Behind a smiling cover lies a far too brief peek into the surreal, childlike mind of Robert Goodin. These are seemingly gossamer thin fables that hide deeper truths.
That's Life is a superb one page gag that reminds me of the work of Mirko Illic (Anyone older than God will remember his History of Human
Absurdity and know what to expect here).
Seeds of Grass is a love story disguised as a botany lesson that's paced perfectly, and reeks of lazy, summer days.
The Monkey & The Crocodile is a Kiplingesque forest fable that charms and saddens at the same time and is the best thing in the mag, which is no easy feat.
Robert finishes with The Lovely Evening Urbanus met Mr. Thadeus Cornloaf which, unfortunately, is a bit of a let down after the previous strip. (Apart from the great title)
As far as the art goes, well, it's uniformly excellent. Really. This guy draws trees and foliage that makes me spit with envy, and he's a master at that much overlooked skill; atmosphere.
You are in that jungle with the monkey. You are in on that hill with the rickety fence.
You're even on that mountain with the talking bodiless head.
And he can write. These aren't just a bunch of lame gags strung together by technical drawing skill. These are actual stories. How rare is that?
Honestly, I can't praise this highly enough. The only thing wrong with it is that there isn't enough of it. I'd buy a book of this stuff in a second. So go buy it. Now.
Pete Doreé