Stories and Memories

The Shell of the Self of the Senses #22 (Nib Comics, November 2017, $10)
Ron Rege, Jr., publishes 100 copies of his monthly minicomic for subscribers. This issue presents part one of "Andy Remembers" from 1992. The 24-page minicomic was drawn between April and June 1992 and shares Rege's friend Andy's memories and stories about people he knew in grade school. "He was angry remembering all the cruel things that these kids had done to him, and to each other."



Rege pairs slightly grotesque—cute brut, perhaps—portrayals of the children drawn from school photographs and class pictures with quotes from his friend's memories. Themes and topics include crushes, dreams, classroom activities, friends' family members, learning how to swear, and Japanese food. The photos cover the years 1974-1981.



Part two of this mini is expected this month. I would have liked more—more of everything: more stories and memories from Rege's friend Andy, and more text. I'd also like more artwork, more pictures. Rege includes one image twice, perhaps because the memories about that friend take up two pages. More imagery would have been welcome.

Looking forward to part two!

Availability: You can subscribe to Rege's monthly minicomic for $10/month. Earlier this year, Fantagraphics published two Rege books: The Cartoon Utopia and What Parsifal Saw.