Kansas City Jam Session

    (Cocked and Loaded, 2003)
™ and © Cocked and Loaded

As far as independent anthologies go, KC Jam is pretty much what readers might expect from a pair of unknown writers and a slew of fair-to-mediocre artists: a few of the efforts stand out, a couple stink, and the rest are unmemorable.

The bright side of this compendium is carried mostly by the strengths, inconsistent as they are, of writer William Binderup. Binderup shows potential at times by trying his hand at a number of different genres and styles, from science fiction to comedy to folk-song adaptations.

Fellow writer Darren Siebert, on the other hand, stumbles through his stories; one that could have been especially poignant, the true story “I’ll Love You Forever,” is marred by its careless and emotionless execution.

The dozen or so artists for this volume all demonstrate varying degrees of skill; John Shuler and Travis Fox are the most capable, with a Jim Mahfood-style look, but the rest need a lot more practice. It’s always nice to see new talent get a shot at publication, but the bright spots are too few and the price is too high, making the purchase of this book seem more like a duty than a pleasure.

— Jim Johnson
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