Just Read - Palookavile 21 by Seth

I never really got into Seth’s comics. I mean I liked his art style, but every time I bought an issue of Palookaville I just felt like I wanted more out of an issue. Then a couple of years ago I bought his Wimbledon Green book and I was hooked. I just needed a bigger serving of Seth than the original Palookavilles offered. Enter the new reformatted, hard cover editions of Palookaville.

Palookaville #21 came out late 2013 and it is packed with Seth goodness. The next chapter of Clyde Fans (30+ pages), selections of his Rubber Stamp Diary (20+ pages) and the first chapter of Nothing Lasts (30+pages). It’s about 100 pages of seth goodness or one outstanding evening of reading.

Seth’s storytelling is in top shape. He guides the reader at a very slow but deliberate pace through his stories. This gives his characters a chance to breath and think on the page, something most artist miss. This type of storytelling also gives the reader a chance to think a little more about the story as it progresses.

Like his storytelling, Seth’s art is simple but deliberate. No line is wasted. At first glance it looks like anyone could draw like him, but after trying I realized that it was a lot more difficult than it appears. Seth prescribes to the less is more school of cartooning and tend to leave out the ton of noodle details that so many artist tend to use to cover up their short falls.

My favorite part of this book might have been Seth’s Rubber Stamp Diary selections. I really wish he would print the whole collection of Rubber Stamp Diaries. A little glimpse into the artist’s life was just not enough for me. I love the simplicity of the strips and the way he just uses actual rubber stamp images that he has designed to help him tell his story. I though these were pieces of genius and intend on stealing this idea of the rubber stamps in the future.

The Clyde Fans chapter moved the story along. Although I’m not very familiar with what is actually happening. I did enjoy this story quite a bit and I have considered hunting down the past issues of Palookaville to read it from the start. I also enjoyed the first chapter of Nothing Lasts quite a bit and hope to see more of this story in future volumes.

If I have one negative thing to say about Palookaville is that it was 3 years between book 20 and 21 (20 is the first issue that was in the new hard cover format,)  I hope that we do not have to wait that long for the next issue. Palookaville is published by Drawn and Quarterly.

  

-Denny Riccellicreates comics under the pen name ‘dennmann’ he currently publishes the webcomic Cousin Harold and some mini-comics now and then, including Jenny Spookawski Ghost Girl. He lives in Peoria, Arizona with his wife and 2 kids.

Just Read - Reggie 12 by Brian Ralph

I have been reading Brian Ralph’s work since his days with Highwater Books. So when I heard that he had a new book, that was bringing back Reggie 12, I was very excited. Bringing back you ask, well Reggie 12 was originally published as a Free Comic Book Day edition back in 2004 by the now defunct Highwater books. I remember reading this FCBD edition and thinking that this is the type of comics that I wish there were more of. It is now 2013 and Drawn & Quarterly have issues a stunning hardcover edition of Reggie 12 (which is not due out until November, although a limited number were released at the San Diego Comic Con this past weekend.)

The digital version of the cover does not do this book justice. Those little metal gears in the title and on Reggie himself are all done in a spot varnish on the physical book. Absolutely beautiful!

The stories inside are funny and witty, they make you smile and chuckle as your read them. Although many times they cause you to pause for a second before you connect the dots and put it all together. Brian Ralph has a way of telling a story that feels very carefree and is effortless to read. One panel blends to the next without much effort on the readers part. My favorites are

the stories where he takes a very basic joke that we all know, plays with it and develops a much larger joke for the read to laugh at. Most of the stories are short one page vignettes (many are even half pagers), there are a couple of larger stories present, but no matter the length of the story they all build to a larger narrative and character build Reggie’s little world.

The art in Reggie 12 is excellent. Brian Ralph is a master of simplicity, his art is very cartoony but delivers the good needed to portray fun and sometimes meaningful stories. From the first story where Reggie sports a ridiculously large arm to the final one where Casper has a kitten, the art is key to developing the stories and characters that make you feel so close to Reggie and his friends, throughout their 96 pages of adventure.

I seriously loved this book and look forward to reading it again very soon. For those who would like to read a sample of the book, many of the stories included can be found at the Reggie 12 website.

  

-Denny Riccelli creates comics under the pen name ‘dennmann’ he currently publishes the webcomic Cousin Harold and some mini-comics now and then, including Jenny Spookawski Ghost Girl. He lives in Peoria, Arizona with his wife and 2 kids.