A long time ago, I was at the comic book store every week buying the latest Spider-man or Capitan America. Around 1992, all my favorite artists formed a creator-owned company of comics called Image Comics. I found that since these comics were the heart of the creators who had full control of the production of their books. At Marvel they did not care about the books but more on how they merchandised them. I still tried to read both Marvel and Image for about a year, but my poor teenage allowance soon decided. At that moment, I went creator owned with all my purchases.



That is not to say that there was not some really bad stinkers at Image. However, its success fueled a bunch of creator owned companies to pop up. It was during this time that I was introduced to real small press alternative/indy comics. As I grew out of my childhood and into my adulthood, I realized comics could be literature, in the examples of Eisner and Spiegelman, instead of just superheroes.



However, after the birth of my children the financial aspects of being a parent rather limited my buying abilities. Due to the fact that I could not see what was being published by the mainstream or even the small press alternative/indy comic publishers, I found yet another side to comics. The extreme outsiders art of comics pushing the boundaries of the art form itself ...



It is my belief that through mini-comics and webcomics, you find the true underground scene of comics. Forget the works of Crumb, Pekar or Gloeckner, the real outsider art can be found in people spending their nights at photocopiers, folding and stapling, or with their scanners and a modem. These are artists are in it for the sake of the art form and expect no return. These are stories that publishers rejected because they were too unique. I found a few of these creators on various online communities. Some of them are people just like me, who were raised on Spider-man and wanted comics to be something more. Others are people from other countries who have never been in a comic book store or read a Spider-man comic.



Once a year or so I try to buy a batch of mini-comics from these artists. Not only do you get a cool as all heck comic, but you end up supporting an aspiring artist. Although, I sometimes wonder why I pay two dollars plus shipping for a 8 or 16 page Xeroxed comic. To me they are worth so much more than an Image, DC or Marvel comic, but it always leaves me wanting more.



I was on Lulu buying a comic from a creator I know and I decided to browse a bit. Then I saw a name I recognized. David Recine manages to write a well thought out, interesting story for all ages without dumbing it down. Recine's quality art and solid storytelling reminds me of reading Carl Bark's Uncle Scrooge comics when I was a kid and how I still enjoy them today. Right away I knew at least one story would be good. But Recine was not just an artist, but also the editor-in-chief of this anthology. BAM! (Big Ass Mini) is a collection of over 70 comics by over 60 creators!



If you are anything like me, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! Let us just face it, with 500 pages of mini-comics and webcomics collected in one book, THIS BOOK IS FOR EVERYBODY! As Recine describes in the foreword, he did not exclude one submission as long as it made it before the deadline. There were a handful of other artists that I recognized on the list, but it is the unknown names excite me the most. Every kind of style and genre is here. It is kind of like going to mini-comic convention and getting one of everything. Buy it and you will not regret it. The price is a steal and you only have to pay for shipping once.

This collection is just what I've been looking for. The heart and soul that these comic strip artists put into their work shows. Personally, I think this collection is comparable to the recently published "The Best American Comics" from Houghton Mifflin. I think this is tops. Thanks guys for putting this book out.