Stuck to You Like
Zine, Kiel Torres, 20 pgs, kieltorres.tumblr.com, $4
What begins as an interesting series of black and white illustrated childhood narratives on the theme of things being stuck (teeth, trucks, feet), takes a more curious turn mid-way through, when our narrator addresses a mysterious soulmate whose past s/he is decidedly stuck on. The obsession leads to several food-based prose-poetry pages like this one: “I’ve been having a hard time spelling lately and I think it’s because you liked eating Alphagetti so much.” Other foods used to this effect include kool-aid, butter, and popsicles. Somehow this raises more questions than answers, especially about the “you” our narrator is talking about and what happened to this person? Did they die? Break up? The effect is heartbreaking and bittersweet. Highly recommended. (Jason Luther)