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November 7, 2014
Atomic Books Comics Preview - November 6, 2014
In the weekly Atomic Books Comics Preview, Benn Ray highlights notable new comics and graphic novels.
Benn Ray is the owner of Atomic Books, an independent bookstore in Baltimore. The Mobtown Shank is his blog, and his comic Said What? is syndicated weekly in the Baltimore Sun's B-Paper.
Atomic Books has been named one of Bizarre Magazine's 51 geekiest places on the planet, as well as one of Flavorwire's 10 greatest comic and graphic novel stores in America.
Art Schooled
by Jamie Coe
If you've ever read Dan Clowes' famous "Art School Confidential" comic from Eightball and wished it was more fleshed out, possibly with a nice coming of age twist, than Coe's Art Schooled is what you've been looking for. Coe's artwork is fantastic, his observations, while sometimes a bit reactionary, are also spot on, satirical and biting. His coloring is every bit as good as his line work and his page/panel construction makes turning every page an exciting surprise. This should be provided to all art school students along as part of their freshman orientation.
Loiterers
by Simon Bosse
Simon Bosse is finally in English! Not that the translation is wholly necessary, as his work isn't what you'd describe as wordy (which is too bad given the quality of his typography). This book includes 3 sections: "Demon Sweat" is a dreamlike suicide story, "The Wild Ones" are a series of anthropomorphic animal gag strips that are of good MAD Magazine quality, and "Loiterers" which is a longer story of aimless adolescence.
Smut Peddler Vol. 2
by C. Spike Trotman / Johanna Draper Carlson (editors)
It's a new volume in the sex-positive comics by women. And the results are fun. When sexy is arty - it's erotic, and that's what all of these comics are - fresh comics erotica that are friendly and welcoming.
Soul Swallower Mercer's Soul Swallower is a beautiful, dreamy comics-poem (both visually and in its prose), that is a meditative look at modern working life with a wonderful magical realism twist. Study Group Magazine #3D Study Group is the leading comics arts magazine currently being published - loaded with comics, insightful interviews and more. This issue even boasts a 3D section. If you love comics as art, you need Study Group. The Train Chihoi's adaptation of Hung's story "The Carousel" is greatly enhanced by wonderful pencils which lend an eerie quality to this story of people on a running train. The train is capable of in-motion coupling, and when cars are added so are new amenities. But it might all just be an illusion. The Train is sort of like a literary Snowpiercer, but not really. The Worst Of Eerie Publications First, let me just clarify the use of the word "worst" in the title. It doesn't speak the the quality of the comics collected here - all of which are awesome - it speaks to the depravity portrayed in the stories here - as in "do your worst" - and the artists here do. It should be explained that these are not Warren Comics Eerie comics, but Eerie Publications comics which feature titles like "Tales from the Tomb," "Weird," and "Tales of Voodoo." Yes, the book also explains the confusion too. Atomic Books website
by Joel Mercer
by Zack Soto / Milo George (editors)
by Chihoi / Hung Hung
by Dick Ayers / various
Questions, concerns, comments or gripes – e-mail benn@atomicbooks.com. If there’s a comic I should know about, send it my way at Atomic, c/o Atomic Books 3620 Falls Rd., Baltimore, MD 21211.
Atomic Books & Benn Ray links:
Atomic Books on Twitter
Atomic Books on Facebook
Benn Ray's blog (The Mobtown Shank)
Benn Ray's comic, Said What?
also at Largehearted Boy:
other Atomic Books Comics Preview lists (weekly new comics & graphic novel highlights)
List of Online "Best of 2014" Book Lists
52 Books, 52 Weeks
Antiheroines (interviews with up and coming female comics artists)
Book Notes (authors create music playlists for their book)
guest book reviews
Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Books of the Week (recommended new books, magazines, and comics)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
Short Cuts (writers pair a song with their short story or essay)
WORD Bookstores Books of the Week (weekly new book highlights)
