Three #2

I raved about the last issue of THREE in a previous post, so I was really pleased to see that THREE #2 is continuing solid, compelling work by queer creators. That's a tall order, considering the amount of praise the title has received as well as Ignatz nominations for one of the previous issue's pieces.) Again, the concept: THREE is an anthology by queer comic artists edited by Rob Kirby (you know him from BOY TROUBLE, CURBSIDE, and the particularly excellent STRANGE-LOOKING EXILE) in which each issue contains 3 new stories by three different creators or groups of creators.

It's an excellent production and one of my current favorite titles. This issue features three really different stories. The first, "Dragon" (written by Sina Evil with art by Jon Macy) is beautiful, sexy, playful, complicated, and a little heartbreaking: it's the story of two comics artists who meet for dinner and something a bit more beyond that. It's a story about sex and desire, but also about self-discovery. Evil's storytelling pace is superb (it's his first time writing a comic and not drawing it himself) and Macy's art is by turns smouldering and playful. It's a standout piece and a beautifully done collaboration.

The next piece is a playful cartoon jam by Jennifer Camper and Michael Fahy called "Help Wanted" that's a lot of fun. I can't tell you too much abnout the story without giving away plot twists, but it's about Raoul, his boyfriend and boss Leo Rinaldi, Lana (sister of Leo and swanky airplane pilot), the secrets of the samba, and ... well, you've have to read it to find out what happens next. It's a delight that I don't want to ruin for you, but it's one of the most fun cartoon jams I've read in a long time.

The final piece in this issue is "Nothin' But Trouble" by Craig Bostick and David Kelly, which employs very evocative color work. The story initially follows Jimmy, a guitarist and singer, who picks up a fella named Butch, in a love 'em & leave 'em story with a twist. Midway through the story shifts from Jimmy's perspective to Butch's, and the different color backgrounds of the story begin to make sense -- red for Jimmy and aqua for Butch. It's a love story with a couple of twists, but make sure you pay attention to what's playing on the radio in the background on the story's final page.

Overall, THREE is well worth reading for a lot of reasons; the artwork is always excellent, the stories consistently compelling, the series production is one of the most professional I've seen, and the content is diverse, beautiful, and inspiring. I can't wait for THREE #3, which will have work by one of my favorite folks in comics (Carrie McNinch), work from Ed Luce (which looks adorable and full of bear fellows), and a cartoon jam with folks like Diane DiMassa, Howard Cruse, Ellen Forney, and more -- including Rob Kirby himself.

Just order the collection. You're gonna fall in love with it too.

THREE
#2 (June 2011)
Rob Kirby
curbside2@earthlink.net
www.robkirbycomics.com (orders via paypal)
$6.25 US / ? Can/Mex / ? World
trades: maybe "for appropriate/similar stuff"
Half-legal (8.5 inches tall x 7 inches wide)
32 all-color pages

THREE #1

THREE #1 (July 2010)
Rob Kirby
curbside2@earthlink.net
www.robkirbycomics.com (orders via paypal)
$6.25 US / ? Can/Mex / ? World / ? trades
Half-legal/ 32 pages / color!

So, before I get to the gushing about how much I dug this collection, let me give you the basics: THREE is a limited-run anthology (I don’t know how limited or how many issues) by queer comic artists edited by Robert Kirby. I haven’t seen #2 yet but I know I’m going to love it if this first issue (clever cover and all) is any indication of the series to come. The plan is for each issue to have three stories by three creators or teams of creators, and the first issue is a standout. Joey Alison Sayers contributes a funny full-color piece called “Number One” (yeah, it’s about what you think) and Robert Kirby’s beautifully done story “Freedom Flight” follows a character called Drew on part of a trip through New York City (it has this soft blue background that gives it a little bit of a dreamlike, contemplative quality). But I found myself returning to the first piece in the collection, Eric Orner’s “Weekends Abroad.” It’s an atmospheric story set in Tel Aviv; the narrative follows a man and a lovely little piece of graffiti (which I now kind of want to put all over the place), and it is superbly done. All three of the stories are well-done and they’re a nice kind of sampling of three different artists. Overall, this title’s a standout; don’t wait to get your hands on it. (I can’t wait for the next issue.)

Review from Anne: Homobody #6

Review from Anne: Homobody #6
By Rio Safari
half-size, 32 pages, $2 (everywhere?) trades yes
1631 NE Broadway #737
Portland, OR 97232
riosafari@riseup.net
www.movedancecreate.com

I was pretty much sold as soon as I read Rio’s description: “It’s my queer comic zine about dudes who like dudes that don’t hit the clubs (homos + homebody)!” The funky painted cover is both eyecatching in terms of how the visuals are arranged (I love the back cover!) and for the color use. Inside the covers there’s a lot going on, from an interview with the Queer Zine Archive Project and another one with Robert Triptow (both charmingly handwritten!) as well as comics by a number of different folks, including Rob Kirby—some of these are short one-page panels and others are longer stories. It’s all pretty adorable and guaranteed to give you a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling.

Ungrateful Black-White Girl (review by Anne)

"This is, above all, a zine about race, but since I experience the world not only as a mixed-race person, but as a mixed-race queer woman with an inconsistent gender presentation, you will find experiences pertaining to all those identities in this zine." I've reviewed a lot of Nia's work before and I always come away from it thinking, Yeah, this is work people need to read. Because it is. That said, I think of all of Nia's work, Ungrateful Black-White Girl is the most articulate I've seen her be in writing about her own experiences. Her work is always powerful, but there's something about this zine that is both direct like her other work and also proactive; the anger is still there, but the setting feels more external--in this zine she's starting at a new school and is in a few setting different from her other zines. Maybe that's it. Maybe this zine feels more tied to a sense of place, whereas her other work was working through specific events or certain issues. UB-WG takes the form of dated individual entries that are titled things like "How to be a better white ally"and "This is what self-care looks like." It'll make you think; it's honest and forthright, and it's evocative of some of the things that I like best about zines. Get it. It's absolutely worth your time.


$2/Digest/24 pgs
Nia Diaspora
available here:
http://strangerdangerdistro.wordpress.com/catalog/