hodgepodge of new art and talent, along with respect to the elders, is what THROAT ART aims to be, and I consider the STREP THROAT zine to be a full-on success.
*contact Laura at throat.razor@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a copy.
