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| Suspended Animation, February 20, 2004 |
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Felix the Cat: House of 1,000 Ha Ha's!
22 pgs., $2.50
Felix Comics
Various artists and writers
Sold at www.felixthecat.com & comics shops.
This is not your grandpa's Felix. That edgy cat with a magic bag of tricks began as an animated cartoon in 1923, and then moved to comic books and strips. That Felix appealed to adults and kids.
This cat is for kids.
That doesn't make this Felix bad. If fact, this cat is cool for six-year-old youngsters. Felix the cat and cast act like men, so believable dialog, plot, and setting are thrown out. That 'throwing out' makes Felix fantasy, and Felix fantasy is delightful. Acting like men, the simple, thick-lined art suspends disbelief by a visual internal logic. That visual logic is the simple style of a coloring book.
So what makes Felix cool?
Felix is recommended for pre-literate and young kids for nice art and story and because he is fun.
Styx Taxi: Pastrami for the Dead #1/$2.50
24 pgs., FWDbooks / Steven Goldman, words; Jeremy Arambulo, art / available at comics shops and blam@bway.net.
The Styx Taxi line serves the dead, offering them "a chance to make things right before moving on". The cabbies in this issue do so while competing for twelve hours of freedom on Earth for themselves. They are also dead.
The premise is intriguing. So, are the art and words solid entertainment? Dialog and characterizations are believable, but there are some clumsy scene transitions that make readers work to suspend disbelief. A smattering of unnecessary profanity also makes this title inappropriate for young children.
Its reality-based art is also blemished. Some pages are visually cluttered and some are not, creating visual inconsistency. In addition, the artist hasn't learned that varying line- widths create depth; foregrounds need a heavier line than backgrounds. So, is it thumbs up or down for Styx Taxi? Hey! I'll have a thumb out someday for a ride with a friendly cabbie, so I'll let you decide.
Michael Vance
Shudder at Vance's Light's End horror short stories narrated by actor William Windom at www.plan9.org.
Questions? Comment? E-Mail Suspended Animation at vance@digitalwebbing.com
Any statements made, expressed or implied are solely those of columnists or persons interviewed and do not represent the editorial position of the administration, who does not accept responsibility of such statements. All characters and artwork shown are trademark and © of their respective owners.
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