it's been 7 posts since i did a 'review'
i know yall be missing dem
some of yall may find my last 'review' helpful
it's called how to review a zine
re writing 'reviews', another post you may find helpful
it's probably the best blog post (i've ever written) re supporting other artists in the 'sphere' (and deserves more attention)
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I was gifted this dungeon and dragons edition of the 1987 spring issue of The Paris Review recently from my friend Hughes Chicken
Gordon Lish edited this issue
it features some of my favorite "K-Mart Realism" (which was at its "height" maybe in the mid to late 80's) authors lending their hand at dungeons and dragons 'content'
Joy Williams (the funniest and most detached and existential person to me) has an essay on mind-control spells
Ann Beattie wrote and illustrated a hex map set in a post-apocalyptic future of perpetual winter called Chilly Hexes of Winter
Frederick Barthelme shares his house rules from his days running dungeons and dragons in college with Lydia Davis
Steven Barthelme has an article on dungeon design and how to make 'interesting' monsters
Raymond Carver and Don DeLillo discuss the differences between the OSR and NSR
additionally, it features dungeons and dragons themed prose by James Purdy, Richard Yates, Jane Bowles, Amy Hempel, and Mary Robison
i'm planning to take some scans of the interior pages of the book to post here at a later date
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now for this month's review...
Island Vacation by Skullboy (aka Sam Mameli)
(who has been in my ear a lot recently via their frequent guest appearances on between two cairns [which i think is an alright podcast])
i received a free copy of this book from Skullboy in exchange for an honest review
i was immediately drawn in by the art and color-splosion
i found this comic to be much better than your average tit-illating tale of shock and climax you may find in this genre of adult fantussy romance comics
while reading it, i enjoyed that the comic was in no hurry
one of my favorite panels is a bird's eye view of their lil row boat
the panel is drawn like something you'd see in a video game
or a character sheet for a ttrpg
showing the boat's inventory
but my absolute favorite panel
is the close-up underwater cunnilingus scene
it's super dreamy
and in the next panel
i can hear and feel the bubbles she lets out euphorically
the art is luxurious and it's nice to let it linger
and dwell
the characters really seem to be in love
(sigh)
they melt into each other
and i melted into them
(briefly)
Skullboy's art is great
it's like a mix-up mash-up of funk, manga, street/graffiti, video games, and psychedelia
i feel like this comic could give young adults who aspire to be comic book artists and writers a real boost of inspiration on every level
there's sick a fight too
but you gotta buy the comic
i'm excited to see how the characters and story develop in the next issue
definitely go buy this lusciousness
i'm a fan
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and now an interview with the author
if you could leave yourself a present in the future what would it be?
I would leave myself cash, but theres rarely enough of that in the present.
what do you do on the internet if you're bored?
When I'm bored online I usually game, my current poison is classic WoW.
when do you enjoy making art the most?
I have a fairly complicated relationship with art. I don't always enjoy making it but it's my job. I enjoy it most for projects that I start while procrastinating on the work I should be doing.
what are your favorite materials you use to make art, and any other material you would be interested in learning?
I use a tablet with procreate or clip studio to make art these days. I don't really know how to answer that last question.
In terms of learning other mediums, I've worked with a lot of stuff in the past, the thing I regret taking a class in is Neon for sure, that would be cool to do now.
where can i listen to your music online?
I don't generally do a lot of band promoting stuff with my games work but its teencat.bandcamp.com
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you should subscribe to Skullboy's substack
you should read Skullboy's blog at least once a month and/or do whatever you're suppossed to do with RS feeds, whatever those are
(if you visit the blog you can see more of the comic [like nudity] before you buy it)
you can support Skullboy's art endeavor via their patreon
they've also been posting killer shit for #dungeon23 on their instagram