Two-in-One Review: True Travel Tales Don and Randy get on the road again with True Travel Tales. Randy: Honestly, I'm not much of a traveller. Though I've been all over the U.S., I'm usually much more interested in the destination and the journey, and travel overseas doesn't appeal to me. However, stories about travel definitely interest me, whether they're the ones to be found here or the ones found on online travel journals, such as the one that was done by Marie Javins or by my own online compatriot Don MacPherson, who I suspect has a much different attitude about travel than I do. Don: I don't think I'm as worldly as Randy would indicate, but what's got him going on about my attitude toward travel is that in November and December 1999, I accompanied two other fellow dot-com employees on a six-week road trip of the United States. Coast to coast, baby. And when I describe that trip to others today, I always say the same thing, "It was one of the best -- and worst -- experiences of my life." The road is a surreal place. It's frustrating and hilarious. It's draining and invigorating. Justin Hall tries to tap into the oddities of travel experiences here. Sometimes he hits the mark, and sometimes, he misses. True Travel Tales #1 published by All Thumbs Press written and illustrated by Justin Hall Randy: Justin Hall closes out this book (and I'm not giving away the ending here, so don't panic) by saying that he was hoping to inspire Americans into travel with this collection of stories. I don't think the book quite succeeds there, because most of the stories are of things happening that I wouldn't want to be involved in, but they do make for interesting reading. These are not stories of endless fields watched through car windows or even trouble exchanging money; the book could just as easily have been called "Weird Travel Tales." Don: Hall definitely opens the book with the wrong short story. Though set on the road as part of a bus trip, the story is really about the pettiness, lack of empathy and ignorance of two teenage girls trying to cross America on the cheap. Both main characters -- who are real people, as far as I can tell -- are utterly contemptible. On top of that, their story isn't all that interesting, as there's no real conflict, no real plot. Fortunately, Hall's subsequent segments cast that shallow, rude tone aside, and he begins to delve into the truly weird, wonderful and woeful things that can only happen when one is in the life limbo of the road. Randy: Actually, it's sort of a stretch to call some of these "travel" tales. While they may have taken place while someone was away from home, some of the stories aren't so much about the perils of traveling as the perils of being young and/or foolish. I found it a little hard to work up sympathy for the self-centered teenagers at the center of the first story, and the story of "Smoochy" seems like the kind of thing you'd hear from the Darwin awards. "Smoochy" and "The Thing!" likewise stand out as more of a weird true tales kind of thing than a story about travel. One thing that all the stories share in common, though, is that they're fascinating to read, and given that they're true (or at least, based on the truth, as most "true" stories actually are) they're that much more interesting. Don: The notion of travel that Hall explores here isn't just the notion of leaving home. It's about leaving oneself, about casting side common sense or civility or cautiousness. Hall suggests that being away from home doesn't just give one an opportunity to visit a new place, but a new self as well. Mind you, he could have made his point with some slightly more poignant stories, but it's there all the same. Randy: Hall gives the stories a sort of man-on-the-street feel with the narration and the artwork, with attention paid to making the surroundings and the characters seem real. The artwork is a little rough at times, but Hall never skimps on the detail, and so he brings the various locales to life, as well as conjuring up some truly twisted visuals when it comes to the "granny with a whip" or the "Lizard God." Don: The variety of stories and settings give Hall the chance to show off that his simple, indy style actually captures a strong sense of realism as well. Though the format of the book would have made it easy for multiple artists to contribute, I liked the consistency that Hall's artwork brought to this travel-themed anthology. Randy: After finishing the book, the first thought I had was that there could be hundreds more of these kind of stories, and as long as Hall is telling them, I think I'd be very interested in reading them. Don: I loved the concept as well, but I couldn't help but think that there have to be some real-life travel stories out there with a bit more bite, wit and relevance that would have served as stronger source material. For more information on True Travel Tales, visit All Thumbs Press. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.