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October 9, 1991 > FLAGPOLE MAGAZINE Page 11
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Devlin Thompson's
Comic Culture
I’m still waiting for all of you to send me those mini
comics I showed you how to make last week, so in the
meantime, I thought we'd look at the latest from one of
UGA's most distinguished graduates, Mr. Bob Burden. It's
been a while since Bob's called Athens home, but he's still
close at hand in Atlanta, and it was on a visit there recently
that I managed to beg myself an advance copy of Flaming
Carrot Comics #27; the thrilling conclusion to the Carrot's
adventure with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
For those of you unfamiliar with the
Flaming Carrot, he was once an ordinary
man who read 5000 comics in one sit
ting, and became simple as a result (his
true identity remains shrouded in mys
tery—apparently. Burden reveaied it on
the David Letterman show, and he won't
say it again). Now, the Carrot fights
crime wearing a big carrot mask and
swim fins, armed with a nuclear pow
ered pogo stick, a pistol, and a utility belt
loaded with bits of string, a pocket knife,
a bubble pipe, and other crime-fighting
equipment.
In the story at hand, the
carrot and his comrades, the
Mysterymen (Screwball, Mr
Furious, Bondo-Man, Silver-
fish, and a whole passel of
other small town, second
string superheroes) have to
defeat the Evil Umpires (a
group of renegade perform
ance artists and mental pa
tients, led by Frankenstein’s
decapitated head) in their
attempt to steal the Empire
State Building. The Turtles
get drawn into the fight while
searching for the Missing
Raphael, who has amnesia
and has become the Flaming Carrot’s new teen-age side-
kick. All in all, a fairly typical adventure for the Carrot.
This issue manages to work better as a two-fisted
adventure story than the first two parts of the story did, but
I'm not certain if that’s a compliment. The Turtles don't
really do that much in the story besides acting as a boost
for sales, and they seem to dilute the oddness of the whole
thing. Still, this issue is the best of the three, and even on
an off day, the Flaming Carrot beats just about anything on
the comic rack. Anyway, this issue should be in at the
comic shop of your choice this Friday or the next, barring
unforseen complications. I strongly recommend that you
pick it up along with the first two parts of the story in issues
25 and 26.
While you're there at the shop, you could do worse than
to check out Sandman and Doom Patrol, both from DC
Comics. These are both fancy color comics from a big-shot
mainstream publisher, but they’re about as far from Spider-
man in their tone as you could get. Sandman is poetic and
mystical and all that junk— but it's still cool. Clive Barker
and Alan Moore fans usually go for it in a big way. Even Roll
ing Stone gives it their seal of approval. Doom Patrol is
more or less a su
per-hero book, but
one that goes be
yond post-modern
all the way into dada
territory (though in a
more self-con
sciously "clever"
way than Flaming
Carrot). They’re
both real keen, and
they’re a good sort
of halfway point be
tween regular com
ics and the more
idiosyncratic com
ics presented here.
Speaking of that sort of thing,
this seek’s featured mini-comics
are two from Scott Vangaasbeck,
Tired?an6 Indian Country Tired?
is an attack on the pointlessness
of most jobs in our economic
system. Indian Country is a more
text-heavy historical piece deal
ing with the dehumanization of
the enemy in wartime, focusing
on the Indian wars, Vietnam, and
the Gulf War. As you might imag
ine, these are not exactly conser
vative in tone. Both books are
done in a strong graphic style, with Indian Country, the
more recent, showing progress towards a more stylized
look.
I think he’d really prefer to trade for other self-published
stuff, but a buck and a couple of stamps should be enough
for both books. The address is: Those Comics, 108
Schuyler Place, Ithaca. NY 14850.
That about does it for this week. Remember, if you’ve
got comics for me to review, or you just want to pick a fight,
my address remains: No-Mo Comics, 246-A Barber Street,
Athens, GA 30601. Or, if you're too lazy to write, track me
down at Bizarro-Wuxtry.
Paintings and Drawings by
Maggie Dallmeyer
■ ■■■ , T l T r : 1 1 ,17 1 : 1 ~ 1 ‘ 1 * 1 ‘ T * 1 ‘ I. T
2
2
2
SATURDAY &
i, i, i r i.,
2
2
SUNDAY BRUNCH
rjp
y
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10 AM TO 3PM
We Have Cajun Catfish Everyday
£
and other exciting dishes
that manifest culinary excellence.
,1.1,
Wed.
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Sat.
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Sun.
13
Mon.
14
Tue.
15
Wed.
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Thu.
17
Frl.
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Sat.
19
Sun.
I 20
Girls’Night Out
with Creation Artefact
Robert Hoyt
Dave Zwart in Man-Made Friends
28 Days/
Cicada Sines
Sommerville and Phillips
[show starts at 8 PM]
Closed (u/atduiT Cabfe)
Scrim Swap
Catbird Seat/ Smile Rabbit
The Mommy Heads/ frtitlr JSmrt
ThornyholcI / Blah
Magister Ludi / Kat Vinson
Eugene Chadbourne
gghom i 1 1 T lulim
HOURS: Sun 12-3pm / C osed Vondays*'
Tues * Tnurs 1 lam - 1am / Fn & Sat 11am - 3 am
CPsed for our s*esta Tues - Pm 2 30 - 5pm
A. A A.-A A A A. A. A.
V* -v V 'V* -i ■■
140 E. CLAYTON ST. • 549-4416 K
i
Devlin Thompson