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Raisin Pie #5

By Leroy Douresseaux
September 11, 2007 - 15:11

Raisin Pie #5 turns out to be the second-to-last issue of this alt-comix anthology series, which features the work of cartoonists Rick Altergott and Ariel Bordeaux.  This issue sees the conclusion of Bordeaux’s two serials, “Maple Valley Public Library” and “Queen of the Geeks.”  Altergott offers the fifth chapter of “Blessed Be,” his mystery/crime/thriller starring his popular loser, the pathetic and not lovable Doofus.  Doofus has been drawn into a deadly plot that involves two missing people, Doofus’ friend, Henry Hotchkiss, and a young woman’s boyfriend.

THE LOWDOWN:  Ariel Bordeaux’s Raisin Pie work would be considered typically indie – character pieces, faux-autobiography, and introspective drama.  Her work is engaging and she has a way of drawing the reader to her characters.  It’s almost like peeping through a window or spying around the corner at people who have interesting lives.  So while Altergott is the stronger cartoonist in terms of drawing, Bordeaux’s comix have the robust appeal of realism like the work of Seth or Adrian Tomine.

Altergott’s old-fashioned black and white, toned art is always a treat.  He seems as if he belongs in another era, with EC or black and white comics and humor magazines (pre-1980’s).  His stories (the non-autobio ones) deftly mix sarcasm, satire, and parody with danger as a chaser.  Behind his old-fashioned graphics lurks the menace of bodily harm, if not outright death and destruction.  It’s retro-pulp fiction and nouveau humor comix.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Anytime there’s new Altergott, his fans should come running, but Raisin Pie also offers a chance to view Bordeaux’s work which, in one way or another, fits in with other indie and “Young Adult” comics.

B+

 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12