Animol Zoo
Comic, Shayne Cassidy, 20 pgs, ShayneCassidy.com, [email protected]
This zine may be a harrowing statement of the “mankind vs. nature” variety. In it, variants of humans assail or neglect variants of animals (“animols”). Pull-aparts are needed. A turtle gets fucked up real bad. And so on.
Read excerpts here.
Artist Shayne Cassidy draws with pencil, gently. The illustrations have a definite softness to them that contrast with the sinister plots and subplots at work here. In fact, it seems almost more deranged because everything is played out to maximum subtlety. Cutesy creatures that wouldn’t look out of place on a baby blanket fight back and kick much ass, albeit with some collateral damage to show for it.
That said, there’s nothing graphic or particularly violent about these etchings. Even mass execution is drawn so slightly, it seems almost whimsical. Not an easy act to pull off, but Cassidy manages it in fine form. (Cam Gordon)