Posted on: January 16, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Dumb Jersey White Boy No.2 / $1 / :10 / http://mark.mcmurray.de / [email protected] / 

This zine has kin in all of those horrid Jazz-infused cartoons of the sixties that had nothing but movements and actions to define what the characters were doing. When the main character (I’m assuming this is Mark detailing all the things that happened in the earlier part of eir life) is talking about something, a picture of that action (toilet for bathroom, for example) pops above eir head. This is irritating, but the irritation felt is largely lost when one notices the stunning style in which Mark captures the evens of the earlier part of ey’s life. The style is not a specific nod to any one artist, but rather something that is a perfect blend of professionalism and the lo-fi indie ethic. For example, distance in Mark’s work is shown with the move from the more intricate line work present in the close-ups to essentially emoticons for faces. The only thing that really comes as an issue during this volume is the length of some of the stories. For example, “The Poo Story” takes up seventeen pages, but can really be captured in just a few pages. Overall, the person aspect of this comic zine, as well as the low price that Mark charges ($1) is enough of a reason to pick this read up. For fans of perzines or small-market comics, Dumb Jersey White Boy seems to be a zine that could run for years – if someone gives Mark an age of 30, there has to be at least an issue worth of material every year. E-mail eir and tell eir what you think.

Rating: 5.4/10

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