We Heart Corinne Mucha

Last year at SPX, a comics artist named Corinne Mucha stopped by the Shortpants table and asked, "do you do trades?"

Shortpants is gonna let you in on a little secret, reader. We're actually kinda reluctant to do trades. Firstly coz we're trying to pretend like we run a business, and secondly because nine times out of ten, we seem to get the short end of the stick. You know, some crudely drawn, crudely photocopied comic about a bunch of manga type ninjas, or a badass trenchcoated dood who has mystical powers and curses the greatness that was thrust upon him. Yawn. Usually we'll still make the trades, because frankly, no one knows who we are yet, and also because we're really polite.

With Corinne Mucha, though, we not only didn't get the short end of the stick, we actually found a real gem. After devouring the book she gave us (Buzz #1), I sent Shortpants's boyfriend Niles to track her down and get more. He returned triumphant, with a book called "I Lived in Alaska."

Mucha's drawings are quirky, charming, and infinitely approachable. As personal as her content gets, the books never read like diary entries as much as they do like cleverly funny instructional manuals:



"I Lived in Alaska" is the story of how Mucha and her boyfriend Sam spent a season working at a bed & breakfast in Soldotna, Alaska. It's told in little staccato vignettes, documenting conversations, misconceptions, preparations, the journey, events at the bed & breakfast, adventures exploring Alaska itself, and their return to the conterminous states.




After last year's SPX, I went to spend a week on Nantucket at the hostel my brother managed. I'm pretty sure I made at least two dozen people there read "Alaska."

This year, Mucha stopped by our table again with some new books. Like "Alaska", "I Hate Mom's Cat" is pretty straightforward, about Mucha's mom's cat Teddy, who has everyone (but Mucha) fooled. It's very cute, it's charmingly self-referential, and Shortpants (custodian to two kitties ourselves) likes stories about cats.




Mucha's "Buzz" comics are just as adorable. Maybe more so.



Shortpants has Buzz #s 1 and 2 now, but for some reason couldn't find them this morning. (We stole this pic from Mucha's site.) She bills "Buzz" as "a collection of random musings and observations", and it's here that her dark and quirky sense of humor and style really gets a chance to shine. These comics are laugh out loud funny, and they made Shortpants want to share them with everyone we could find.

Your homework: get yourself some Corinne Mucha comics. She rules.

ATTN: Hairy Nipples comics night fans! Offhandedly, before she left our table, Mucha hinted that she might be moving to Chicago soon. There's always room for one more at Clarke's Pancake House, right? :)