Comics Workbook

TAKE A RIDE IN MY CLOUD CAR by Joel Rich (self published, 2012).

Joel Rich is a Canadian cartoonist, musician and illustrator. His loose, textured drawings reverberate like hissing waves of static on a blown-out cathode tube TV. The coloring is particularly striking—layered bursts of paint and markers create multiple neon dimensions that bleed through the page.

CLOUD CAR follows a manic Care Bear and a reluctant Pope as they attempt to “save” an apathetic child. It’s a parody of the Catholic church/C.B. franchises that inverts their savior complexes as irreverent detachment and obsessive neurosis. Joel’s art finds a good balance between solid cartoon rendering and noisy abstraction. The writing is hilarious and makes for an engaging self contained narrative.

I got two versions with my order: a standard letter half size printed on multicolored paper and the special edition magazine format with a custom hand-painted cover. Both editions feature gorgeous full color interior/exterior covers and saddle stitch binding. I also received a large marker drawing on my envelope. The effort put into constructing each zine is impressive. Order a copy here and track down Strep Throat Zine #2 for more of Joel’s comics. Highly recommended!

- Jack Hayden