Comiculture #2by Wolfen MoonsgetReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 9 For those of you not familiar with the magazine Comiculture, read this first ...Okay, now on with the review of issue #2 ... Let's start with the comics. I can't tell you the name of the first story, because it might give the ending away. All I can say is that it's a clever little story, and nicely rendered. Next up is a funny little tale featuring Steve Buccelato's Croak Monsieur (from his comic, Weaselguy). I love Buccelato's style, (it's vaguely remeniscent of Andi Watson, another favorite of mine, mixed with liberal amounts of "animator"), and his humor is the irreverent sort you can't help but laugh at, even when you might be being insulted. Ben Raab and Allen Gladfelter's The Lost Tribe caught my eye with the first issue of Comiculture. The concept is imaginative and original. It's about a supernatural menace in Prague, the Feuerkind, born of the evils of the Holocaust, and the men who are tring to stop them, two detectives and a jewish man with special powers. I've come to expect mythological and culturally-inspired stories from writer Raab; it's no wonder that both this series and another his working on (Cryptopia) have both been optioned for live-action versions! And Gladfelter's art has a gritty, noir feel that brings the story to life. Space Monsters takes advantage of a new tool we don't see used in comics too much yet — 3D modeling. Some have called it cheating, but I don't have any qualms with people using it (have you tried to use POSER? It's harder than you'd think!), anymore than when people use a copier to repeat images so they don't have to constantlky redraw them or a paint program to colour line-art. It's just another way to work. And being that this is a sci-fi story, the "look" of it goes along with the story very well. I don't generally care for sci-fi so much, but this story flows nicely, not dry and sterile like so many sf stories these days. Jessia Wolk-Stanley's I Loved a Zombie is a bizarre little romp. Think Cocopiazo meets Bridgette Jones. Next up is the next installment of A True Tale of the Comics Biz. The Secret Origin of 'Comicraft' marks another little biograhical look at life with Marvel (many members of Comiculture got their start there, and frankly, Marvel's missed out by not exploring their talents further, as this magazine attests.) Lost Souls, part two shows us the more serious side of Buccelato, with a grisly crime story. A little too grisly for me, but well-written nonetheless, and I think Frank Miller fans will appreciate the art style. The next installment of Marc Siry's An Alien Ate My Brain is a lot of fun, good pacing, good art, and a b-movie kind of plot without the b-movie badness. Making the Man shows a picture is worth a thousand words, even in comics. Don Hudson's done the impossible with his Gunpowder Girl and the Outlaw Squaw — he's made me interested in a Western! Jill and Anuteh have moves, guts, and raw emotion. Also in this issue are interviews with Leela Cormon (I'm going to have to find her graphic novel, Subway Series, now!), Troma Films' Lloyd Kaufman (mastermind behind the cult favorite, The Toxic Avenger), and Kerry Callen, of Halo and Sprocket fame (another comic I'm going to have to look up. Comiculture, my inner-fangirl thanks you, but my pocketbook does not *wink*). And of course there's Mr. Klaus, with another in-depth look at comics as an artform, this time comparing it to film (I live for that kind of Scott McCloud-esque, philosophical study of storytelling!) There's a touching staff tribute to the late Jorge Zaffino. And lastly (but certainly not least), we have the reviews, not just of comics, but of music and other things that would interest the comic-fan crowd. Don't forget to check out the Comiculture website! The articles and stories in the magazine all have links that lead to a page on that specific item, with a forum to comment on it. Very helpful if you're new to the story in question. Really, people, you need to check this magazine out and boost their sales so they can start printing more frequently! Having to wait 3+ months is just too cruel. Written: April 22, 2003
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