5 out of 5

Now this is a freakin’ jam comic, and how I wish I was hip enough to be aware of / go to the Athens comic festival that produces this thing so I could have other editions of it.  Presuming they exist…?  The one I’m reviewing apparently came out of the 9th festival in 2010, but no idea if that means there were 8 previous issues… and woe is me, I’m not finding much info online.  My life is, indeed, a tragedy.

Story & layouts by Mr. Patrick Dean: a hilarious weird 24 page story in which a dude finds a “chicken” to cook – which is really all gangly arms and limbs and a mouth – which causes his girlfriend to mutate into limber-armed lady when she takes a bite.  A different artist then illustrates the evolving story from page to page (which I have to believe was scripted on the spot in some fashion, as the narration has a lovely pick-up-the-torch-and-run-with-it vibe), which ropes in spider-vampire-bushes and wormhole basements, resulting in brilliant lines like “Do you mind if we hang out here in 1958 for a few weeks?  I can cook…”

The art is loose but you’ve got folks like Chris Schweizer and Joey Weiser in there, so there’s no shortage of talent working that looseness.  Of course, some styles are looser than others and will appeal to tastes differently, but that’s the fun of a jam comic.

The story is just so bonkers and the fun of its creation so palpable, you can’t help but crave MORE.  Wrapped in a great Dean cover with a green tint, with a crisp b & w printing, mini-comic sized.