| Title | : | MOME Summer 2008 (MOME, #11) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 156097916X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781560979166 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 120 |
| Publication | : | First published May 30, 2008 |
Since its inception in 2005, "MOME" has bridged the gap between the contemporary graphic novel scene and the current cutting-edge literary scene, serving as a perfect sampler of today's best young graphic novelists in a quarterly format that sits as handsomely on the newsstand alongside journals like "McSweeney's" and Paris Review as it does in the graphic novels section.
Vol. 11 of the popular series welcomes Killoffer, the exciting French cartoonist whose work has previously only been seen in the acclaimed collection, 176 Apparitions of Killoffer, as well as newcomer Jon Vermilyea. Plus, several other surprises from some of the best new talent in comics.
"MOME" is an accessible, reasonably priced quarterly running approximately 120 pages per volume, mostly in color, and spotlighting the most exciting new storytellers in comics along with special surprises. "MOME" is quickly earning a reputation as one of the premier literary anthologies on the shelves, and the only one comprised almost entirely of comics.
MOME Summer 2008 (MOME, #11) Reviews
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Fantagraphics’s anthology series, MOME (2005-2011), marked a significant moment of transition for the comics medium. The cartoonists who appeared in MOME were a mix of alt-comics stalwarts and a new generation of cartoonists who no longer needed to “prove” the medium’s literary or artistic merit. Seeing these two generations side by side makes for some fascinating, and occasionally dissonant, reading.
MOME #11, like much of the series’ run, is pretty much a dude-fest, and it seems painfully dated in that respect. But it also includes work that shows who and what would come to define the medium in the decade to come. Highlights in this issue include Al Columbia’s haunting montage comic, “5:45 AM,” Killoffer’s expressionist nightmare, “Einmal Ist Keinmal,” Eleanor Davis’s highlight reel, “The 10,000 Rescues,” and Tom Kaczynski’s neoliberal allegory, “Million Year Boom.”
You will find comics here that signal where the medium was going and much of what it (thankfully) left behind. -
Best comic: "Einmal Ist Keinmal" by new-to-me German cartoonist Killoffer. Al Columbia and Eleanor Davis also put in good work this issue, with the haunting "5:45 am" and the charming "10,000 Rescues," respectively.
Worst comic: Nate Neal's "The 5 Simple Cosmic Do Dats" is interminable and unfunny. R. Crumb's influence on younger cartoonists (including his daughter Sophie, who is blessedly absent from this issue) has been pretty much entirely malign. -
"The nonsensical issue"
->Most of the material is freestyle crap aimed at confusing. -
I would never buy this full price but it's great used or online. If you are in the market for this thing you know basically what to expect. Obtuse comics which usually require a bit of interpretive effort to get something out of, drawn in an unconventional style. As usual in these anthologies, some of them are too avant grade for their own good, but they problem wasn't big enough to prevent my enjoyment. It also contains 2 text pieces, one interview and 1 short story. I didn't know the guy being interviewed so it didn't do anything for me. The short story was a bit pretentious, but interesting at least as a peek into the mind of how obnoxious self important artists think.
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disclaimer: I'm not a regular comic reader nor do I follow the mome, so likely something is just getting lost on me that regulars pick up on intuitively.
With that my very short review is : I don't get it. -
A nearly perfect MOME with everyone pulling out some amazing stories. The standouts are Killoffer, Emile Bravo, Nate Neal and Tom Kaczynski.
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It was okay. The stories were pretty short, not particularly satisfying. Not too bad either.
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Some of the comics were good, however some of them let it down. Some humour throughout, particularly enjoyed the rat going to Mexico then coming back to the US a revolutionary.
