On the Beach and Prologue by Kenan Rubenstein Both On the Beach and Prologue are made of one single sheet of paper folded in half four times. You read the panels exactly as they unfold and it's never unclear where your eyes should go next. Both minis are a departure from the normal fold, cut, and staple jobs.

What works very well in On the Beach is that each time you unfold the comic, the storytelling space gets larger. Usually the panels themselves double in size until the last fold takes you from two adjacent quarter sized panels to a mondo full page final image. I've seen this used before, but not as well as Kenan does here. On the Beach chronicles an experience through the ages on a local nude beach.
While Prologue is less successful at taking advantage of the unfolding format (the panels don't escape from the eighth of a page size until the very end), it's understandable because Kenan has more of a story to tell. He needs more panels to convince the reader just how dire things are romantically for the main character. The art is much more dense in Prologue than On the Beach, as the setting is a dark party and city streets at night. No matter the setting, he really manages to pack a lot of visual and narrative detail into this story. In both minis, the quality of the art is superb. The level of detail and the grace of the line is very convincing for the reader.
You can find out more about Kenan's work at his website. No prices that I can find, but I'm sure a quick email to kenan@boyblueproductions.com will sort things out.

MoCCA 2009 is This Weekend!
Tom Spurgeon, who I only know and love online, has a list of 25 Things I'd Do at MoCCA.

It's a shame that he won't be at the show, but I really enjoyed his list this morning, particularly this one:

5. I'd walk to the show one morning
You have to be careful with this one because you'll be on your feet a lot at the show, but there's nothing better than taking a long walk through one of the great cities of the world knowing comics is your final destination.

I couldn't agree more, Tom. One thing for me about New York, is that it makes you slow down a bit and want to walk. If it's a beautiful day, I couldn't imagine taking the bus or the subway if you are just going a few miles. Hell, Kate and I have walked from our place all the way up to 23rd Street. Of course that was with the promise of a Shake Shack Shroom Burger (Crisp-fried portobello filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce) and fries at the end of our destination.

I'm excited about MoCCA this year, mostly because I haven't been for a few years. But I'm also looking forward to meeting a lot of the folks that I've reviewed and emailed with over the past few years. I'll be at the show on Saturday, but probably not Sunday unless I stop by for the Gary Panter/Frank Santoro discussion Sunday afternoon.

I'm not that familiar with the area up there yet, but I enjoyed local expert Heidi's guide to eats close to the show. Maybe this will give me the chance to try Baoguette.

Jin & Jam and Reich from Sparkplug Comic Books

Hopefully, you are familiar with Sparkplug Comic Books. They are a quality publisher of mini-comics, comics, and books, as well as a must visit table at finer comic conventions.

Months ago, I received a fat package of comics and books including a few comics that fit in well here at SIZE MATTERS. Dylan and the gang publish these in Portland, but they retain that oh so appealing mini-comic factor. At the same time, the materials and design feel kind of luxe and consistent giving off a "publishing house" vibe. The first issue of Jin & Jam by Hellen Jo is a barely contained riot over 36 black and white pages. Sure, Hellen tells a linear story, but her art has a manga-like (think Matsumoto’s Black & White or Blue Spring rather than something cuter like Sgt. Frog) energy that’s impossible to ignore. Movement is hyper and exaggerated at times and the volume of the text expands, threatening to burst out of the straining word balloons. Hellen is having a ton of fun and so is the reader.

The characters are over the top stock characters – the good girl who might not be so good, the bad girl, the sidekick – but Hellen also tosses in the rough and tumble conjoined twins, Ting & Terng to test the story’s protagonists. Roughly a third of the book is an extended fight scene, but even the fight has some lovely interludes. I’ve posted a few images from Jin & Jam to illustrate some quiet moments. Notice the carp floating in the black backgrounds in this first image. I love this page showing the Jin and Jam floating up into sky littered with SAT flash cards after Jin says, “I wanna get out of here! For more information, check out Hellen’s website or Sparkplug Comics. Jin & Jam is $5 plus shipping.

Issues four and five of Reich by Elijah Brubaker continue the story of the young psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich in 1920’s Vienna. Reich reminds me a bit of Chester Brown’s extensively footnoted Louis Riel. Elijah takes his subject seriously, but also isn’t afraid to bend history for a good yarn. Where he does depart from history, he makes sure to let the reader know how and why he diverges.

