This
is a 96-page anthology trade by the Maverick imprint of Dark Horse,
retailing for a little under ten bucks, all stories linked by the theme
of a happy ending. As with any anthology title, whether it's a
worthwhile purchase depends on whether the bulk of the book is a hit or
a miss, so let's see what you get:
"Happy Endings" by Sam Kieth kicks things off with tales-within-a-tale, Mr. Gone from Kieth's Maxx
series explains about happy endings, whilst Kieth (and Diana Schutz, DH
editor) relate their own happy endings during the tale itself. LOVE IT.
"Only
In..." by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming tells of a funny
experience at the San Diego Comic-Con, and manages to fit in one of
Bendis's obsessions at the same time. FUNNY.
"The Cat" by Bernie
Mireault tells the tail (sic) of a domineering mother-in-law, her
weak-willed son, and the inevitable conflict when the girl in the
middle has finally had enough. HIT.
"The Magician and the Snake"
by Katie & Mike Mignola (Katie being Mike's daughter) kicks off
with a Monkey King - come on, what more do you need? GOOD, NOT GREAT.
"Barnyard
Animals" by Craig Thompson left me in two minds - it's harder work than
any of the other tales so far, a little coming-of-age tale, but
Thompson's art is particularly nice throughout. GOOD STUFF.
"Just
Another Day" by Jim Mahfood is a mini-outing for his Grrl Scouts, and
one you need good eyesight for - Mahfood typically fits six rows of
panels per page, between three and six pictures per row, small writing
- but it works out to be a nice little tale of the Grrl Scouts, and one
that makes you want to check out their trade collection. EXCELLENT.
"Happy
Ending" by Farel Dalrymple, is a little strange, I think it's a
daydream the lead character is having, which seems to explain all the
weirdness away adequately - two kids experience the adventure of a
lifetime, thanks to comics. UNDECIDED.
"Barley & Diggs" by
Gilbert Austin did nothing for me, I'm afraid, a cat and a drunk really
left me scratching my head and I just didn't want to work at it to
fathom out ... Barley can't recall who he is, Diggs thinks he needs to
find it out, yet they give away the one thing that could tell them...I
think! NOT MY CUP OF TEA.
"Krishna's Girlfriend" by James Kochalka is nonsencial but really, really cute. SUPERSTAR.
"Wild
Blue Yonder" by Peter Kuper, is possibly an autobiographical tale of
encountering natives in a remote place, and is more a lucky ending than
happy. UNDECIDED.
"January" by Jason Hall & Matt Kindt
confused the heck out of me. I read it through three times and gave up,
I'm probably too stupid. NOT FOR ME.
"Paper Airplanes" by Leland Myrick is a sweet allegorical tale by this creator I was previously unaware of. TOUCHING.
"Sock
Monkey" by Tony Millionaire has a superb twist-in-the-tale, you think
it's going to be a homily - there's no place like home - except...ah,
just read it. VERY, VERY GOOD.
"The Way It's Going" by Harvey
Pekar is more a happy ending for everyone else who doesn't have to go
through what Harvey does. DEPRESSING, YET THOUGHTFUL.
"The End"
by Frank MIller is a collection of one or two panel endings to
non-existent strips, from bombs falling to kids electrocuting
themselves, from a Kirby riff to a typical Miller piece. Rather than
run at the end, I would've preferred individual pages to have been
placed between other stories in this book, as chapter breaks if you
like. MILLER TIME.
Overall, very little that doesn't work for the typical reader, well worth your money - and the book looks very nice too.
