Gord Cummings, like many of us, is a mix of interesting neuroses and traumatizing experiences. However, Cummings, unlike most of us, is a comic writer. The first issue of Mercy Seat is an anthology of stories from his life, illustrated by a group of talented comic artists with a variety of styles. In fact, their styles are so different that sometimes it’s difficult to remember that the main character of each story is still, in fact, Cummings. But whatever confusion this may cause is compensated for by truly sterling moments in comic illustration. This zine includes, I kid you not, the cutest cartoon penis I have ever seen. Seriously, I never knew that the penis could aspire to the adorable, but apparently Cummings’ unit when he was in grade school could have been captioned as a lolcat. Mercy Seat is a perzine in comic form, but it moves beyond that label to be a diverting comic in its own right. I may not agree with Cummings’ politics and some of his views on life, but this is a well-drawn and entertaining collection. (J. Blackmore)
Comic, Gord Cummings, Published by Viciousambitious, [email protected], viciousambitious.com