Toast.x2

Was 1976 really that long ago? 76 was a year before I was born, so I could never deny the age of Peanuts comics, but how do they stay so awesome? How do they (against odds) continue to retain their relevancy? I was on the fence when I came across this review copy. Was I taking on a strip collection that I would just snooze through? Nope. Laughed aloud and smiled a lot while I read this. Peanuts have an irreverence to them that keeps them afloat. Lucy is always an asshole, you always question Marcie’s motives (sexually), there is a demonic undercurrent to Snoopy’s belly laugh and chicanery. Ultimately, it was a great read, even if it was decades old and risked staleness from page one. Good job (RIP) Chuck Schulz I grew up with them and am helping indoctrinate my children to them. The recent feature film managed to be solid and avoided all technology references and sustained a fresh feel. I sat for two hours on the couch a couple years back researching a shared memory with my wife of th...

Based on an ARC copy. What an utterly bizarre story produced through Image comics. I enjoyed this a great deal. It is a pretty basic plot-line: Mother/Father/Son on vacation. Stop at run down theme park because they have OBVIOUSLY never watched a horror movie. Their Winnebago is stolen and they are forced to spend the night in a creepy hotel in a shitty town. Occultists in hoods surround the hotel with flaming torches (as opposed to unlit torches?). Family escapes and fights back when cornered. Surprising plot, setting, or ending? Not at all. The way it was presented won me over regardless. The art is great, appearing gritty and closer to painted art than classic comic. Every page was visually pleasing, and the characters were very human with visual flaws and awkwardness that real people would have. As described before, the story was flat and predictable from page one, but for campy horror, this is not a derogatory point, it is a sell ;) What pushed this over the line, convertin...

Based on an arc copy I have mixed feelings about Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth. It was amazing, thrilling, kept me on the edge of my seat, and made me cringe in utter dismay. Unfortunately, it also felt engineered to purpose and lackluster in completion. I am not sure if I finished it because I wanted the ending, or if it was due to just morbidity. I would definitely suggest this to others, but would be careful as to who would receive the recommendation. Baby Teeth tells the stories of Suzette (mother) and Hanna (daughter) in alternating chapters. Hanna is seven years old and highly intelligent, but when she tries to speak her words just refuse to emerge. Suzette is perpetually ill with intestinal troubles and terribly afraid of recurring health issues/ pleasing her seemingly volatile husband. Hanna perceives her mothers constant pain and irritation as a lack of love for her, a dismissal of daughter and a preoccupation with self. Seven year old Hanna tortures her mother through various...