Angry Comics #1-13

Posted: Tuesday, December 5, 2000
By: Darren Schroeder

Cover of Angry Comics #1-13 Creator(s): Shane Simmons
Publishers: Eyestrain Comics (Self Published)
From: CANADA
Price: Various

Lots of small press creators try to be funny but can only manage a few gags that work. Sure, the idea that makes you and your friends shoot your drinks out your noses might seem funny at the time, but trying to fill a comic with such moments can often leave it seriously lame.

Shane has the uncanny ability to avoid this, coming up with laugh after laugh. Sure, not every page makes you choke on your drink but his hit rate is the highest I've found. He seems to be filled with ideas, be they weird, gross or cute....well, actually there are not any that are cute, but rest assured not all are weird or gross. There is humour focused on his then home Montreal, poking fun at the strange inhabitants and political figures. There is also satirical attacks on the global TV culture. You know what a talkshow is, and you must have kept abreast of developments on Baywatch.

His artwork developed over the course of the 13 issues as he perfected his technique for depicting characters. His is a very cartoonish style that can present a wide range of characters and emotions. His simple technique of using different means to construct the faces of his characters economically allows him to present a wide range of individuals who don't all end up looking the same.

My favourite of his recurring stories is "Couch Potatoes", in which a couple of guys seem to spend their entire lives in front of the television passing ironic judgement on popular culture or debating which female star would be the best to sleep with. It's not very politically correct, but who the hell wants their comics to be.

This series is a classic small press title which in the light of his later fame with Longshot comics (The ones with all the dots as characters.) deserves to be collected and reprinted (hint hint).

In a Word: Talented.



If you have a comment or question about Small Press then feel free to contact me