Inkstuds Radio

A great offshoot of the recent trend of anthologies, is the exposure to more experimental narrative art forms. Living in Vancouver, I am lucky enough to have some exposure to a great group of talented folks. Nog-A-Dod, is an excellent primer for comix people to enter into some oddly sequential art. The one drawback, is the price. At 25 bux, it can be a steep for novice interest. So instead of telling you why you should get that book, I am going to tell you about a couple of other small books that are a more affordable way of checking out something new and different.

Jason  McLean and Mark Delong,  have put together a nice little book with Nieve, called Melanie Sheepwash. As a flip book, it works great as a presentation of two very unique talents. Mark’s stuff is a great mix of Gary Panter with a sort of street like struggle. He really brings a neat complexity to the page that works on a lot of levels and gives you alot to absorb. This is the first time I have really gotten a look at his stuff, and I think any fans of the Fort Thunder crew would really find some love for Mark. Jason, I am little more familiar with his work. Looking at a painting by Jason, is like looking into the mind of creative process. His work is at one time incredible to look at, but also tells as story in itself. Filled with an array of complex imagery, you can easily loosing yourself in trying to take it all in. Every little corner of the page is packed to the with thoughts and emotions, spilling themselves onto the page. I really wish I could afford one of his originals, just to be able to look at it up close over long period of time.

The other great book that I just picked up, is Luke Ramsey’s ongoing Islands Fold project. The book I picked up, is a collaboration with Justin B. Williams. Justin is a great young talent who I predict big things from. He did a great piece for the Beasts book from Fantagraphics, and in his Islands fold book, he really shows some great progress. A Great Big Stillness has what I really love about Justin’s work. He creates these great characters, that seem filled with conflicting emotions and thoughts. Its like their is a madness that they are trying to escape. He also utilizes odd sort of mountain settings filled with great chunks of bold imagery like patchwork blanket.

Check out both these books. If you are outside of Vancouver,  I think you should be able to order  them from Sammy Harkhams shop, Family Store.

Ok, so after I got some peeps saying I should do some reviews, here is review # 1. I had heard that Joe Sacco was in the latest issue of Harpers, an awesome magazine full of great smart articles and the occasional bit of comix lore. Art Spiegelman did a review of the Muhammed cartoons last year, and graded them in a series of bombs out of 4(I think it was 4 but can’t remember the number, just the Bombs). In the latest issue, April 2007, Joe Sacco has a great 16 page strip about the training that the Iraqi National Guard goes through. Its a nice little follow up to his Guardian story last year, Complacency Kills, which was a look at some of the tragedy involved in serving in Iraq for American soldiers loosing themselves and friends. The latest story, follows Sacco’s almost obsession of tragedy in combat. We see a group of Iraqi wanna be soldiers, forced into training, when life in Iraq leaves little options for employment. Sacco aptly removes himslef from direct involvement in the training, but is able to capture the ridiculousness of what two weeks of combat training will get you. He portrays the group of trainees as almost bumbling fools, being trained by a group of muscle bound marines with hearts of stone. The Iraqi trainees having little other options than joining other military movements of a more, extreme context. I am always happy to get a new Joe Sacco story to read, and this is no difference. I am really happy with the magazine, and suggest that any fan of Joe Sacco should be compelled to check it. Who knows when the next Sacco story will be coming out, I know that he is working on a long form about the West Bank, but who knows when that is coming out. May this story hold your anticipation at bay until the next Sacco goody makes it way to the newsstands.