Apologies for the lack of column for the last couple of weeks, during that time I've been making preparations for and going to the Bristol Comics Convention and what with working full time for a living and everything I had to give the column a miss to give me the time to prepare. I'm very sorry for that but unfortunately there are only so many hours in a day.
Speaking of Bristol, while there I was able to build up a good collection of indy comics to showcase this following year. Thanks to any creators that gave me promo copies to review, I will certainly showcase each of your comics sometime this year as I soon as possible. Personally speaking, I can't stand those reviewers that obtain free copies of comics then don't even have the common courtesy to review it, so you can all rest assured that your comic will be making an appearance in the pages of this column.
I should point out that I like to try and remain fairly positive about the showcases I do here, except in a few rare occasions where I find no redeeming features whatever, in which case I will administer a good kicking.
Solar Wind
This comic is the winner of UK Comics Festival 2004 - Diamond National Comics Awards Knockabout Award for Best Indie or Self-Published Comic, so I decided to give it a read and see what the fuss was all about.
Solar Wind is an independently published anthology comic, with the basis on humour. It parodies "boys" comics (you know, Eagle etc..) to a certain extent, even giving away a free gift to complete the illusion.
The copy I have has a free cosmic rod that glows in the dark. I quite liked it.
Given that it won the award and the fact that everything I saw or read about this comic beforehand hyped it up to be the best thing since sliced bread and the funniest comic in the world, I had very high expectations of this comic.
I'm really sorry, but I don't think it delivers on the hype.
Solar Wind is vaguely humourous in places, sure, but I need more from my award winners than vaguely humourous. If the basis of a comic is humour then it has to be pant-wettingly funny throughout, if it is not then the stories have to be engaging.
Since this comic is clearly all about the humour, it is a great shame that there is nothing in here of pant-wetting calibre. In my own reading I got a couple of smiles out of the humourometer but nothing more. For the most part the strips in here are more obscure and surreal than funny and of a level of humour that you grow out of when you are 11.
It is a great shame that the creators of the comic strips in here have mistaken silliness for humour in their approach, so despite my appreciate for the free cosmic rod I have to say that I do not think this comic deserved to win. For a comic to win it has to be the best and there are so many that are so much better in the independent comics field.
Ask yourself how this "only vaguely humorous" comic can be better than the macabre detail of Strangehaven? Or how it compares to the beauty and depth of Springheeled Jack? Or, when looking at the surreal humour field, you think that this is better than the mindbending surrealism and humour of Bear?
I only picked three examples but I don't think anyone will be able to disagree that Solar Wind frankly does not match up to those three brilliant. I can name at least 20 other examples of better independent comics that eclipse Solar Wind in just about every way.
I can prove in three minutes, showing workings out and everything, why Solar Wind does not deserve this accolade.
Sure, it won the vote but I suspect that the number of votes cast for the award was so small that it wouldn’t take much to swing it either way, in any case, it does not really matter whether people voted for it or not because people coming from outside will still assume that this is the best that the small press has to offer, and forever connect the small press with this half arsed "humour" comic.
Anyway, I've made my point. It is not a bad comic, per se; it is just far from being the best.
Solar Wind is published on A4 paper and costs £3 in the UK. The website for the comic is at: http://www.solarwindcomic.co.uk .
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