1 out of 5

I have no idea what I just read.  But coming from an apparent king of effusive, no-budget output – comics, music – Carlos Gonzalez, that might be mighty okay by him.  There’s barely publishing info on the book – just a little ‘Floating World Comics’ label above the barcode – and a rambling “hope you enjoy it” blurb by the creator amongst some cut-and-paste nonsense on the inside cover.  The artistic style, whether purposefully crass or a true limit of talent, sticks to a strict home-schooled no-perspective vibe: flat landscapes, characters only existing head-on or turned to the side.  This certainly works with the overall DIY sensibility, but as the weirdness of the “story” heats up, it becomes harder to understand what’s going on when there’s no clear deviation between fore-, mid- or background and the characters.

Two fellas are traveling by wagon through a desert, and decide to take a shortcut through Scab County.  Nightmares and mutants follow.

Had SC lived up to the more direct dark humor found in the first few pages, this book would’ve been right up my alley (and is a reason I bought it), but it really becomes unclear what Gonzalez is hoping to accomplish, gummed up all the more by that confusing artwork.  So I can’t claim to have enjoyed my stay in the County.

But: this is one of those outre pieces that exists so far beyond the fringe that a rating system really doesn’t apply.  No stars would be more applicable; one star denotes that I wasn’t entertained.  However, truly, Scab County is a YMMV situation.  The oddball aesthetic may drive you cookoo with love, and you consider Carlos your god.  Hey, so be it.