Strange Eggs

Most concept books aren’t this fun. Strange Eggs is an anthology of short stories with one premise: Kip and Kelly Hatcher are two farm kids with a pet alien named Hooper. Every day, a milkman-type deliveryman named Roger Rogers deposits a new egg on the kids. The type of egg varies, as does its inhabitant, but it soon hatches and a new adventure begins.

This might sound like a great hook for a kids’ cartoon, but remember, this is a Slave Labor Graphics book, so instead, it’s both wicked and wickedly funny. The hatchlings include a couple of hobos, an evil marionette and a stream of rainbows that crushes everyone to death. There’s also a slightly disconnected tale by “Crab Scrambly,” who appears to be Jhonen Vasquez doing an Edward Gorey imitation. Ian Carney and Woodrow Phoenix take a different route by having Kip crack the day’s delivery open with a hatchet, only to discover it’s a sentient egg. Post brain-surgery, the egg is exquisitely grotesque even before he gets thrown into transvestite lingerie and exploited.

That sums up Strange Eggs in an eggshell.

— Brendan McGinley

Jump to issue:

#1

May 2005

Cover: $3.95

W: Christopher P. Reilly, Steve Ahlquist, Jennifer Feinberg, Roger Langridge, Ian Carney, Derf, Crab Scrambly, Jamie Smart, Kerry Callen, Joey Weiser, Jon Adams · A: Tommy Kovac, Todd Meister, Ben Towle, Roger Langridge, Woodrow Phoenix, Derf, Crab Scrambly, Jamie Smart, Darron Lessig, Kerry Callen, Joey Weiser, Jon Adams, Dave Ray, Jorge Santillan

Anthology; B&W

1 copy for $2.76
#2

Jul 2006

Cover: $3.95

W: Christopher P. Reilly, Derf, Kerry Callen, Foo Swee Chin, Joey Weiser, Christopher, Steve Ahlquist, J. Marc Schmidt, Roger Langridge, Jennifer Feinberg · A: Ben Towle, Black Olive, Derf, Kerry Callen, Foo Swee Chin, Joey Weiser, Christopher, Dave Ray, J. Marc Schmidt, Roger Langridge, Walter Greatshell, Todd Meister, J. Chris Campbell

B&W

2 copies from $3.19