I’ve been looking forward to reading Boxes Comic Magazine from Steven Ingram since I heard about the project and it does not disappoint.
A comic from some of the most exciting and interesting creators around there are 16 strips and articles to enjoy.
‘The Travels of Captain Ishmael’ by Enrico Ariis are smattered around the comic, a bridge between traditional humour comic draughtmanship and the indie fare in the publication. This is an interestingI slice of cultural differences and modern day human attitudes. In some ways that is the theme of the book that translates into most of the strips.
I particular enjoyed Julie Campbells ‘Accentor’ which is an accomplished ‘slice of life’ story with an uplifting ending. ‘The Southside Cash Money Concept Club’ by Mark Brady is a good read too, only spoiled at times by ridiculously small lettering (a bug bear of mine as I get older!)
The ‘Silent Comics’ article by Bob Turner is a fascinating read and accompanies both his strip ‘Providence’ and Steven Ingrams ‘Night Swimming’, that also features on the cover. I find looking at Steve’s artwork very relaxing with a wonderful sense of timing in the illustrations he presents. Dialogue adds to it, but none needed here. I did enjoy ‘Holly’, one of his previous characters, ageing strip. The familiarity of the character to me was welcome.
The rest of the strips are an eclectic mix, from ‘The World Isn’t That Great’ by Beck Kubrick to ‘Freytag Lane’ by Stephen Goodall, that you may love or hate depending on your comic interests. This is the way with most anthologies playing with different methods of storytelling and art styles. Overall it was an enjoyable reading experience and I hope we can see more Boxes soon.
Boxes, from Third Bear Press, can be purchased for £12 here.
Tony Foster
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Steven Ingram can be found in the Comic Industry Directory here.
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