Author: El Santo

I have never met the man named Bleedman, but I imagine that if I met him in real life, he’d be bursting with an epic amount of jittery energy. Like his veins are filled with an unholy combination of Vault, Red Bull, Pop Cola, and Nestle Crunch. His anime-insired drawings are always kinetic … maybe even hyperkinetic, threatening to throw Newton’s First Law of Motion to the ground. An object at rest doesn’t stay at rest, boy-ee! With that in mind, you’d think that Sugar Bits, a webcomic about sugar, treats, and mountains of candy would be right up his alley.

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Ever get frustrated with the breakneck pace of the modern life? Ever wish you were one of those carefree hippie spirits, your dreams undulled and your eyes permanently lit with sparkles? Chillax, broseph, because today, I’m going to dig in to Octopus Pie.  Octopus Pie is a fanciful take on a modern Odd Couple as they try to survive life’s perils in New York City.  The comedy series is written and drawn by Meredith Gran (Not Gonna Take It, Skirting Danger).  The comic is very new — barely a year old in fact — yet it’s already received a WCCA: the 2008 award for Outstanding Newcomer. (Octopus Pie was also nominated for 2008’s Outstanding Black & White Art and Website Design awards.)

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In celebration of Steampunk Month here at ComixTalk, I’ve decided to take on the task of reviewing Warren Ellis’ FreakAngels. Be warned, though: if "steampunk" to you means stovepipe hats, pocket watches, and parasols, then you may be a little disoriented by the direction Mr. Ellis takes his comic.

But then again, beyond the cutesy wordplay on "cyberpunk," what’s steampunk, anyway?

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When ComixTalk head honcho Xaviar Xerexes (a.k.a "Tha Tru Triple X") mentioned that he wanted to see articles on the Eisner Award nominees, I slobbered at the chance to review one particular title, SugarShock!  Why, you ask? It’s because this little series is written by a somewhat popular guy by the name of Joss H. Whedon.

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In this review, El Santo takes a look at Sarah Ellerton’s The Phoenix Requiem, a beautifully illustrated tale set in 19th Century England about a mysterious stranger who stumbles into an idyllic village.

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Late last year, my girlfriend and I took a nice roadtrip down the 101 to that City by the Bay, San Francisco. One of the many sights I wanted to see was Haight-Ashbury, the geographical flashpoint of the 1960’s hippie movement. I was a little disappointed with what I saw. Haight-Ashbury was a rundown little ghetto frequented by people who may or may not be homeless. There were some colorful murals here and there, but nothing you couldn’t see in some of the skeezier neighborhoods of Flint, Michigan. Haight-Ashbury was gritty, uncharacteristically quiet for a San Francisco district, and, most depressing of all, it failed to live up to the vibrant personality created by its own mythology.

What did I expect to see? Probably something like the town depicted in Templar, Arizona, a webcomic written and illustrated by Charlie "Spike" Trotman.

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Larry "El Santo" Cruz takes a look at Aaron Diaz’s too-surreal-for-you webcomic, Dresden Codak.

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