Crisp #1
Crisp © Rob Wells
| Crisp #1 Rob Wells Links: |
Why is it that small pressers/'alternative' cartoonists are obsessed with reliving their childhood and telling us how great things were back then? Usually it is to exorcise some ghosts or more often than not to explore why they are such a fuck-up. Thankfully Robert Wells doesn't quite go down this path and nor does he go on kid-fest nostalgia trip remembering how great pop-rocks, spangles and the like were. Instead he tells a light-hearted tales of being the second toughest in the infants and fancying himself as a bit of trouble. All of which makes a bit of a change from other pitiful, wimpy childhood reminiscences.
However the twist in the tale seems to be that when he goes to Secondary School he becomes a useless geek after all. The story is a good reminder as to how horrible and cruel children are.
Wells' artwork reminds me of a cross between Shane Oakley and early Paul Grist work, not bad thing and serves these mildly diverting strips well. A minor quibble is that I feel the artwork would have been sharper if shown smaller than the A4 format here.
Reuben Willmott
| Crisp #1: 28 A4 pages,Glossy Stock Cover. | Received at ZUM! HQ: no details |
£2 (+P+P?). | Robert Wells, 79 Hearns Road, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent, BR5 3NF. |