Nov 11 2011
James Robinson reviews SHORT HAND!
Growing up in the nineties good comics were few and far between. The ever reliable top of my comic food pyramid was James Robinson’s Star-Man. Published by DC comics the book followed the son of the original Star Man, Jack Knight as he attempted to live up to his father, and dead brothers, legacy. Born out of the lame Zero Hour crossover I don’t think expectations were high. James surprised the industry by penning an epic, cr
itically acclaimed, 80 issue epic. He was one of the few writers working with super heroes that dared try something new. It was inspiring.
Flash forward to the near present. I debuted my new self published comic Short Hand at the Alternative Press Expo last month. It was a rough convention for many reasons, the worst of which was putting my dog, Sugar, to sleep Saturday night. I spent the weekend either blind drunk or in tears, so it’s no surprise I missed James when he stopped by my table. I would have loved to personalize an autograph for his copy. Considering my state, maybe it’s better I didn’t because apparently he quite enjoyed the book. So much that he took it upon himself to author a review of the book for iFanboy. Not only is the best review of my career but that it came from one of my heroes makes me question reality. DId this really happen? Or am I under the kitchen sink huffing a house-hold-cleaner soaked rag? Again?
Here’s what James had to say about your favorite mercurial red-read and Short Hand.
“Jason and Rahsan’s comic is quite simply wonderful. In fact I’m somewhat in awe of how clever and well told the comic is. The problem with reviewing it, unfortunately, is that if I reveal very much of the plot, I risk ruining a wonderful twist in the tale, so I’m going to have to write this carefully for fear I’ll give things away. Shorthand is a detective comic, with the mystery element of the comic, cleanly and very elegantly told, which is a real art with crime/mystery comics in that they can get bogged down with too many details, sometimes before the writer even realizes it. In Jason’s case however no such crime against the reader has been committed and the story glides along at a smooth, elegant, perfect pace.
The tale also has wonderful humor stemming from both the situation and the dialogue, which is beautifully handled. There’s real wit in this comic, the fun off-set by a slightly tragic aspect to the main character and the overall scenario that gives the book a nice amount of weight and stops the tale from seeming lightweight or trivial. The last page especially is sad and beautiful both. And that’s about all I can say without ruining it for you.
I will say that as a writer Jason is building a wonderful body of work (including the Xeric Award winning Full Moon). In this he’s gone the route of small press and self-publishing, although I won’t be surprised if he’s discovered by the bigger companies soon. His work is definitely worth taking the time to find, and Shorthand is a fine example of what the guy can do.”
You can read the full review here at Ifanboy.
http://ifanboy.com/articles/guest-review-shorthand-reviewed-by-james-robinson/
