POGOSTICK #2
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
WRITER: Al Columbia
ARTIST: Ethan Persoff
24 pp., B&W, $4.95
Alternative comics version of Howard Hughes, Al Columbia (The Biologic Show), and filmmaker, Ethan Persoff, joined forces to created Pogostick. As of late 2006, only two issues have appeared, which may only be a slight problem, as Pogostick #2 doesn’t necessarily end in a cliffhanger.
This mannered, still narrative follows a middle-aged accountant type named Audrey Grinfield. From the get go, he’s obviously an odd little fellow, but by the end, we know that he is a murderer and is probably jump-the-fence crazy, as well as being screaming and hollowing mad.
The art, by Persoff, has a flat appearance, although it indicates depth and space. It looks as if Persoff mixed drawing with cutouts and computer-rendered shapes. It’s kind of like a cut and past version of Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library). As the writer, Columbia masterfully directs this story, but in a stealth way. He never intrudes on Persoff’s disquieting visuals.
7 of 10
