The following mail, containing perhaps the most comprehensive review yet, arrived from Switzerland from Ultraist Reader and CRIC2 Contributor Jay Traci:
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Random notes from a know-nuthin’ on the comics of Mike Kitchen:
Knight Hawk/Apocalypse (1993)
Ah, a step back in the way-back machine. So what’s the Matt Campbell chap working on of late. I see his posts on your page from time to time.
Spy Guy Bootleg (2001)
Nice cover, bootleg-esque, but maybe you should have focused the drawing more on Spy Guy, an interesting, eye-catching character?
Funny to see the A-V ‘note from the president’ layout on the inside front cover. I like that you state the circulation too.
I like the look of The Skunk character.
Hot damn you do good guns!
Your use of tones is nice. Not too heavy handed. And I like your backgrounds, like in the cigar shop: the wooded paneling and newspapers on the racks.
Lovely sequence of 4 panels with Hunter taking the thug’s gun away.
Hmmm, looks like you got a thing with squee-gee guys! I’m a big fan of ‘conceptual continuity’ and could feel they would return And they did! Again and again!
Ninja dialect: difficult to pull off. But it worked, mostly.
In the restaurant I loved the dialogue of “Ssshhhh, keep it down! Someone may become suspicious of our activities!†after he shot someone in the head.
Nice 1920s flash-back.
Great panels of the alley, bricks and Spy Guy on the fire escape. With lasers.
Also at the shipyard with the wideshot on the top panel and then seemingly the ninja and mob guy face to face in the next, with panel separator.
Hmmm, Spy Guy carries a rubber chick around…I like the idea of the jacket being able to house damn near anything (like the bazooka-type gun at the end)
Nice idea of SG sliding to get under the thug’s chin with a gun.
Lotssssss of cross hatching on the wharf. Lots.
I like the back cover too.
So what happened to the Spy Guy video-game you mention in the intro?
Spy Guy Minis (2005)
I liked most of the Target: Terror strips, and I’m very much in-line with your political thinking and it’s nice to see you fleshing out your characters and broadening your drawings, but all in all I think there _could_ be a danger is using a character you want to continue to fall-back on in such a autobiographical motif, no?
One of the things I’ve thought about doing with ‘my guy’ is some random ‘public service announcements’ about public transportation. But I’m wary, as they’d pretty much just be rants and I don’t want to muddy the character in mere substitute for drawing a self-portrait.
But as I said, I enjoyed them. And current events certainly gives one a storyline to continue to work with.
In addition to T:T I did like the occasional inter-cut of non-T:T bits. I can’t stand Star Wars but I liked the way you did the little review. And inserting yourself sitting with your character is nice and the fat movie guy (you know, Beyonce’s brother) gives it a movie feel.
T:T12, “leave your trash in Mississauga .†Funny stuff. Plus I like the name Mississauga .
Thumbnail Action. Amazing. I love this. You totally have every bit of you character nailed, and your animation tuition was certainly worth it. Love it.
T:T13, Canada joins war in Afghanistan. Great strip.
T:T14, the guy that runs the cigar shop returns! Nice to see. And nice reference to Pearl Harbour (and again later). I always dry heave when Americans cite PH knowing little about it.
The Dog, the Bitch and the Gimp. “ring burns on both endsâ€, you’re sick. (but in a good way). Interesting strip. I liked the ending. And these tiny-tiny panels you sometimes insert are a nifty device.
The Miller-esque pinup is nice.
Hat Attack, ah! So our little spy indeed has a head of hair (which I assumed as it’s in his file from Bootleg…)
Godlike, is that lettering reminiscent of The Godfather? Gotta love a Sea Monkies mention, though. And, of course, the Cerebus “alone, unmourned and unloved†reference.
Nice to see the first appearance of Spud.
T:T22, “don’t have to live there but still have to deal with them†sums up _exactly_ how I feel…
I also loved the cover, great colour contrasts and excellent presentation of your character. Paperstock is also nice.
Well done!
Spud and Harry (2007)
Nice flip cover and very eye catching.
The middle insert is very very cool also. I like that this is “a Spy Guy comicâ€, giving on the feeling you have your own little ‘universe’ going. Looking forward to Spud, Harry and Spy Guy meeting up some time.
The Spud story could be used in an Econmics 101 course…lots of information there; I’m curious how Spud, who obviously does his homework, will flesh out as a character. Harry, of course more the strong-Silent type.
Your art work, good years ago, has jumped leaps and bound. Absolutely fan-bloody-tastic. Every panel is damn, damn good. I really couldn’t be more impressed, Mike.
Feel free to pass this on to Blair…
Random notes on:
The Possum #1
Nice eye-catching cover.
I really like the splash page (p5), I’m very impressed with your houses and cars.
Page 7 having Mike’s line at the comic book convention being the only one with people (and lots of them at that) is a nice touch.
“3 Feet Under†is a hysterical name for a retirement place!
Holy hell is Steve Tacola an annoying character; and didn’t we allllllll know someone *exactly* like him!
Love the double-page spread on 18-19. Great bus.
A snort-out-loud moment was in the ambulance when our hero ‘returns’ the first reaction from the EMTs is not something like ‘it’s a miracle!’ but “Ahhhhh, Zombie!!†Funny stuff.
Nice use of visuals, very animated-like, with the stretcher coming out of the ambulance and rolling about.
Nice panel on 47, captures the “I wish I was never born†feel.
Again, I like your autos: the truck at the end of the story.
T-shirts with your first issue, wow, were pre-sales that good! Although I guess it’s not such an expensive endeavour as it used to be.
All in all a fun read. Admittedly I’m not a reader of _comic_ (or comedy/funny) comic books (pardon the seeming redundancy), but our visuals kept me engaged. Your consistent line-work is very solid. I haven’t seen a Mad magazine in over 20 years but I was getting a bit of a flashback. But you’ve mentioned you’re a big fan of Groo and I think Argones (sp?) was of that school.
What did stick out for me is your use of tones. Your art is really, really very good and I wish you would let us see it some more. Not everything needs a tone. Let white work for you. Solid black too.
The Possum #2
Again a nice cover. Eye-catching.
I like the movie-credits type of into (p8-9)
Again, your cars and backgrounds are very, very good.
Good ending with an issue number 2: bring ‘em back for more.
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Really impressive work, guys. And knowing that you both have the commitments of jobs, sometimes many jobs, and still get this down on paper. And published. Well, well done. And I’m sure Mom and Dad Kitchen are proud as can be.
Good luck with all your future projects!
j
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Thanks Jay!
I’ll respond to your letter below in the comments section.
