Pet Static: |
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I was in Piccadilly Records in Manchester and they have a rack of zines to the right of the till. As I was waiting to be served I had a look at them - there is sometimes a zine worth having. To my delight here were 2 things that I would call small press comics! Happy day! One of them most certainly caught my eye - that being Pet Static.
Now then - this is a wonderful little beast of a comic. The artwork inside is what will really grab your attention - it's as near to Graphotism as I think I've seen from the UK; its intense imagery writhes across the page - a treat for the eyes.
The brain is given a work out as well - the narrative storytelling is pleasantly obtuse. A good example of this obscurity is the unnamed story that may at 1st look like a series of unconnected doodles. The art style fluctuates as different drawing styles are employed, but the motifs of the 'central character' are present as each amorphous 'panel' bleeds into the next - and a narrative advancement can be divined. As to the meaning of the strip - that would be subjective to each reader - I find it rather magikal - but on a base level... what looks like an organic sex object is transported in a suitcase.
The drawing in the central pages has a Pan-like character staring blankly, yet wildly out of the page. It has caught my attention as my image laden memory flickers with recognition - there's something about the design and the pose of the character that resonates in my brain somewhere, but I can't place it, I like the fact that this gnaws at my subconscience.
The pages that draw most admiration from me are those of the Fast Spoiler story. The pen work is more lose and open; it just looks so effortless and easy. It may only be a brief story but the design and flow of the page work very well; the panels and drawings bleed into one another, but retain a linear 4 tier 12 panel page. I have to concede that on my initial viewing it did confused me as I was looking at the page as a whole drawing, rather than a sequence - a level on which I find aesthetically and compositionally it also functions rather well. It seems like Zeke is a natural comics artist.
I'm not sure of the age of Zeke - but as an artist he shows quite a lot of maturity. There is a determined vision that comes over in the comics. I am most interested to see how this all develops and his is a another name in the British Underground Scene that it will be very worthwhile keeping an eye on.
mooncat
This thing should be called Dazed and Confused... It's the closest thing to an acid trip on paper as you can get. The art is very trippy ... reminiscent of the American underground comics of the 60s and 70s.
Story wise I have no idea what was happening. There was something going on but I didn't know what it was, but I don't mean that in a bad way. Every page is full of energy and imagery, and at times is a little scary looking.
I don't think its every ones cup of tea... I don't know if its my cup of tea... but in a perverse way I think it's wonderful and well worth checking out.
David Golding
| Pet Static: #2: 12 A5 pages, colour sock cover. #4: 24 trimmed A5 pages, small hand colouring on the cover |
Price: £1 each (+P+P) Zeke S Clough, 133 Floral Ct, Bury New Rd, Salford, M7 2BP |
Received at ZUM! HQ: #2: 24iv03 #4: 10iii04 Review Posted: #2: 19v03 #2: 19xii04 |
