Greetings, yetis! Cabbage here with a delicious dose of nourishing and tasty comics you should get your eyeballs on ASAP.
Like most websites, we've got an absolute treasure trove of submissions from all you fine folks, and only so many hours in the day to cover them. Each month I'll spotlight some fun, weird and unique comics you can add to your sequential diet for variety, creative nutrition and tasty good times.
For spooky season, we've got some crack reporting, eerie apparitions, blistering body horror and comedic capers. There's something here for every horror fan, so let's dive in!
ACTION JOURNALISM #1-3
Kate Kelly's the best darn journalist the world - no, the galaxy - has ever seen. She tangles with aliens, mad scientists and even some fantasy elf minions while in pursuit of the good, honest newspaper-worthy truth.
WHO MADE IT?
Created by Eric Skillman and Miklós Felvidéki. Self-published, Cozy Lummox Publications.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
You can purchase Action Journalism #1-5 on Comixology.
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Per the back matter in issue #1, if you're a fan of the fine, zany journalistic tradition of comics - either in their subject matter or in the meta fun of it all - Action Journalism scratches that old-school itch with new-school flavor. Felvidéki and Skillman create a competent, funny protagonist in Kate, and Felvidéki's art is suited for the poppy, '50s cartoon vibe the book aims to hit. The stories are pretty short - just 16-17 pages on average - but Felvidéki packs fun into every page. Special shoutout to the gravity-defying layouts in issue #2.
The lettering is a touch large, and there are times where it feels too rough for the book's otherwise pro aesthetic, but it's readable. Skillman piles in fun details and quips, and nails the evil bad guy monologue in issue #1 - complete with a callback that actually works.
APPARITIONS OF EAST ANGLIA
Apparitions of East Anglia is a local encyclopedia of the weird, phantasmagorical goings-on of, well, East Anglia.
There's more here than you'd expect, and not all of it's terrifying. Some of it is bizarre, and some of it is just funny as hell.
WHO MADE IT?
Created by Chris Spalton. Self-published, Fenbeast Publications.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
Pick up a copy of Apparitions of East Anglia on Chris's Gumroad store, and check out his other work!
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
I am a total mark for weird local stuff, and nothing gets me going faster than something like Apparitions of East Anglia. Spalton covers the wild, weird and wonderful legends of his locality. Personal favorites include the Beaver Bishop of Babingley, the Ludham Worm and St. Guthag, who moved to the fens after an eventful life, consumed nothing but barley bread and muddy water and exhaled nectar when he died. His body also, apparently, never decayed. That's metal as @$&!
We always need a reminder of our heritage, and we can often uncover all sorts of strange, terrible and sometimes hilarious legends that tie us to the lands and people we're from more closely. Apparitions of East Anglia is part comic, part photo-journal and 100% delightful.
DISORDER 1/3
The first in a moody, horrifying and meaningful trilogy, Disorder 1/3 is a grotesque, exquisite and auto-biographical sensory overload.
Body horror fans, you need this one on your shelves. It means more than your average jump-scare rag. Trust me.
WHO MADE IT?
Created by Erika Price. Self-published.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
Two volumes of Disorder are available on Price's shop, with one more on the way. Check out her awesome prints, too!
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Price absolutely skewers our eyeballs with fine-point viscera, despair and skin-peeling brilliance in Disorder. It's the closest I've ever come to seeing my own dysmorphia and death dread made real on the page, and it's an intense experience. Price plays with the balance a black and white comic can provide - or upend - in brutally precise imagery and careful detail. Each chapter explores a different storytelling mode and style, and layouts reflect the disunity we should expect from an experimental comic.
This one is absolutely tops, folks. Sink into the page and go on the uncomfortable journey, please. If you ever wanted to understand what it's like to feel at odds with your body, from mild discomfort to outright horror and disgust, this is it. Price doesn't hold back. Disorder is a screaming sensory assault, but it beckons us in for the ride. Don't miss it.
EVIL CAST #1-6
Evil Cast pits two podcastin' buddies against a plethora of creepy crap, from deadly dreams to fire femmes and everything in between.
The film homage covers certainly don't hurt, either.
WHO MADE IT?
Written by Kyle Stück, drawn by Enrico Orlandi, lettered & edited by Noah Baslé.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
Evil Cast's no longer available to read online, but sign up here for updates and keep an eye out for it soon!
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Evil Cast features buddies Noah and Kyle, two podcasters and horror aficionados whose real-life experiences are about to get super weird, and sinister. Kyle's been having strange dreams, someone's burned down Noah's house, and things start to get super weird from there. Orlandi's art is awesome - great cartooning, a crisp line and blocky colors that do a lot of work in place of extensive background detail. Stück's writing is snappy, contained and pretty funny, too. Baslé's lettering is clean and minimal, with almost no padding in the balloons and decent placement throughout.
Horror comedies are only good when the horror and the comedy are balanced. Too much humor and they become pathetic, too much horror and the jokes jangle our keys because they undermine the overall tone. Evil Cast knows how to do this particular sub-genre well, and there's enough mystery and ghoulish fun here to make it a worthy entry into the hallowed annals of horror.
That'll do it for this installment of Leafy Greens!
Remember, folks: capes and stylish indies are delightful, but there's a wide world of weird comics out there for everyone. Read broadly, read deliciously and read often!
Eat your greens, kiddos.
Love,
Cabbage
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