ThreeCAF: Three Books from TCAF 2015, Part 2

A new feature I'll run in several parts, short reviews of some comics of note at TCAF 2015

Sleepwalking, Lauren Monger, Space Face Books, 2015

A wonderfully illustrated comic about a group of anthropomorphic punk rock animals who are going to a party that ends up being terrible. The look and style of this book was unbelievable. The watercolour alone was enough to catch my attention, but the amount of details from the gradation of darker to lighter using monochromatic tones was unbelievable. Within a short 32 page comic, Lauren develops her characters incredibly quickly and gives them distinct voices and quirks. 

I knew nothing of Lauren Monger when I got this book and now I want to learn more about her style, and everything else she's done. I understand she's done more stories about her characters, she's even written a Blobby Boys comic on Vice. I'll keep seeking out her work as it's quite impressive.

Ink for Beginners, A Comic Guide to Getting Tattooed, Kate Leth, Retrofit Comics, 2015

A mini comic by Kate Leth which, as it's title indicates, is a guide to getting tattooed. She talks about each step, from wanting a tattoo, to actually getting it done, in a very engaging and honest way. She narrates the comic and addresses the reader directly, making for an interesting approach to delivering information. She's also asked for input from various tattoo artists along the way to provide even more information to the reader. It's a charming and very informative comic.

Kate Leth uses her style to reminisce on her own experiences and provide guidance to the audience. I'm not a target audience, as I don't care much for tattoos, but I certainly found it entertaining and informative. The double-sided page where she explains the different levels of pain depending on where you get your tattoo was particularly well done. You start with the front of the body, then turn the page to see the pain threshold on the back of a body; it's very clever.

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but the final page is left blank. Perfect for asking Kate or your tattoo artist to draw your first tattoo in it.

The dark nothing, Jordan Crane, What Things Do, 2015

The dark nothing is our mind. When confronted with the vast unknown of the universe, how can we ever hope to understand what we will discover? Will we ever become so complacent as to believe we can understand it all? 

In this new comic by Jordan Crane, a group of space miners discover an odd formation of asteroids with a bizarre gravity center and they try to relocate it for mining purposes. As you can gather from the cover above, things goes horribly wrong with disastrous consequences for the miners. 

This is a beautifully risographed comic with shades of pink and purple, resulting in an incredibly attractive product. They are not colours I would normally associate with deep space exploration, but it lends a very eerie vibe to the story that unfolds. It's a very good comic, it's just a shame so few copies exist. Hopefully it will be reprinted somehow and reach a wider audience.

ThreeCAF: Three books from TCAF 2015, Part 1

This is the first of a new feature I'll run in several parts: short reviews of some comics of note at TCAF 2015.

Lydian, Sam Alden, Space Face Books, 2015

A fantastic new comic by Sam Alden. I had seen some bits and pieces online on his tumblr page in the past, but never saw the whole thing. It is now published with a wonderfully bright cover design. The back cover is also particularly nice. Lydian tells the fantasy adventure story of a young man who fights Clyde (an evil sentient resort - yes really, a resort) and his minions alongside the team he created. It's done in a sort of old school video game 8-bit color style. Although at first glance you may think this comic is purely a stylistic exercise, but it is a surprising look at the psyche of a teenager with confidence and personal issues, who`s trapped in a weird and dangerous world.

This book, particularly in printed form, adds a second layer of meaning that I didn't anticipate going in. The 8-bit color era is for the most part gone, which makes a nice parallel with the paper format of books. I can imagine that some people much younger than me will be reading this on their tablet and not once wonder about the reason for a book made out of paper in the first place, or why this computer art looks so pixelated now that we have access to such sleak computerized images. The existence of both of these forms of art being relegated to the past makes this feel like an artifact and a fresh new take on comics at the same time.

There's no bath in this bathroom, Joe Decie, 2015

A free giveaway from Joe Decie at TCAF that I would have gladly paid for. In There's no bath in this bathroom, Joe Decie tells us about his visit to Toronto when he attended TCAF 2014. Decie describes his experience and moves effortlessly from the mundanity of travel to the small surreal moments that happen to all of us when we are in unfamiliar territories. Whether it be the Francophone girls at the train station, the bathroom in the pizzeria with the lights turned off, or even the cook eerily walking outside, those small events provide a good look at how one person internalizes the experiences of travelling.

Sorry i can't come in on monday i'm really really sick, Jane Mai, Koyama Press, 2014

Koyama Press published this mini-comic from Jane Mai. It's a collection of random thoughts from a depressed woman sitting at home in her underwear. It packs a surprising punch for such a small comic. The thoughts we read range from dark humor to deep revelation about humanity and oneself. The image of a centipede running throughout reminds the reader of the difficulty in truly pinpointing depression. Sometime we are able to see it clearly, most other times it is hidden, but it is around us, lurking in the shadows of bad days and small losses that the people around experience. In spite of the bright pink cover and it's size, this comic will make you think and perhaps even reflect on your own mental state.