This Old House: Special Liebermania Edition!
I've got a lot of house improvement projects that have to be finished
by the weekend, so I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be doing this
week. I'm tempted to say that I'll be taking the week off, but
every time I announce something like that I immediately contradict
it. So...I may or may not be blogging this week. How's that
for helpful? (If I do end up not blogging, this is probably a
good week to do it, since I haven't read
the
comics
generating all the
discussion
/
controversy
/ "
backlash"
in the blogosphere right now. (But I
will be reading them
eventually, although
Eightball #23 won't arrive until
early August.))
But before I go, here are some quick mini-reviews for two great
mini-comics, both illustrated by the underrated
Steve Lieber:
Me and
Edith Head (Cold Water Press • 16 B&W Pages • $2.00
postpaid) is a story about an awkward teen learning to feel comfortable
in her own skin. Katrina Lansdale yearns to snag a starring role in her
high school's production of
A Midsummer's Night Dream,
but instead she's stuck with the unglamorous job of costume
design. This story could have easily veered into schmaltzy "After
School
Special" territory, but thankfully writer
Sara Ryan crafts a story
that's subtle and understated, while artist Steve Lieber keeps things
grounded in a simple but satisfying style that reminds me of a cross
between
David Lapham
and
Carla Speed McNeil.
My only quibble would be that Katrina looks much older than her
classmates, so at first I was a bit distracted wondering what her age
was supposed to be. But then I remembered that I'm a horrible
judge of how old people are in real life, so my being unable to tell
Katrina's age shouldn't count against the book. Plus, it's nice
to see a female high school student who doesn't look like all the usual
clichés.
Family
Reunion (Small Beer Press • 8 B&W Pages • $1.00
postpaid) is a short interlude in the life of William "Dead" Kennedy, a
down-on-his-luck thirtysomething Texan who can see dead people.
While attending a family reunion, DK has to try to figure out what's
bothering a dead relative. If it sounds a little too "Sixth
Sense," don't worry: Instead of simply going for shock or
surprise,
Sean
Stewart's story deals with less fantastic elements, such as the
tendency of families to gloss over, distort, or entirely rewrite
unpleasant incidents from the past. And it's all rendered in a
wonderfully appealing style by Lieber. I'm not quite sure how to
describe the style, but it's very different from his work in
Edith
Head (aside from the completely believable "real people"
characters in both books): It's much softer and more shaded -- as
though it were done in charcoal. The faces of characters are more
modeled and three-dimensional; I was reminded of the depth
Kevin Nowlan's
inks often add to other pencillers, but even that doesn't quite get at
the look Lieber delivers here. I guess the only way to see what
I'm talking about is to buy the mini-comic. (How's that for a
subtle pitch?)
Finally, I should also point out that Steve Lieber is offering both
mini-comics together for only
two
bucks. Why not skip one of the double-shipping Marvel comics
and spend the money on something different this month? I think
you'll be pleasantly surprised with these charming short stories.
