Strange Eggs

    (Slave Labor, 2005)
™ and © Chris Reilly, Steve Ahlquist, and Ben Towle

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
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Strange Eggs #2

July, 2006
Cover Price: $3.95
1 copy available for $4.00 		Christopher P. Reilly, Derf, Kerry Callen, Foo Swee Chin, Joey Weiser, Christopher, Steve Ahlquist, J. Marc Schmidt, Roger Langridge, Jennifer FeinbergBen 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