The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) was started by renowned alternative cartoonist James Sturm and Michelle Ollie in 2004 and is located in the tiny village of White River Junction in Vermont. Caboose, the title relative to the railroad history of the town, is an anthology of the works of CCS alumni, with guest spots by well-known alt cartoonists such as Sturm, John Porcellino (King Cat), Alison Bechdel (Fun Home) and Nate Beaty (Brainfag).
The stories within focus on the town and the many ways these cartoonists view it. It’s a mixed bag of autobiography, town history, weird flights of fantasy and observations on some of the odd characters that inhabit White River Junction. While there is a common style among the works within, there is enough of a variety in the stories to catch anybody’s interest, some pieces obviously stronger than others. Although a proper contents page (or at least some kind of regular identification of who did which piece) would have come in handy, the newsprint comic is a nicely done introduction to a new generation of cartoonists. (Matthew Daley)
Comic Newspaper, editors Chuck Forsman & Max DeRadigès, caboosewrj.blogspot.com