I realize that I am quite behind on this, but that’s how it goes. And actually, I only finished reading everything today (some of that was that I didn’t realize I hadn’t read everything). But here we go, in no particular order.
Voids 1-3 – Shayna Marchese
This is a lovely black and white series about leaving behind crappy jobs and crappy boyfriends for a new start. The territory is not new, but Marchese’s tone is meditative and her bold lines and dramatic layouts give it a fresh feel. I’m going to watch for more of her work in the future.
The Sidestory of Mei Lan – Jeanette An
I’m guessing this connects to something else, but An’s cartoon-inspired are is fast and hilarious. It’s short but fun.
Pirates Take Manhattan – Bill Roundy
Obviously, some 24-hour comics are executed with a plan – or at least a plot – and end up being somewhat coherent. This, on the other hand, is none of those things and is all the more hilarious because of it. There are trolls, pirates, ninjas, robots, monkeys, golden apples, disco dancing and goats. What more do you want?
(Bill Roundy was also one of the nicest people at MoCCA – cheerful despite the heat [which isn’t to say everyone else was mean, of course, but just tired]. He signed my book and gave me a sticker. Very charming.)
With Love – Yali Lin
Lin’s shoujo-inspired art is lovely and carries these five quiet tales about love. This is a simple book but heartfelt and probably one of my favorite things I bought at MoCCA.
Yume & Ever – Alitha E. Martinez
This is awesome. Martinez takes her background in mainstream superhero comics and does something amazing with it, crafting a silent and action-packed example of sequential storytelling. The plot is a little hard to piece together at this point, but the title characters end up as the only survivors from a super-team after a devastating attack on New York City. I need more of this. I’m excited to see where this goes.
There You Were – Diana Tamblyn
This is a calm little comic about the inner life of an over-looked office worker and about the connections between people. The comic mostly focuses on the faces of the characters and Tamblyn’s expressions are lovely.
The Trouble Is #1 – Shelli Paroline and Wednesday
I like the edgy, animation-inspired art of this quite a bit. The story seems to have potential, but just from this one issue, it’s hard for me to tell if it’s going anywhere. I’ll probably seek it out, though.
Dolltopia 1-2, Passing Notes – Abby Denson
Dolltopia is cute and fun, as fashion dolls and action figures escape their manufactured lives to live underground. Her simple art is expressive and bold. I liked Passing Notes, about two gay teenagers in a band, a bit more though, and I’ll have to pick up the rest of it.
Satisfactory Comics #7 – Isaac Cates and Mike Wenthe
A 24-hour comic (well, 30, but who’s counting) that works better as an experiment than it does as entertainment. Certainly, I admire the craft here, but it’s (understandably) uneven at best. I can tell it was fun for Cates and Wenthe, however, and it’s enjoyable because of that.
Tear-Stained Makeup #1 – Marcos Perez
I’m not completely sure where this is going — it does leave readers hanging — but Perez’s art is pleasingly rough and he has a flare for dialogue. I’m intrigued.
Not exactly a mini-comic, but …
“Morph” story poster – Mark Gonyea
Well, you can go look at it. It’s cool. Gonyea was selling his story posters for $5 a piece and I think everyone at MoCCA should’ve bought one. They were a steal.
