via Happiness is a Warm Simon Gray on 11/1/09
PAPER TIGER COMIX #s 2&3 edited by Sean Duffield
This is a UK comic anthology zeen, featuring work from a # of different countries, including Australia's Ben Hutchings. I assume it's through him that these editions appeared down under & wound up in my local zeen shop. It's fairly typical comic anthology faire, these 2 issues aren't tied to any themes so over the course of the 2 issues there's a free-for-all of varying levels of entertainment. Being from from the UK I was projecting influences from 'Beano', 'Dandy', 'Viz' & '2000AD' on the work, & a few nods to some of their characters did turn up, but also the abundance of cheap pills in the UK seemed to influence some of the work too. There wasn't much mention of punk rock & politics associated w/ non-comic zeens from the UK either. I don't think that it's an outstanding anthology. I can think of stronger titles working along themes, but these titles seem too old, I feel, to compare in a contemporary context. My age in zeen-years is approaching 'codger'. But like any anthology, there's always something to enjoy. So I enjoyed 'Geoff: Half-Shark-Half-Octopus' by Ben Naylor, Dave Hughes' 'Scrapes' strips & miscellaneous works by Bob Byrne & Andy Konky Kru. & Of Course I wouldn't have picked this up if it hadn't been for Hutchings' 'The Awkward Mercenary from Santa Fuego', he also does one of the 4 pieces of cover art on the 2 issues. Colour-print on yellow cardy-paper skin w/ B&W guts. A5 portrait format, #3 features an A6 mini-zeen insert, portrait format B&W skin & guts. All Staple Bound.
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