Read More Comix
Comic, Robb Mirsky, James Spencer and David Craig, Volume 1, readmorecomix.com, $5
Vulgar cigarettes, anthropomorphic bricks, and a sewer mutant who tries to amalgamate itself back into society are just some of the zany characters you’ll meet in this brilliantly devised debut. Curated by prolific trio Robb Mirsky, James Spencer and David Craig, Read More Comix is a hilarious collection of vignettes that celebrate surrealism, absurdity and over all laugh-out-loud silliness. The zine itself is laconic, being composed sparsely of words and dialogue. However, when there is dialogue, hilarity ensues. Most episodes rely on illustration and the reader’s retention for storytelling. The zine’s cover is reflective of the comic’s eccentric and colourful nature and the insanity of the universe where it all takes place. The urbanites, the inanimate objects, the paranormal and animals all come together as subjects of a rotating narrative that makes them all prisoners to their cruel creators’ irony. It’s rare for Read More Comix to offer any solutions to the problems that it creates for its characters but it probably never aimed to resolve any issues either, as most stories end off on a note that leaves readers more confused than when they started. This is the charm that propels the greatness of Read More Comix.
With that in mind, if you do end up making a choice to read more comics, Read More Comix is a stellar place to begin. (Zack Fenech)