shortpants props, and sorta-props
We got a nice little mention on The Comics Reporter for the fourth Ouija Interview:
This is a standard quarter-sized mini-comic with better-than-average paper wrapped in an attractively tinted card stock cover. Plot wise, this is pretty much as it sounds: a series of interviews with spirits through a Ouija board put into comics form. This is probably the most involved one, as it involves two different acts of spiritual outreach. The first is to a child and his sister, Mack and Agatha, who let it be known they were murdered by their father. They seek their mother, who they believe suffered the same fate. It's hinted that until some solution to this problem is found, they won't be able to move on. The unseen Ouija board users then summon Samantha, Mack and Agatha's aunt, who lets them in on the horrible secret that is likely keeping the first two spirits from a higher place.
It's the details that are fun here: the "old-timey" design on the ghosts, the goofy dialog lettered in Ouija board letter approximates, the hesitant but helpful questions asked by the unseen interrogator. This is the kind of thing that is much better of relegated to a small publication like this one, where it makes for a quirky and fun object.
Plus, once upon a time, a good friend of Shortpants Press implied that perhaps we only hyped the really fantastic reviews we got, and swept the "bad" ones under the rug. Let it be known that this is not the case, as we got a mostly good/sorta critical review for the Shuteye Series over at Sequart.com:
SHUTEYE #1-3 by Sarah Becan. This ambitious minicomics series explores worlds that aren't quite what they seem, and in particular the world of dreams and hallucinations. Identity is another central idea, particularly the concept of ego loss. I love Becan's design sense and the way she composes a page, as well as the way each issue leads into the next despite being stand-alone comics. The problem is that her ambition outstrips her execution at times. The best of the three issues is #1, about a soldier lost in a mysterious desert. He winds up in a village and finds that every time he wakes up in the morning, time has warped around him. His experiences are felt in the dreams of the soldiers he left behind when he deserted. It's graphically simple but elegant--Becan's chops don't exceed her reach here, and the story itself is perfectly paced.
The problems begin with #2, about a young man who stumbles drunkenly out of a car in an unfamiliar neighborhood who proceeds to lie to the bartender about everything imaginable. When he realizes that he may have accidentally killed someone in a drunk driving accident, the world suddenly shifts around him unexpectedly. It's a clever twist ending, but the problem with the story is that it's reliant on subtle facial expression and shifts of mood, and Becan's art isn't quite up to it. Becan hovers between realism and a more stripped-down style, and the result is something that looks rushed. One senses that she's afraid of losing her decorative touch if she went too simple.
#3 is overstuffed at 50 pages. It's a tale of a couple who go hiking and wind up in a weird house that forces one awake while the other must sleep. The revelation from the young woman that this fate does not upset her is clever given what Becan sets up early in the story. The problem with this one is pacing. The story feels padded and the figures are clearly rushed. There's just not enough to look at on a given page to hold one's attention throughout.
Becan is a very clever cartoonist who's clearly going through a learning curve. I like how the slightly genre trappings set up human interactions--it's not unlike an episode of The Twilight Zone. I expect to see steady improvement as she learns what works and what doesn't.
This is a standard quarter-sized mini-comic with better-than-average paper wrapped in an attractively tinted card stock cover. Plot wise, this is pretty much as it sounds: a series of interviews with spirits through a Ouija board put into comics form. This is probably the most involved one, as it involves two different acts of spiritual outreach. The first is to a child and his sister, Mack and Agatha, who let it be known they were murdered by their father. They seek their mother, who they believe suffered the same fate. It's hinted that until some solution to this problem is found, they won't be able to move on. The unseen Ouija board users then summon Samantha, Mack and Agatha's aunt, who lets them in on the horrible secret that is likely keeping the first two spirits from a higher place.
It's the details that are fun here: the "old-timey" design on the ghosts, the goofy dialog lettered in Ouija board letter approximates, the hesitant but helpful questions asked by the unseen interrogator. This is the kind of thing that is much better of relegated to a small publication like this one, where it makes for a quirky and fun object.
Plus, once upon a time, a good friend of Shortpants Press implied that perhaps we only hyped the really fantastic reviews we got, and swept the "bad" ones under the rug. Let it be known that this is not the case, as we got a mostly good/sorta critical review for the Shuteye Series over at Sequart.com:
SHUTEYE #1-3 by Sarah Becan. This ambitious minicomics series explores worlds that aren't quite what they seem, and in particular the world of dreams and hallucinations. Identity is another central idea, particularly the concept of ego loss. I love Becan's design sense and the way she composes a page, as well as the way each issue leads into the next despite being stand-alone comics. The problem is that her ambition outstrips her execution at times. The best of the three issues is #1, about a soldier lost in a mysterious desert. He winds up in a village and finds that every time he wakes up in the morning, time has warped around him. His experiences are felt in the dreams of the soldiers he left behind when he deserted. It's graphically simple but elegant--Becan's chops don't exceed her reach here, and the story itself is perfectly paced.
The problems begin with #2, about a young man who stumbles drunkenly out of a car in an unfamiliar neighborhood who proceeds to lie to the bartender about everything imaginable. When he realizes that he may have accidentally killed someone in a drunk driving accident, the world suddenly shifts around him unexpectedly. It's a clever twist ending, but the problem with the story is that it's reliant on subtle facial expression and shifts of mood, and Becan's art isn't quite up to it. Becan hovers between realism and a more stripped-down style, and the result is something that looks rushed. One senses that she's afraid of losing her decorative touch if she went too simple.
#3 is overstuffed at 50 pages. It's a tale of a couple who go hiking and wind up in a weird house that forces one awake while the other must sleep. The revelation from the young woman that this fate does not upset her is clever given what Becan sets up early in the story. The problem with this one is pacing. The story feels padded and the figures are clearly rushed. There's just not enough to look at on a given page to hold one's attention throughout.
Becan is a very clever cartoonist who's clearly going through a learning curve. I like how the slightly genre trappings set up human interactions--it's not unlike an episode of The Twilight Zone. I expect to see steady improvement as she learns what works and what doesn't.
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