Happy Birthday Martha Washington

This collection of three short pieces was released to celebrate the March 11, 1995 birthday of PAX soldier Martha Washington. The first story was originally printed four years ago in the Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special, but it's been colored for its appearance here. I'm getting quite annoyed with the recurring problem of unannounced or repackaged (with a few token bits of new stuff) reprints from Dark Horse, but this stories in this particular package are so strong that they've blunted my anger. The third and best story features her meeting with Captain Kurtz (no allusions there!), a Captain America type hero. Miller manages to treat an ordinarily corny type of character with amazing seriousness. Even when Kurtz demands Washington to "write your mom!" before he dives into the attacking Nazis, you don't have the slightest urge to laugh. If you're a Martha Washington fan and you haven't read the DHP Anniversary Special, I definitely recommend this, and even if you have, get it anyway. ($2.95, Dark Horse/Legend)


The Jam: Urban Adventure 8

This is the first issue I've read of Bernie Mireault's off-kilter super-hero book, and dammit, why did I wait so long? It strikes me as a rawer, more urban Madman. I don't have a handle on all the events or characters, but that didn't affect my enjoyment any. There were also some excellent one and two page back-up stories by other artists. This is, I believe, the last issue before the book heads off the Caliber. I don't know why Dark Horse is abandoning the title, because it seems to fit in perfectly with their other unconventional super-hero comics. Perhaps if they gave the book the support it deserved (some ads, a story in DHP), it wouldn't have gone the way of the Blue Lily. ($2.95, Dark Horse)


Self-Loathing Comics

Robert Crumb is the Velvet Underground of comics. His work doesn't sell as much his talent deserves, but practically everyone who reads it is inspired to create their own comics. This is a flip book featuring Crumb and his wife and fellow cartoonist Aline Kominsky-Crumb drawing two stories about their surprisingly normal domestic life in the south of France. The book is aptly named, as the artists depict themselves, both in the story and art, with unflinching honesty, while their partner is somewhat idealized. At this point, it is de rigueur to comment how Kominsky-Crumb is an inferior artist compared to her husband, but then again, who isn't? ($2.95, Fantagraphics, 7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle WA 98115)