Two-in-One Review: Knee Pockets A young writer takes us into his youth and his dark imagination with his collection of short stories, Knee Pockets. Don: David Tang, at best, is but 21 years old. Last year, he couldn't even belly up to a bar in Buffalo and order a beer. But the young Australian definitely has talent. He takes us into his youth and shares some secrets, some mundane, some embarrassing. But all are familiar and entertaining. Randy: Knee Pockets is Tang's creation, along with a few other artists helping out. The comic boasts a professional appearance, with a good paper grade and an unusual blue spot-colored cover. It's not unlike anything you might find at a booth at APE or the Expo. Knee Pockets written by David Tang illustrated by David Tang, Jeremy Macpherson, Doug Holgate, Steven Preston and Egbert Tjong Don: Nosebleeds, swallowed gum and a Grade 2 prank... they don't sound like they make for compelling plots. But Tang taps into universal experiences to remind the reader of his or her own youth, of mistakes made, of innocent interpretations of little things in life. He takes a matter-of-fact approach to the narration that could have easily fallen flat, but somehow, it reinforces the light-hearted reality of these little events in the writer's life. Randy: You're right about Tang aiming for a fairly mundane level of story material, but I confess that I didn't find all of the experiences he related all that universal. Though I wouldn't consider myself overly sensitive in most ways, I found the tale of his abandoned dog more sad than quirky and funny, and indeed that was the sense I got from many of the autobiographical tales in the book; while Tang was delivering the stories in a light-hearted vein, I think I would have found them more enjoyable with a sad or wistful tone to them. Don: The book also boasts some short pieces that are not autobiographical, in which Tang explores darker people and ideas. His ninja story is cute, in that he initially leads the reader to a different conclusion, but these segments pale in comparison to the more grounded bits. It's Tang's honesty about quirky moments in his life that really draw one into this collection. Randy: I must disagree with you here as well. Tang's style fits well with the sort of strange and funny stories that come mostly from his imagination and exist in an unrealistic fantasy world. The ninja story and the goofy robot short were lightweight, but fun, and I found them more suited to Tang's writing style than the other stories. Mind you, I did think some of the autobiographical stories were fun as well, such as "Dear Puff Daddy." Don: Tang illustrates most of the autobiographical bits with a crude but nevertheless effective style. George Perez he ain't... but his simple style boasts a kind of innocence that reinforces the tone of the short stories. Actually, Tang's art reminds me a bit of the creepy, exaggerated style of Renee (Marbles In My Underpants, The Soap Lady) French. Tang's style doesn't work on well at all on his "Dear Puff Daddy" piece, though. He aims for realism, but his approach just doesn't allow for it. Randy: I'm with you on Tang's artwork. While it's not going to win any awards, his storytelling is very clear, and I thought it worked as well on the "Dear Puff Daddy" piece as the rest of it. Tang's style is fairly light on detail, but it does boast a clarity that is important for a first-time storyteller. Don: As for the other artists... Macpherson's work boasts a quality that works better for darker stories, like "Unspoken." His shadowy approach in that piece reminded me of Brian Michael Bendis's film-noir approach in earlier work like Jinx and Goldfish. Preston's manga-inspired style is sharp and fun, but we only get a one-page taste of it here; the same can be said of Tjong's brief contribution. Holgate's cartoony artwork is energetic, fun and expressive, and stands out as the most unique visual style in the book. Randy: Knee Pockets was an unusual read, and an interesting look into the Australian small press scene, a side of comics that neither Don nor I are very familiar with. Though not all the stories worked for me, I have to respect these creators for having the determination and skill to put this comic together and get it out there. For more information about Knee Pockets and David Tang, visit www.mr-tang.com. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.