Comics
Hotwire Comics # 3 Edited by Glenn Head. Fantagraphics, $22.99 paper (136p) ISBN 978-1-60699-288-3
The third volume of this comics anthology is a whirl-a-gig of vivid color, giddy fun, black angst, and hauntingly disturbing images, including work by more than 20 artists, including David Sandlin, Tim Lane, and Onsmith. The volume brings together carefully crafted stories with eye-searing artwork, packed with scatological humor, violence, and disquieting sexual acts, including one by a pedophiliac clown. Editor Head's own “Candyland Clinic” is a standout, a pastel-colored critique of the culture of Prozac. R. Sikoryak contributes a memorable abridged Hamlet starring Dennis the Menace, while Mary Fleener reminisces about buying her first gun. Interspersed with the narrative comics are visual works, including a wild full-color, full-page spread by Steven Cerio, David Paleo's eerie “Feral Spheres” and Mark Dean Veca's “Popeyeconography,” which could forever change how readers look at Olive Oyl, Brutus, and the gang. Hotwire Comics 3 is not for the faint of heart, but those who love underground comics or want an introduction to that world as it stands today, will embrace the volume. (Feb.)
Chocolate Cheeks Steven Weissman. Fantagraphics, $16.99 paper (120p) ISBN 978-1-56097-927-2
Classic kid comics are evoked with a weird, horror-inspired twist in the latest Yikes! collection by Weissman. The cast is inspired by well-known horror figures—Pullapart Boy is Frankenstein, Chubby Cheeks is a Jekyll/Hyde character and so on. There's also Lumpy Noodle, who has a brain tumor for a head, and Crustache, whose attribute you can probably guess. Some of the strips are gross-outs in the Johnny Ryan mode; a longer story line involves Chubby's desire to “vanquish his enemies” and X-Ray's search for a nemesis. The second half of the book is concerned with a longer narrative in which the discovery of a dead kitten leads to many complications for all. Weissman has a knack for combining the cute with the eerie and the unsettling, and the art—presented in both b&w and color—is outstanding. However a general lack of more than surface characterization—all the kids speak interchangeably—holds this back from being more than an amusing diversion despite the great appeal of the art. (Jan.)
Animal Crackers: A Gene Luen Yang Collection Gene Luen Yang. SLG (www.slgcomic.com), $14.95 paper (216p) ISBN 978-1-59362-183-4
This early work from the author of the acclaimed American Born Chinese shows that Yang's work has matured significantly. What it does share with his later comics is a tendency toward nonstereotypical Asian-American lead characters. Featuring a secret society of formerly religious aliens devoted to saving the human race, and baked goods that can be turned into cute but demonic monsters by a person's sins, Animal Crackers is charming and funny but lacking in focus. Why must you plug a television into your left nostril in order to talk to the aliens of the San Peligran Order? Why does a brief moment of shared telepathy lead to animal cracker demons made out of hate? Who knows. Yang's art is already very strong, with a level of vibrant visual storytelling and pure potential that makes his Xeric Award for this book understandable. All clean lines and expressive characters forever making irresistibly funny faces, the world of Animal Crackers is visually appealing. Aimed at the young adult market, this book will appeal to Yang fans who want a look at his early work and readers who like such surreal humor as Monty Python. (Jan.)
