Wonderful in the absolute sense of the word. (Full. Of. Wonder.).
This was/is my introduction into the ecclectic volumes of comics edited by Kazu Kibuishi.
Essentially short stories with astoundingly fantabulous art.
Reading this was nothing short of magic. And I can't think of any other way to review this than by going through each and every story.
First one is called "The Saga of Rex: Soulmates"
A good start. Solid art. No dialogue. (Perfect for me).
I'm too dumb to totally 'get' the ending. I have an idea. But I'm keeping it to myself in case I'm way off. (Unless it's one of those 'you're make up the ending' bits).
4/5
Second one is "The Excitedly Mundane Life of Kenneth Shuri"
By far the funniest of the bunch. Something you'd see in the funnies in the newspaper, only with much stronger art.
5/5
Third one is actually by the editor himself. "Daisy Kutter: Phantoms"
This one has a special kind of tone that resonates with me. Intriguing mystery with solid world building. Constructed around a kick ass heroin.
You'll find yourself wishing these stories were apart of a bigger pantheon. I could definitely see myself playing a solid RPG with these characters, styles and art.
5/5
Fourth one is Magnus the Misfit... and... it's fine.
There is quite literally nothing wrong with this one. But! I find that the art isn't particularly strong. Doesn't make it bad. Just means the art isn't for me.
Stories simple. (More simple than usual).
And the formatted punchline doesn't exactly... punch. More like a love tap.
Still, it's short. And There isn't anything genuine to complain about.
It's sweet. And nothing more.
3/5
Fifth is where shit gets real. "Dead At Noon"
It does everything a comic should. Tells its story with minimal dialogue. The art (for me) is fantastic. (The craft is obvious but still detailed).
I didn't know where the story was gonna go, and then in a sequence of panels... damn. Just... just, damn.
5/5
"Epitaph" is the sixth story.
I was gonna say this one was shite. For it's criminally short. And the punchline resonates less than Magnus did.
However, I sat on it. I read the last line over and over... and over.
And I wound up finding the message oddly moving.
Through simplicity it creates a punchline that makes it impossible not to be motivated by.
3.5/5
"Walters"
The seventh has by far and away the best art in the entire book. It might be the only reason I bought it. The style sold me instantly.
With that said, I did rush through this one and as a result, must confess; I think the story went over my head.
Amazingly, I don't really care.
It's driven by emotion, and emotions don't always have tah make sense, do they?
5/5
The Eighth is called "Mate" and it's a bitter anti response to the first story. (That's how it feels anyway).
This one looks great, but leaves me mostly empty and confused. In a way I don't particularity give enough shits to save. You can tell a lot of effort went into it. But that ending... is it me or is it just a smidgen grim? Or was that the point?
Think of it as the Batman Returns of the group. (Disclaimer: I love Batman Returns. But it's not hard to see why audiences didn't bond with it).
Nine is my least favorite.
Style didn't really hit me. Action was good. (Not as good as story two).
The story is a bit confusing in the sense that I 'think' I understand the relationship. As much as I love non dialogue driven stories, it does highlight how dense I can be. (Aw well).
To me, we're lead to believe the woman being kidnapped is actually being saved? Right? That's the twist, right?
Regardless, the punchline comes too quick and I'm left charmed, but not... you know I think I'm being too harsh on some of these. They are all 'perfect.' Some are just less perfect than others.
2.5/5
Ten is just fucking adorable. "Cooking Duel"
Not a single flaw. Good humor. Perfect punchline. On par with story two.
With that said, there isn't a whole lot to be discussed. It's charm is in the simplicity and exaggeration.
6/5
"Dead Bunny" is number eleven. And major props for a creative premise and wonderful art.
I think it tries a little too hard. However, that's probably the weakest criticism I could ever give anything.
3.5/5
"The Z and the attack of the early bird" is twelve.
I love teddy.
nuff said.
3/5
"Jellaby hide and seek" is number thirteen.
Harmless mush. Looks nice and again, nothing technically wrong with it. There's just so little to actually be said about it.
2/5
"Fish N Chips" is fourteen.
Excellent world building fun. This is the kinda story someone makes after playing a dozen Rachet and Clank games. Though its welcome is a little worn by the end, it has potential and again, complaining about near perfect things feels meaningless.
You'll get more out of this than most things.
3/5
"Long Winded" is our last one.
A great place to end things, even if it's... it's fine. Look, I have to go eat some food. I'm not a reviewer. Just buy the damn book. I loved it. You'll probably like it too.
Cheers!