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Closed Caption Comics #9
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April 16, 2011
After thinking for a bit about the glorious scuzz of Providence comics earlier this week, it's interesting to note how different the peculiar visual scuzz of Baltimore is. Plenty of psychotically messy sex and violence spewing out of both, but somehow Providence makes it more surreal. Or differently surreal, maybe. As such, I antithetically found myself most drawn to the saner bits of the latest compilation from Baltimore's Closed Caption Comics. Particularly a couple submissions written by Conor Stechchulte: the depressingly believable childhood traumas of his own "Mind Your Business Nutty Butty", and the fantastically ridiculous "Mystery High", given an appropriately classic pulp comic look via Lane Milburn's drawings. I say fantastically ridiculous, but it's nonetheless a totally coherent little high school x-file of a story, compressed in action but still surprising and hilarious. On the other hand, my favorite purely visual moments here are the muted pencilings of Andrew Neyer's strange, silent Mr. Fred. Not to diminish the really insane bits, of course: there's certainly something weirdly involving about Zach Hazard and Molly O'Connell's reelingly weird submissions as well. Round out the mix with a couple more purely pulp offerings, a couple maybe parables, and a few much more abstract examples, and it's a solidly entertaining package.
Reading this on the subway, the guy next to me seemed to be eyeing the space pig on the current page.
"Those are Russian comics," he told me with authority.
"Actually, from Baltimore," I said.
"It says CCCP" on the cover," he rejoined. "It's Russian"
"CCC9," I had to correct. "Closed caption comics nine."
He was silent for a minute before glancing over at the next page. "Looks dystopian," he said, almost to himself. "Russian."
Hilariously, he was looking at one of Conor Stechschulte's completely accurate-looking renderings of a run-down Baltimore neighborhood. I actually think I've walked through some of those streets, maybe even cut through that empty lot with the dirt path worn in. Good ol' dystopian soviet Baltimore.
Reading this on the subway, the guy next to me seemed to be eyeing the space pig on the current page.
"Those are Russian comics," he told me with authority.
"Actually, from Baltimore," I said.
"It says CCCP" on the cover," he rejoined. "It's Russian"
"CCC9," I had to correct. "Closed caption comics nine."
He was silent for a minute before glancing over at the next page. "Looks dystopian," he said, almost to himself. "Russian."
Hilariously, he was looking at one of Conor Stechschulte's completely accurate-looking renderings of a run-down Baltimore neighborhood. I actually think I've walked through some of those streets, maybe even cut through that empty lot with the dirt path worn in. Good ol' dystopian soviet Baltimore.
Displaying 1 of 1 review