Squid Girl

(Mike Hoffman, 2002)
™ and © Mike Hoffman

With its typed lettering and caption boxes on virtually every panel, the title character’s story “Hands of the Sea” looks and feels much like an E.C. comic book. An amazing amount of plot and backstory is squeezed into 12 pages, reminiscent of the time when a comic book might contain three or four complete stories per issue, rather than an installment of a single story taking several months to a year to complete. Similarly, the sappy deus ex machina conclusion would not work—in fact, it would be almost laughable, if not for the retro feel of the piece.

There is a backup tale, “Minister Sinister,” which feels more contemporary but is not as strong. Despite the clever title, which is a better rhyme and conjures a more offbeat image than Marvel’s “Mister Sinister,” it is poorly paced. With 75% of the story lacking dialogue, the action needs to be more self-evident. The art is also a letdown after the stronger lead story. Uncredited, readers can’t tell whose work it is. It’s hard to believe that this might have come from the same hands as the Squid Girl story.

— Jack Abramowitz

Jump to issue:

Notes

Writer

Artist

#1

July, 2002
Cover Price: $2.95
2 copies available from $1.80

Mike Hoffman