Stay As You Are #7

Posted: Tuesday, August 7, 2001
By: Darren Schroeder

Cover of Stay As You Are #7 Creator(s): Brad Yung
Publishers: Self Published
From: Canada
Price: $2.00 (Canada)

In which Brad takes an unwavering analytical look at the foibles of early 21st century life. His characters take everything personally, from the Starbuck's shop that has opened in the Forbidden City to the growing obsolescence of foghorns. Nothing is to small or mundane to come to their attention and require careful consideration.

The humour is as always dead pan and Teflon coated. Laughing out loud is hardly an option as the punch lines seem driven by a deep-seated horror at the state of things today. Brad wants us all to think about what goes on around us and every one of these strips, even the cute but violent Ninja Bear, will make you go Hmmmm.

Brad's verbal inventiveness is only matched by his experimental approach to the two by three panel layout he favours, turning what could be a very repetitive format into a multitude of possibilities. From tableaux, surreal juxtapositions or subtle changes of perspective; with each strip Brad tries something different. This commitment to the creative process is the most valuable constant in Brad's work, let's hope he stays as he is.

In a Word: Inventive.



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