Three Very Small Comics, Volume II by Tom Gauld. Cabanon Press, 2004. 4 pounds. 3″ X 4″.
Three tiny comics in a small brown envelope require some tiny drawing. I’m delighted by Tom Gauld’s little silhouetted, almost stick, figures. “Invasion”, a 16 page story about a soldier invading a tiny island inhabited by another man, is crowded with lines. Diagonal lines fills sky as rain and tiny hatching obscures the island to just a silhouette. The characters are silhouetted except in close-ups when they have the simplest of features.
The silhouetted character drawing is repeated in “Our Hero Battles Twenty-Six Alphabeticised Terrors,” a fold sheet of paper that shows panel after panel of a small silhouette with a sword facing off against an assorted of creatures from “Axeman” to “Zombies” by way of “Crazed Animals,” “Inbred Hillbillies,” and “Toxic Cloud,” each one also a silhouette. It’s quite funny, and I love the alphabetical organization.
The third comic, “The robots broke out of the factory and fled as far as their batteries would allow,” is an accordian folded piece of cardstock showing six robots broken down in various locations. Much less amusing than the other comics. I guess I’m not that interested in robots.
The silhouette style at work in two of the three is what really attracted me to these books. It’s simple yet effective when done in such a skilled way.
Tags: minicomics
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