Sunday 24 May 2015

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



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.

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