Week of 10/28/2024
This week on the newsletter, I answer a final reader question for The Shapes' Annual Anniversary Special, have some more news in store for you, and I review Joe Walsh's newest comic!
The Shapes
Annual Anniversary Special 13-14
News
Virtual Creator Con
This weekend starting right now I’m vending at Virtual Creator Con, an entirely online convention happening until 5 PM tomorrow! If you like the idea of cons without the hassle of actually going to one in person, then stop on over!!
Bluesky
As many of you have seen in the past two years of Elon Musk’s leadership, Twitter (still not acknowledging it as X) has gone down the drain to the point that it’s not a viable platform for visibility even if you’re already well-established. On the other hand, Bluesky is still growing rapidly in comparison to other nascent social media platforms, which is why I’m making to decision to phase out of Twitter.
So if you have a Bluesky account, give me a follow there! I’ll start posting regularly after The Shapes Q&A storyline ends next week.
Sammy the Critic
The Shifting Ground Vol 1 Review
From the depths of Cincinnati cartoonist/animator Joe Walsh presents us his risograph-esque one-man anthology The Shifting Ground which does indeed cover a lot of ground in 32 pages from slice-of-life to cosmic contemplation.
Claude the Comet — At the risk of sounding grossly reductive, if you’re familiar with sketch comedy shows like Mr. Show or Monty Python’s Flying Circus, then the book’s transitional aspects are the graphic version of that. The vignettes share a seamless interconnectedness where each one organically flows through the other but with a more deliberate artistic intent of experimenting with spatial time awareness’s subjectivity. And what better way to settle the audience in than with a relatable comic about the frustrations of a reckless driver wrecking (no pun intended) someone’s new vehicle? It perfectly sets up the rest of the book while also making it clear this is no ordinary comic with how it from the get-go employs a modicum of visual metaphors, effects, and unconventional literary devices. Most notable is Walsh’s use of time stamps to convey time passing. Initially, you scratch your head wondering why there’s a time stamp on a new book until it recurs on subsequent pages, a testament to masterful subtlety.
Media Loop — A conversation in the opening comic leads to this one, a deconstructive piece that plays with the reader’s relationship between the visual and textual whilst ruminating upon the spatial-temporal perception of art, namely cinema both from the perspective of the consumer and creator. While the text voices these philosophical questions, Walsh’s illustrations operate as a vividly composed homage to the medium alluding to several significant films throughout history (which he lists by title in the book’s end column).
Do You Mind? — I don’t mind this two-pager. It’s a fairly straightforward depiction of someone spraying air freshener around the stream room. However, it still manages to express such a mundane act with expository distinction unafraid of dabbling with various color and pattern schemes along with text layouts.
The Cauldron at the Core — A stream-of-consciousness exploration of the messy human thought process. It begins with an eloquent train of perplexion that becomes progressively clearer as the character ponders deeper sorting their thoughts out.
Untitled Steam Room Comic — We’re back in the steam room where the guys are talking about some guy the main character has never heard about named Dick Butkus. The subject matter is lighter than the other comics but equally creative artistically and relatable if you’ve ever found yourself in a social group where you’re probably the newer member who feels alienated because you don’t know about half the things they’re talking about.
The Never Ending Cycle of Knowledge — In his most metaphysical piece yet, Walsh touches on the knowledge’s psychological connection extending to the world at large. This comic also contains the most entrancing art in the entire book teeming with surreal expression.
Untitled Steam Room Comic 2 — The guys’ conversation previously continues and delves into existential territory regarding self-identity On a profundity level, the discussions were more simplistic but still struck a chord leaving the reader to mull over the questions posed.
Who Are You? My Name is Joe — Joe ends the book with a page-long childhood anecdote about how he used to talk in different accents to the point of not knowing what his “actual voice” is. As someone who still switches between accents well into adulthood depending on the setting and how I feel, this was a cozy reminder that I’m not alone in that regard.
My favorite comics ranked from favorite to least favorite:
Media Loop
The Never Ending Cycle of Knowledge
The Cauldron at the Core
Who Are You? My Name is Joe.
Untitled Steam Room Comic 2
Untitled Steam Room Comic 1
Do You Mind?
Claude the Comet
Overall, The Shifting Ground Vol 1 was an amazing comic anthology packed with beautiful artwork and thought-provoking themes, especially the top three entries. The only piece I would consider remotely “weak” is “Claude the Comet” since it operated more as a setup to the rest of the collection than an independent story. Otherwise, this is one for the books!
You can buy the book on Joe Walsh’s website.
Thank you Joe Walsh for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.