On the Road with Floating World: Jucifer, Witch Mountain

It’s time for another installment of On the Road with Floating World, in which Floating World Comics proprietor Jason Leivian handpicks a few comics recommendations for musicians playing in town. Reminder: Swing by Floating World (20 NW 5th) during the week of the show, get 10% off recommended titles.

Now here’s Jason with tonight’s recommendations:

Jucifer, Witch Mountain, Lickity
Dantes, 1 SW 3rd, Thurs Aug 27, $8-10

For the show this Thursday at Dante’s I tried picking some real funnybooks. Comedy is essential to survival on the road. So now when the void is laughing in your face you can laugh right back.

The Portable February—A collection of one panel gag strips by David Berman (formerly of the Silver Jews). The drawings look like they were scribbled by a child, but they’re not messy. They’re simple and easy to read, and then the clever humor wins you over. They’re abstract, dry, and hilarious. Example of his genius: an outfielder gets stuck on a cross while catching a pop fly. That’s it. It’s like Zach Galifianakis trying to draw Far Side comics from memory. They look like this.

No Regrets: The Best, Worst and Most Ridiculous Tattoos Ever—Very few customers pick this book up without spending at least 5 minutes laughing and showing it to their friends. Highlights: Swayze-tar, a dolphin (with a tribal tattoo) sitting in a recliner smoking a bong, ODB on someone’s foot. And some you actually have to admire, like whoever got a huge fingernail tattooed on their arm stump. Only downside: looking at closeups of reddish glossy flesh gets kinda gross after a while. But they’re like chips; you can’t stop. Pics here.

Achewood: The Great Outdoor Fight: 3 Days, 3 Acres, 3,000 Men—Watch man destroy man. Only one will win The Great Outdoor Fight. “Dude, everybody remembers ‘The Man With Blood On His Hands’. Come on.” Achewood has the funniest dialogue and characters in any book ever. Deliberate and carefully chosen turns of phrase, totally made up slang; I love hearing them speak. “Japans” is a new verb I just learned that means “glosses.” So grease from a Taco Bell japans your mouth. Their ongoing world is totally believable, the characters incredible. The webcomic keeps going on forever, like Dragonball. This long structure allows creator, Chris Onstad, to create scenarios that become as epic and poignant as they are hilarious. Check it out here and here.

Also anything by Johnny Ryan (Angry Youth Comix, Comic Book Holocaust, Prison Pit)—Definitely one of the best “new” comic creators in the last decade or so. Super offensive and hilarious. The most laffs per dollar for sure.