Last time, I was concerned about how it's becoming harder and harder to find the good stuff in the small press, as more and more people take advantage of the tools available to them and self publish.

This time, I am going to help you find the some of the good stuff. Here at Ninth Art, we're always happy to get free comics, especially ones we've never heard of. But sadly, our reviews policy prevents us from making most of them into a candidate for a slot on The Friday Review - we tend to only review complete works that are widely available. And, too be honest, it's a little hard to write a thousand word review of a single 25-page book.

So, here's a round up of some of the comics that people have sent us to date. I'm hoping to run a column like this every six months or so, so if you'd like a mention of your self-published comic in the next one, drop me a line and I'll let you know where to send your work.

First up:

ARMS LENGTH
Third Wind Press
Written and drawn by Mark Price.
Mail MrPriceman@aol.com

This book was published with a Xeric Grant, and it's not hard to see why it qualified, right from the off. Wrapped in a very attractive cover, I was optimistic about this from the moment I opened the envelope.

And to my delight I found my optimism mostly justified. ARMS LENGTH contains three stories; "My Favourite Roadshow" is the main piece, a bittersweet story about a struggling stand-up comedian, his struggles to get to an open-mike night and a chance encounter with his hero, Bob Hope. "The Artist At Sixty" is a shorter piece, a joke strip with a faintly self-mocking edge, and the final one page "Beat the System" is a straight out gag piece.

As an artist, Price is excellent. Clear, solid lines, a firm grasp of storytelling, and a willingness to really use the marriage of words and pictures in some very clever ways make this a joy to look at. He's extremely easy to read, and has a nice, distinctive style. It would almost be worth recommending this based on the art alone.

But thankfully, that's not necessary. The notes inside the back cover describe that book as being about "stand-up comedy and low-down deeds, hero-worship and bus combat, self-awareness issues, fast food and (apparently) liner notes from Jayhawk albums". I've never seen a Jayhawk album in my life, so I can't address that last part, and I'm not convinced it has anything really clever or new to say about fast food, but other than that, is seems to be a pretty solid and accurate list. And if the worst I can find to say about it that it doesn't have anything new to say about McDonalds, I think it's doing a pretty good job.

HARDLY THE HOG #1-4
JamUp Comics
Writer: Jamie Coward
Artist: Alex Coward
Production: Marcus Wray
Mail hardly@dial.pipex.com

I'm still having trouble working out how to summarise this series. It's about an anthropomorphic pig who, I think, is some kind of deity to a tribe of woodland folk.

No, it doesn't sound promising, does it?

'It's becoming harder to find the good stuff in the small press.' After a confusing start with a difficult to follow first issue that didn't really do much to set the tone or themes of the series in my mind, I was ready to give up on this. On balance, I'm glad I didn't. Issue 2 was peculiar as well, although easier to follow - the plot largely revolving around getting the eponymous hero out of the setting established in issue one. For my tastes, this is a good thing - a woodland setting has never struck me as a good place for a story, unless it's Robin Hood. Issue 3 made me laugh out loud, and was a much more coherent read, and Issue 4 seems to be mostly set up for a future plotline, introducing new characters and so on.

In all honestly, I don't know that I'd go out of my way to buy more of this, but that's mostly because it's just not my taste, rather than because it's bad. I suspect that someone who has read more CEREBUS than I might draw parallels between the two (and indeed, issue 4 carries a back-cover quote from Dave Sim), so you might want to consider giving this a look if you like that series.

RAVEN'S CHILDREN #1-3
Written and drawn by Layla Lawlor
www.ravenschildren.com

I'm really not sure how to approach commenting on this without making it sound like I'm giving it an unduly harsh treatment. I feel faintly guilty even trying, to be honest. This is a fantasy comic, and frankly, I really do loathe fantasy as a genre. In all fairness and honesty I can't do anything more than recommend that you visit the website and decide for yourself if it sounds like your cup of tea.

Artistically, it's variable. I get the sense that Lawlor sometimes has trouble managing the amount of dialogue on some pages, and the hand lettering is also iffy in places. However, the storytelling is clear, and, especially by the third issue, the line work is lovely, moving from highly kinetic action to conversation and emotional nuance with impressive ease. So, take a look at the website, and judge for yourself.

VOGELEIN 1 (of 5)
Fiery Studios
Written and drawn by Jane Irwin
www.vogelein.com

When I saw the cover, I was not enthused about this. As I say, fantasy holds little appeal for me, and comics featuring faeries on the cover certainly don't figure much on my reading list. Prejudice, I know, but there it is.

So it came as something of a surprise to find myself enjoying this as much as I did. This is the story of a sentient clockwork toy, a wind up faerie, although she herself is at pains to point out that faeries aren't real. The art isn't perfect - a little stiff in places and occasionally a little difficult to follow - but it tells the story in an entirely adequate manner, and it's the writing that makes this piece shine. The issue is well paced, the dialogue smooth and natural, the characterisation excellent and, all in all, this is a fine set up issue that strikes the right balance between answering questions and leaving mystery for later.

I'll be looking out for this when it hits the shops.

Right. That's your lot. Remember, drop me a line from the link below if you've got a self-published book you'd like to send my way.

Alasdair Watson is the author of the Eagle Award-nominated RUST.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.