Reich is visually austere, which serves the storyline and subject very well. Walls are a stark black and the faces rarely smile. However issue four is a little lighter in appearance. Here you see the emotion and changing points of view that mark a reunion of Reich and a friend. Elijah softens the austerity with the shape of his characters; the heads are large and rounded and the noses are exaggerated. Children are more cartoonish and less well developed. On the page below, the young daughter almost looks like a cartoon character in an otherwise reality-based comic. This is a neat touch. Each 24-page issue of Reich is $4 plus shipping and handling. You can get yours through the Sparkplug Comic Books webstore. For more information on Elijah's work, check out his website.

Side note part one: On a visit to Powell's Books in Portland, Kate picked me up a mini-comic and it was a Sparkplug Comic Books mini called Super Crazy Cat Dance by Aron Nels Steinke. It's adorable and fun!

Side note part two: Sparkplug Comic Books will be at MoCCA this weekend. Here's a posting from their website on new books and events.

Folk Issue #2 by Tyler Stafford The second issue of Tyler Stafford's Folk is visually engaging and whimsical. Over 20 pages, Tyler tells two stories on pages of alternating colors. For some reason, the transitions from yellow to green colored pages are the most jarring. Of course it doesn't help that the thread of the story is something that reminds you a bit of a hallucinogenic trip. "The Hunt" is a hunter becomes the hunted story that channels some of Jim Woodring's Frank. Tyler packs these densely landscaped pages with imaginative and otherworldly flora and fauna. The setting in "The Crystal Ship" switches from woodsy and dense to lunar and angular. Tyler doesn't drop as many details in this story, but you still get something like this: Check out the little guy in the mid-to-upper right of the page that has the vacuum tube thingy. Have no idea what's going on there, but I like it.

Folk issue two is on sale at Tyler's Etsy shop for $2.50. You can also see some additional page scans. Also check Tyler's website for more information.

Hot Town and Getting There by Robyn Jordan In Hot Town and Getting There, Robyn Jordan displays two different art styles. Hot Town, subtitled "One More Summer in Sticky NYC," is looser and more quickly rendered than Getting There. Robyn's lines are thicker and darker; she uses very little shading or texturing and spends less time worrying about backgrounds. The stories are little vignettes of live in NYC - showing realtives around, puttering in her community garden, checking out nude beaches.
The 20-page Hot Town is wrapped in a saddle stitched, bright orange cover with the title screen-printed over an overheated, bikini-clad girl, clutching a yard glass full of something tropical.

Getting There features longer stories (two stories sandwiching a one-pager) and a much tighter style of art. Here, Robyn meticulously graces the panels with detailed shading and crosshatching. The backgrounds are more significant, lending depth to the pages. Story one details the characters you see commuing on the subway and story two depicts Robyn's jury duty experience.
Here's a bonus greeting card that Robyn sent in: The inside says, "Hey, thanks for everything."

Find more details at her website, including this page with many images. Looks like you can find Robyn's comics at Desert Island. Contact her at robyn@robynjordan.com.

The Would-Be Bridegrooms by Shawn Cheng Shawn Cheng, of Partyka, has combined the grace and simplicity of a fable with the energy and silliness of a shape-shifting duel. Two would-be bridegrooms approach a girl's house, slowly realizing that they both intend to ask for the hand of their beloved. Once they realize this, the battle is on - the two shape-shifters take turns trying to outmaneuver and overpower the other. Near the end, the two suitors find themselves in a very compromising position. Shawn's comic timing is impeccable during this sequence. The Would-Be Bridegrooms is a 48-page black and white mini-comic wrapped in a threaded spine cover. Get your own copy for $5 at the Partyka online store.

