Runx Tales #1 by Matt Runkle

This 22 page B&W short story comic takes me back to my Xeroxed zine-reading days. Runx Tales chronicles the escapades of a West Coast, queer punk guy with a penchant for problematic men and marginal employment.

Inside you will learn why weddings are always gay affairs, how to ditch your dreads and stank rags and become a “crust-puff,” and the sinister intentions of Portland, OR wildlife. My favorite pieces are “Cour d’Alene” and “That’s Why I Am So Obsessed.” The former tells the tale of a road trip Runx took with his “Butch lesbian protectress” to a small, hellish town in Northern Idaho to visit his grandmother. Their adventure is marred by a dash of homophobic harassment, but they end up drowning their sorrows in a special place called the Powderhouse Saloon. There is a part two, and I found myself wondering what happens next. The latter is an illustrated list of men that Runx became enamored with including a straight librarian in a bee suit and a velvet-wearing mansion-dweller.

While you might not like Runkle’s childlike art style, I think the handwriting and messy pages compliment his sense of humor and fun, frank storytelling.