Ghost Comics
An anthology edited by Ed Choy Moorman
176 pages, 6″ x 9″, $10 US
There is so much good stuff emerging from the MoCCA Comics Arts Festival and here is one fine example: Ghost Comics, an anthology to benefit RS Eden, an agency for changing lives in Minnesota. Put together by Ed Choy Moorman, this book recently won a Xeric Grant.
One standout is Evan Palmer’s story, “The Trials of Sir Goodnight.” The sharp clean lines and details are very impressive, especially the panel that cuts to the severed head of the beast. The anthology bio section mentions that Palmer does background drawings for Vertigo’s The Unwritten. What a cool gig for a recent art school grad!
Another must-see is Kevin Cannon’s “The Architecturons” which is, you guessed it, a parody of The Transformers made up to be super-powered architecture. This is the one piece that stretches the ghost theme to the most absurd level.
If I were to do a ghost theme comic, I’d go with something about ghosts from our former selves. Some contributors agree such as Lucy Knisley’s “Unlearning Curve” where she looks back on life in her teens. It’s a nice piece by the creator of the celebrated, French Milk. I also liked Will Dinski’s “Mind-Mapping” which follows the struggles of a man haunted by the ghosts of past mistakes and mishaps.
A couple of melancholy pieces that work well include Jeffrey Brown’s “Great Ghosts.” His page is a nice example of what he does best: showing how awkward and disconnected we can be when that’s the last thing we really want to be. Ed Choy Moorman’s “Dear Dave” is on a similar track complete with playlist.
And then there are a couple that really spooked me. One is John Hankiewicz’s “The Offering” which you’ve got to read over until you’re ready to move on. Set in a church just off the highway, a young man peers at a very strange ritual throughout the night.
The other particularly eerie tale is Hob’s “The Witness” which might make a beautiful answer to whatever happened to Winsor McCay’s Gertie, the Dinosaur. It is certainly full of that type of wonderment. For fans of Hob, this finds him in true form.
And props to Allegra Lockstadt for such an awesome cover illustration.
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