Small Press Heroes

by Matt Feazell

Mr. Comics and his students Lester, Midge, Rosco and Inez go on a bunch of swell adventures that also happen to be lessons about the magic of comic book storytelling!

_{24-page digest size comic plus a surprise mini-comic! $6.99 w/free shipping. Ordering info at the Amazing Cynicalman site.}

Sample pages:

Jason‘s thoughts:

I don’t know that I’ve got anything original to say about how amazing Matt Feazell is. The first time I’d heard about him and saw that he drew “stick figures”, I wasn’t sure what the big deal was. Until I read my first issue of Cynicalman and realized that these deceptively “simple” figures were actually a master class in storytelling and form. Matt is one of the very few creators who has basically become one with the unique language of comics.

Which brings us to “Mr. Comics and the Hey Comics Kids!”, both a wonderful way to get kids to enjoy comics storytelling and also a way for them to understand WHY they’re enjoying it. Just like everything Matt does, it’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s brilliantly told. Matt’s ability to explain how to read comics in an engaging way. . .frankly, I consider it magic. Pretty much every page was me thinking “How the heck did he figure that out?” The book really highlights the wonderful alchemy that is a creator working with the reader to tell the story. The page with the kids racing to the bottom of the page in particular was one that blew my mind when I realized what had just happened. So good!!!

If I’m ever talking to someone who is new to comics or is really trying to understand them, there are typically two books that I’ll point people to: “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud and “Make Your Own Comics” by Mike Hall. The adventures of Mr. Comics and his students has now been added to that list. If you’re a fan of comics, particularly those created in the small press, this absolutely must be in your collection.