This is Still America: Part Two by George
Last September, we took a look at This is Still America. I recall being very surprised by the line art. George has a very distinctive way of drawing his lines, especially in the background. Forms are not fully drawn; they're more like suggestions of a drawing.

That's been toned down a bit in the second issue, subtitled "Where the fuck is everybody?"
This issue is much more grounded in reality than the previous one. George concentrates on the dreary past with his overbearing and physically abusive father. There's less of the soaring dream sequences and more pain. The father is mentally and physically abusive to the son, showing you how easy it is for the child to seek an alternate reality.
Things do get very weird in the end when the father makes a bonfire with his son's toys. Any reality melts under the pressure of so much anger.

Like the first issue, this one is only $2. It's 32 pages of black and white art with a very cool blue edge to each page. The first issue featured red bleeding edges on all the pages. These little details really make George's minis stand out. You can get your copy at Bodega Distribution.

Only Skin by Sean Ford

Only Skin: New Tales of the Slow Apocalypse is a pretty large mini-comic. It's oversized comic size, kind of like a Golden Age comic. It's designed well, from the Chester Brown inspired cover to the title page echoing Anders Nilsen's Big Questions. I also like the recycled off-white paper that reminds you a bit of newsprint.

Inside, Sean crafts a 36-page mystery involving grisly disappearances at a remote gas station.

Single mother Cassie and her son Clay tend to the gas station. Meanwhile, folks in the town are starting to organize and discuss the disappearances. Sean has a wonderful night scene where Clay is woken by a ghost. The ghost is of the "charming Peanuts ghost at Halloween" variety and makes a nice contrast of white against the black of the woods.

Only Skin is a great start to a well made comic series. It ends with a heck of a cliffhanger, so I can't wait to see issue #2. You can check out Sean's blog for more samples of the art. He's even got some cool color pages on display. You can get a copy of Only Skin at Quimbys or I Know Joe Kimpel for only $4. I think you'll probably be seeing a lot more of Sean Ford.

Okay, I love this - Self Comics
Got an email from Luca Genovese, who wanted to point out his mini-comics website Self Comics.

We are translating, slowly but surely, all our catalouge but now there are just some. We produce 8 page stories that can be read, downloaded and printed for free. The PDF files of each story are ready to be printed out, folded and stapled, so you can physically have our minicomics, if you want to.

This a fantastic idea and they have several gorgeous minis that you can read online or print and savor. They are also in the process of translating more stories. So, bookmark them and check back often.

Here's a few pages to give you an idea.
Gloria by Luca Vanzella and Luca Genovese. Translated by Elisabetta Favalessa.

Persistance And Elegance by Paolo Parisi and translated by Alberto Corradi.

Tonight I’m Gonna Dream You Have Always Loved Me by Luca Vanzella and Lucia Biagi. Translated by Alexandra Uzunova.