Review: The Shortpants Observer

found a copy of The Shortpants Observer, issue number one, on the free table at Quimby’s (glorious) Free Comic Book Day table.  I devoured the whole issue that day and loved it.  Published by Short Pants Press, an independent Chicago publisher focused on comics and graphic work of all kinds, this journal is a small compilation of the work of several Chicago comic artists.

Featured in this issue are Anya Davidson, Corinne Mucha, Becca Taylor, and Jeremy Tinder.  The only artist I wasn’t particularly moved by was Anya Davidson, and I think this is mostly because her artwork isn’t really my cup of tea.  Her comics are wild, bordering on grotesque, and I found that the story running through this one wasn’t particularly evocative.  It seemed a far too obvious allegory, and the braided nose hair really grossed me out.

Corinne Mucha’s piece “Four Short Comics About Death,” featured personal stories of hamster raising, houseplant watering (or lack thereof), and meditation that was, on the other hand, funny, poignant, and adorable.  Becca Taylor’s unique exploration of interacting with sharks in “Sorties” was profound and beautiful.  Finally, Jeremy Tinder’s “Forever,” while ending rather weakly, was a well drawn and an interesting read.  Thanks to Calvin and Hobbes, I will always love comics depicting interactions between children and their large animal friends.  I even found that blue being the only color—aside from black and white—running through the comic was aesthetically pleasing and did a good job of tying the comics together into a recognizable whole.

The Shortpants Observer was a delightful debut and well worth reading for anyone who enjoys comics.  I look forward to reading the forthcoming issues of this comic review.