Mini-Comics: The Unseen Threat by Alex Robinson Over the years many people have come up to me and asked, "Alex, you're a big shot in the so-called comic-book industry. I want to get into 'the biz' but I don't know where to start. What should I do?" People also will come up to me and say, "Alex, I'm sick and tired of reading the same boring stories over and over. You're a big shot in the so-called comic-book industry so tell me: where can I read stories that are fresh and unspoiled by the corporate interference that make so many comics dull?" The answer to both of these questions is: mini-comics. Now, I know what you are probably thinking. You're thinking, "Mini-comics? Aren't those just poorly photocopied, sloppily executed pamphlets put out by wannabe cartoonists who aren't talented enough to make it in the big time?" Well, my friend, you may be shocked when I tell you, "Yeah!" It is true that most mini-comics are, in fact, horrible. If most mini-comics eliminated the middleman and went straight from the photocopier into the recycling bin, we'd all save valuable time and money. But before you pat yourself on the back for discovering your narrow-minded view is, for once, correct, consider that most "real" comics are about as unreadable as most mini-comics but those guys get paid for it. The strength -- and weakness -- of mini-comics is that they are produced without any editorial interference and anyone who wants to do one can. This usually results in amateurish imitations of whatever comic is popular at the time (usually bad fantasy/superhero or bad autobiography/gross-out humor), but it's also an outlet for people with talent who are on the verge of comic "stardom" or whose work isn't considered commercial enough for a publisher to want to invest in (remember, not commercial doesn't necessarily mean bad). Alternative mainstays Chester Brown, Jessica Abel, Sam Henderson, Dean Haspiel, Matt Madden, James Kochalka and many more (including myself) have broken into the industry after working in mini-comics first. And in these troubled economic times, when the audience for comics is as small as it's ever been, we must as ourselves: what is a mini-comic, anyway? Kurt Wolfgang addressed this issue in his Ignatz award winning mini comic anthology LowJinx #2: Understanding the Horrible Truth About Reinventing Mini Comics. With the help of desktop publishing and silk screening, many so-called mini-comics today are, graphic design-wise, as good if not better looking than "real" comics. Ultimately, mini-comics are just another form of self-publishing, and some people are better at it than others. Even in terms of circulation, Wolfgang's comic mentioned above managed to outsell many alternative titles, and without the benefit of Diamond Comic Distributors. What follows are a few mini-comics that I've come across lately that I think are just as good as any professional comic out there. In better economic times, all of these books would be available through major publishers (in fact at least one of them will be soon). LowJinx #2 & 3: After putting out almost a dozen mini-comics on his own, Kurt Wolfgang figured the best way to make a name for himself in the comics business was to ride on the coattails of other, usually more established, cartoonists, so he started his Low Jinx anthology series. With the second issue -- featuring contributions from six others including Johnny Ryan, Sam Henderson and others -- his plan succeeded. The book won the outstanding mini-comic award at the 2000 Small Press Expo, and the stage was set for the third issue, "The Big Rip-Off!" The second issue featured over a dozen cartoonists and clocks in at about 100 pages. The gimmick of the book is that each of the contributors did a story ripping off another cartoonist. A few of the stories are eerily accurate pastiches (including a dead-on Edward Gorey imitation) or contemptuous attacks (Dilbert), but most are affectionate ball-busting, such as the astounding Chris Ware parody, and "The Big Score," which recasts the cast of Maus as drug smugglers. The other interesting trick of the book is that while the contributors are listed at the beginning, the stories are not signed, so part of the fun if figuring out which cartoonist did what. For information on picking up Low Jinx, check out Kurt Wolfgang's website at http://members.aol.com/NoeFiePub . Jumbo Jape: Another fun aspect of mini-comics is that since distribution can be spotty and regional, you might discover a comic that has been around for years but that you've never heard of. I had seen some of Sean Bieri's work around but hadn't seen an issue of his series Jape until he released Jumbo Jape, "a massive miniature collection one full decade in the making!" It's a 60-page greatest hits collection of humorous short stories. Bieri is a clever fellow with an appealing loose cartoony style. Actually, one of the stand-out strips is "The Gospel According to Saint Segar -- starring Jesus the Savior Man." Most comics that use Jesus as a source of humor go for shock value or cheap shots but Bieri goes for a more subtle approach (Wimpy thrice denies his Lord before the Whifflehen crows), and it's all done in a near perfect imitation of Popeye creator E. C. Segar. As far as I can tell, Sean Bieri doesn't have a website, but you can get Jumbo Jape by sending $3.50 to: Sean Bieri/1028 Vinewood/Detroit, MI 48216 or e-mail him at elefish@metrotimes.net. Matt Feazell's mini-comics: Matt Feazell has been creating the adventures of Cynicalman since Kevin Smith was in junior high and has probably done more to promote mini-comics than any other cartoonist. He sees minis as the ultimate democratic artform -- anyone can do it, all you need is a few bucks to make some copies and a story to tell. You don't even have to know how to draw. Feazell puts his money where his mouth is with this last point, for while he can draw well enough, he draws the adventures of Cynicalman and his friends in a simple, stick figure style, about as far from Alex Ross as you can get. But Feazell's stick figures have great charm and it's the jokes that make the book work. There are two (out of print) collections of Feazell's work around but they really are made to be read in a little pamphlet with one staple holding it all together. For information on picking up some of Matt Feazell's comics, go to his website at http://members.aol.com/cynicalman . More or Less and other Double Cross! comics: Tony Consiglio hasn't been doing mini-comics as long as Matt Feazell, but he has been at it for a while. He's shown a tenacity rarely seen in the mini-comics world and is about as famous as a cartoonist can be in the indy scene without being published. The bulk of Consiglio's stories are vaguely autobiographical stories of his life, depicting life with his family and at different crappy jobs. They can be very funny, but there is a feeling of sadness that lingers beneath the surface, which gives the stories an added depth. You can get more information about Tony Consiglio's comics at http://members.aol.com/DoubleTony. From the Curve: Robert Ullman's comics are also autobiographical, but rather than focusing on long stories as Consiglio does, he focuses on specific, usually small moments (walking his dog, meeting girls, mowing the lawn, etc). They aren't really stories so much as observations or meditations, but the strips have a charm to them that makes the comic hard to put down. From what I understand Ullman is planning to focus on longer pieces and I'll be curious to see how that pans out, but I hope he'll throw in some shorter strips every now and again. Aside form the individual issues, Ullman has released Signifying Nothing, which reprints the best of his early work. He will also be doing some work for Alternative Press in the future. Another graduate of Mini University! For information about From the Curve, please go to Robert Ullman's website at http://lurid.com/chappy/index.html. That should get you started on your investigation into the wild and wooly world of mini-comics. I hope you'll order at least one of these titles and see if you're missing anything. Also, I think everyone I've mentioned here will be attending the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland the weekend of September 14-16. It's a terrific convention geared toward alternative comics and it's a great place to pick up books by these gentlemen and many more. Earlier this year, Top Shelf productions released Alex Robinson's graphic novel Box Office Poison, a 608-page story about young New Yorkers and one old New Yorker. It originally appeared as a mini-comic in 1994 and was called "riotously snide" by The Onion. Robinson won the Eisner Award for "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition," so he'd better get off his lazy ass and produce something, huh? He lives in New York City with his lovely girlfriend Kristen and their two cats, and you can get more information about him and his comics at http://members.aol.com/ComicBookAlex.