-- Randy Lander
With pictures by the awesome Jason Badower, Career Suspect was my first "published" story, its the tale of a man who stands in police lineups for a living. If you want to get a copy of REVOLVING HAMMER, the book it appeared in, take a walk to Cyberosia Publishing for details.
We sold the film rights to this which was a bit of fun.
Reviews below the comic.
*
Review by Randy Lander, Snap Judgments.
Anthologies always have a hard time with me, because while I enjoy short stories, I find that the rotating talent/subject matter nature of anthologies almost always results in a book that is hit or miss. Revolving Hammer is no exception, with a couple stories that just didn't connect with me, but there are also a couple of real gems in here. For the most part, Revolving Hammer is pretty focused on the disturbing, weird or horrific, and that subject matter suits many of the creators just fine. Though not every story resonated with me, the book is still worth a look if you've enjoyed the online Slices strips or if you're a fan of dark horror and humor.
Revolving Hammer opens strong with its best story, a short feature about someone who makes his living as a line-up filler. It's an interesting "job" to explore in the first place, and writer Brad Collins serves up a quick story that provides a dark and humorous punchline. I also really appreciated Jason Badower's work, particularly his attention to detail on the faces of the characters and his use of shadow, which reminds me of artists like Kelley Jones and Brian Bendis.
There were a couple other stories that were equally strong in terms of story and art. "To Whom It May Concern..." is a wistful and sad story of love and the strange extremes people will go to in order to salvage the good memories. Andrew Foley's narration, in the form of a letter from his protagonist, is lucid while just slightly crazy, and Strang-Frost maintains the sort of run-down but proud tone in the artwork that defines the bar at the center of the tale. Scott Grunewald's "Le Gout Du Sexe" is twisted and funny in terms of story and art, indicative of Grunewald's sharp sense of humor and based on probably the most imaginative premise in the book. And "Cut" by Allistair Pulling and Bevis Musson is an all-too-brief tribute to the sense of community that high school outcasts have, and how ill-equipped high schools are to handle kids for the most part. Though the story ends well, I really wanted to see more.
Some of the other stories worked for me in general but I found either the writing or the art to not quite be up to the level of the other half of the collaboration. Marc Bryant conveys the odd attractiveness of his protagonist in "Date Night," for example, but I thought Mal Jones made the final point of the piece a little unclear in the end, and to be honest I didn't quite get it until it was spelled out for me on the back cover. "Pals" by Diami Virgilio and Greg Rabbitt was generally clear, but I found the ending to be a bit of a letdown, as I found Xavier's decision to be pretty damn cold, and he had up to that point been the only likable character in the story. And "Phoenix Rising" by Mike Scigliano and Chris Royal manages to hit my pet peeve by being a brief teaser instead of a complete story in an anthology, as well as serving up a sort of action-oriented science-fiction story that doesn't really fit the rest of the book at all, making it the weakest story in the book from my point-of-view.
There are four other stories in the book as well, including a strong text piece on loneliness by Scott O. Brown and one of the most philosophical janitors I've ever seen in "Morton" by Marcel Guldemond. While not every story in the book resonated with me, I have the utmost respect for new creators who are trying out their craft in this challenging short-fiction format, and overall I'd call the first issue of Revolving Hammer a qualified success. I would definitely check in for another installment.
*
Review by Christopher Allen, New Comic Reviews.
It’s been a bad year for anthologies, I have to say. The last Oni special was so-so; the all-bio SPX2002 anthology a numbingly bad idea; ROSETTA I just wrote about above…When the CAPTAIN AMERICA hardcover is one of the standouts of this year, it should be a call to arms for the indie comics community. Anthologies have become like tribute albums: a couple big names and lots of losers already signed to the label. So it was with little expectation that I finally read one of the year’s first anthology releases, REVOLVING HAMMER, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The sharpest story is, somewhat unfortunately, the first: “Career Suspect,” by Brad Collins and Jason Badower. It’s an ingenious, twisted little crime story about a guy who makes his living by standing in police lineups as the control. If you pick him, then you must not be a reliable witness to the murder…right? Excellent art by Badower, and the story compares favorably to Bendis or Brubaker.
OVERTIME’s Marc Bryant and Mal Jones do much better in their little sci-fi horror piece “Date Night” than in that whole graphic novel. Scott (PopImage) Grunewald’s “Le Gout du Sexe” is a compelling glimpse into a future of increased reproductive augmentation, but the space allotted seems to dictate a bloody ending that seems a bit of a cop-out, but not as much of a cop-out as the ending to the otherwise mature and involving “Pals,” which is about a couple looking to wake up their sex life by adding the man’s best friend.
“Cut” had nicely toned art but an unconvincingly gooey ending, while “Cal’s Trick” was heavy on atmosphere but short on drive and sense. “To Whom It May Concern” was an effective story about one man’s offended sense of loyalty and respect for the past leading to an inappropriately dramatic response. Reminded me a bit of something Garth Ennis might do. “Phoenix Rising” is a ridiculous prequel to some pseudo-superhero series that we’ll never see, and it should have been rejected. I’ve paid a little attention to the talented artist Becky Cloonan, who can also be seen in the middling MEATHAUS #6 anthology book, and she seems to be someone desperate for good material, which is not evident in “Aunty.”
Editor and publisher Scott O. Brown writes “Exhibit-A,” a prose story with illustrations, about a small town fuckup who may finally be getting a lesson that will sink in. It’s authentic, and Andrew Foley’s art works very well to convey the mood. We close with “Morton” by Marcel Guldemond, and while the art is probably the best of the generally impressive roster (and easily the most ambitious in effects and composition), the story is preachy claptrap about a character we are only told is bad. We never get to see him, never get near him.
All in all, though, one of the best and most affordable anthologies of a troubled year, though it would rank pretty high in a good one.