Review by Win Wiacek
The first Treasury of Mini Comics was an energetic and exhaustive compilation, a historical perspective of a self-publishing phenomenon, and because there’s a seemingly inexhaustible modern appetite for such uniquely individualistic endeavours here’s a superb sequel. It’s another massive paper brick of fun (848 monochrome and colour pages, 178 x 127mm) compiling and sharing many of the very best mini masterpieces from the 1970s to right here, right now.
Michael Dowers, the force behind not only this compilation but also Brownfieldpress and Starhead Comix, adores the concept of crafting and disseminating mini comics. Once again many key figures in the proliferation of this uniquely eloquent people’s medium are included, not only through examples of their groundbreaking work, but also through statements, interviews and fond reminiscences.
Their work covers seemingly everything. Represented are superhero spoofs, monster-mashes, robot rampages, animal antics, autobiography, recreational drugs, religious, spiritual and philosophical diatribes and polemics, surreal experimental design and just plain fun stories, chatter and gags. Each is as sexually explicit, violent, strident or personally intimate as their creators want them to be.
Dowers’ introduction brings the history of the sub-medium up to date and posits a connection with the legendarily scandalous Tijuana Bibles, which livened up life for our forebears in the early part of the 20th century with explicit and illegal cartoon cavortings featuring famous stars of screen and newspaper strips. That proposition is upheld and further explored via a hilarious graphic diatribe (dis)courtesy of Brad W. Foster from Time Warp #3 in 2007 (sample spread left), after which a genuine, authentic and anonymous Tijuana Bible inclusion offers erotic relief to ‘The Van Swaggers’.
An extensive section of modern tributes and reinterpretations follow, some just erotic adventures, others famous, like a homo-erotic spoof of Lucky Luke while the anonymous ‘Hairy Crotch & Rim Johnson in The Interview’ is a note perfect homage. There’s even a classic pastiche from Trina Robbins dating from 1972.
If anything the work from the 1990s onward is even more varied than the content of the previous collection. To select just three examples, there’s Dan Taylor’s deliciously vulgarian Unleashed from 1990, while John Trubee’s Vomit from the same year is a captivating manifesto of the politically baroque and philosophically bizarre, and Lisa Hanawalt provides her hilarious 12 Things To Do When you Are Stuck in Traffic.
Among the notable names featured are Nick Bertozzi, Jeffrey Brown, Ellen Forney, Pat Moriarity, Jeff Nicholson, Caroline Paquita, Ethan Persoff, Jim Rugg, Johnny Ryan and Colin Upton.
You loved the first volume? You can’t go wrong with the second.
