Squa Tront isn’t for the dilettantes of BP’s readership. No sir, this pub is aimed at comic die-hards, blowhards and aficionados. And, deeper still, those with a specific interest in the Old West, frontiersmen, post-war angst, and antiquated urbania. You see, Squa Tront celebrates vintage comics and their collectors. Lengthy, well-researched and well-written interviews abound. There’s one with ’50s-era comic writer Colin Dawkins, another with veteran illustrator John Severin, who drew for Cracked for many years. All told, Squa Tront is a unique publication because while it’s so narrowly targeted to vintage comic lovers, it is so well written and well done on the whole that just about anybody with a droplet of counterculture blood in them is bound to get something out of it. These fascinating drawings from eras past are presented in a vibrant resolution that really brings the stories (and the stories behind the stories) to life. People like Dawkins and Severin have long since laid the topsoil for modern day zinesters, and the fact that they’re still being celebrated for their contributions to DIY publishing is a tribute to Gary Groth, Kim Thompson and the remainder of this magazine’s sympathizers. Consider Squa Tront a peephole to the past, and please DO shove your eyeball up against the notch. (Cameron Gordon)
Comic, issue 11, $?, Gary Groth and Kim Thompson, 7563 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA, 98115, www.fantagraphics.com