Mini-comics by Gwenaelle
Gwenaelle creates gorgeous penciled minis that both teach and delight. Gwenaelle’s Little Book of Recipes Illustrated Volumes I and II cover “Chicken Marinated in Beer” and “Mavis K. BBQ Steak Houston Style” respectively. Each 16-page issue features ingredient lists and step-by-step instructions accompanied by pencil drawings. “Chicken Marinated in Beer” adds two pages each for setting the table and beverage selections. These would be great for Gourmet or Food and Wine readers. Inventez Des Nouvelles Positions Sexuelles (Invent New Sexual Positions) is a 16-page exercise in capturing ideas about sex and ignoring "your inner cop or censure" when you consider the sexual act. This mini, like the others, is lovingly crafted inside and out. The inside cover folds out and looks like this:
Gwenaelle's mini-comic page has more pictures, like a lot more pictures, to give you an idea of how interesting these little books are. Just click on a title and away you go! She doesn't have any prices listed, but I'm sure if you email her at contact@gounie.com, you can get the scoop on prices. She does have an Etsy shop where you can purchase minis. If you re in the Los Angeles area, you can purchase the minis at Skylight Books, The Secret Headquarters, or Meltdown Comics.

SIZE MATTERS Update and Address Change

Folks, I apologize. I’ve neglected SIZE MATTERS over the last month and a half. The review copies are piling up and I’m feeling very guilty for not posting. Honestly, this has been a pattern for the last year or two – sporadic updates followed by a month or two of nothing. I know that has to be annoying to the few readers who still check in.

I know you just come here for mini-comics, so I won’t bore you with the details of what’s been happening to keep me away from blogging. Life is just like that sometimes.

Kate and I have finally moved to Manhattan and I have to say it’s fantastic to be back on the East Coast. The address for reviews has obviously changed (email me for the new address). Now that I feel like things have calmed down, I’d like to try something a little different to help me get through this box full of mini-comics that deserve your attention.

I will do more frequent reviews, but make the reviews more basic and informational. This will give potential readers what they need to make a decision. I will keep the cover and interior shots up, because I know those help me decide on buying minis, but I’ll talk less about what I like and how the mini works for me.

Posts will follow this format:

Title
Author
Materials and page number
Price
Quick overall thoughts
Where to buy
Pictures!

If I stick to this for most of the minis, I can get more posts on here and put more minis front and center where they belong. Trust me, this review pile is embarrassing…

Magic Everywhere by Eliza Frye Magic Everywhere, by Eliza Frye, is an eight page mini that deftly and silently mixes fantasy with reality. A young girl visiting a tar pits museum chases a snowflake and stumbles upon the skeleton of a mythical creature. Most of the eight pages feature two stacked panels, though page five, which serves as the "chase scene," is a full page panel.

Eliza's art is simple and unadorned. She uses a nice balance of white space and black ink, and only draws what's necessary for the reader to get a sense of what is happening on the page. The cover, however, is a nicely detailed silk screened affair, done in blue and dotted with snowflakes. You can check out more of Eliza's work at her website. You can grab your own copy of Magic Everywhere at Eliza's online shop for $3 including shipping.

Phlegm by Dan Issue eight of Phlegm by Phlegm, or aka Dan no last name, is a dark, densely shaded attack on modern advertising similar to, but much more disturbing than, the subversive and colorful Wacky Packages. To begin with, Dan’s subject matter is more grown up and his characters more purely disquieting.

As I’m flipping through this issue, I stop on the last page featuring “Unicorn Porn.” Apparently, but I haven’t actually checked, at http://www.uniporn.com you can find unicorn porn and other specialist pornography. In the fake advert, a unicornish creature cries, “Hold on to my pink sequin fur and ride my horn to magic land.” Yeah, you never found stuff like that in a package of Wacky Packages. The faces of Dan’s characters are simplistic and eerie. The rounded heads, slitted and tilted eyes, missing nose, and often-misplaced mouth make the characters seem barely human. He strips the ads and the scenes down to the bare, disgusting untruths of advertising. If at times the slogans seem hackish or trite, they reflect the obviousness of the adverts he lampoons.

Dan’s art is very well suited for this messy and dismal subject. He uses heavy swaths of ink and shifting fonts to frame his humanoid characters. The fonts swell, loop, and stretch in each panel as they slink towards the bad pun or hateful finish.
Dan sums up this issue of Phlegm on his website:

“The comic contains my pen and ink illustrations, cartoons, and street art. The work is intense, often surreal and thought provoking, but most of the time it looks like a mad person has been locked in a room for years with no company but a bottle of Indian ink and a scratchy nib….because that's precisely what it is.”

Issue eight of Phlegm is 36 pages with a handsome screen printed (on both sides) cover. You can grab a copy at Dan’s online shop. For more information on his work and some damn nice artwork, check out the Phlegm Blog.