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Here's a one-page article I once wrote on Jason Little's excellent graphic novel called Borb, that came out in 2015. I made this for a very cool fanzine project that was asking every participant for a single A4-sheet of whatever they were inclined to write about, then putting all these mini single-sided zines together and xeroxing/sending all of them to everyone that had put some effort into it. I forgot who were compiling this and the name of the project (I blame Instagram and short attention span), but I definitely remember how it felt to receive all these great mini zines in the mail! The rest were more HC oriented (with admittedly more work involved than my one-page single review haha.) I should definitely try to get a similar thing going one of these days... "BORB is a comic book written and drawn by Jason Little, who you may know from his work on Shutterbug Follies (winner of two Ignatz Awards at Small Press Expo). It's a short, almost dialogue-free, 96-page book drawn in the style of old depression-era comics strips like Little Orphan Annie or Frank King's Gasoline Ailey. Uncivilized Books, Jason Little's publisher, describes Borb in those somewhat dispassionate words: "It is the story of a severely alcoholic homeless man, a downtrodden urban Candide whose misfortunes pile up at an alarming rate."
WHAT Borb truly is is a horrifying descent into present-day urban reality, of the kind that we usually tend to avoid: the foul-smelling homeless dude in the subway that crawls towards us, and that, upon detection, we (I mean 'we' in the most general sense; 'we' as members of a supposedly advanced civillzation) casually averts our eyes, lest this purulent, walking shadow of a man dare approach us... THE genius in Jason Little's approach to this horror story lay justly in its graphic style. By giving Borb (the book) a false sense of'normalcy' -Hey!this is just a comic strip you know, kids stuff, right? -, Jason Little gives Borb the character more depth and verisimilitude than if he'd chosen a realistic approach, making the character's journey a poignant, gut-wrenching story. Content warning: this book pulls no punches and may irremediably challenge your views on homelessness." Nathan Fielder & Tania Al Ghul: super-mundane higher powers. So! It is high time for me to catch up with one of my weaker gaps in my personal comic book pantheons: Grant Morrison's Batman run. This reading order article I stumbled upon is very helpful, although a bit cryptic when it comes to published trade paperbacks. But I figured I needed to catch up with some of its more pivotal figures first, so I'm still stuck reading Tales of the Demon (boy, ain't that early Ra's al Ghul stuff a mess to begin with? I thought he was the one training Batman but I must be confusing this story with the movies or something. My mind is not as focused and laser sharp when it comes to DC comic book lore as it used to, haha. Seriously, to think that I used to be a living DC encyclopedia back in the days.)
Also catching up with The Rehearsal, a series that really overwhelmed me when it debuted. Season 2 is off to a very strong start too, almost even more meta than the first one, so quite fitting for a Grant Morrison-themed reading month! Righteous Punks! Stark-raving mad Skinheads! Empowered Rap Battles! Sensitive Hitmen! Video Stores! Basketball Ninjas! Forget Stranger Things, this one has it all. The most incredible thing about this movie is that it works. As a B-grade motion picture, I mean. The definition of which being something I could've seen on an actual cinema screen back in the late '80s and thoroughly enjoyed for the fun romp that it is. The most amazing part is that Freaky Tales literally caught me off guard as I'd never even heard of it, and the Lord knows I've been meaning to keep in touch with that sort of clever, nostalgic movie fanfare. Freaky Tales is deeper than all recent films in that retro vein, and better written too. Even when it tries to be too clever, it is still highly watchable and always fun. Some gags are very cleverly brought together, and the movie's chapter structure is top notch. So, who made this? If I'm not mistaken, some random people-writers-directors from some recent random Marvel movies are responsible, which explains the sort of high profile sheen and incredible appearances by A-name list actors. Really really good stuff, which I'll revisit eventually!
Just unearthed a yellowed scan from the vaults, a personal relic titled ADD LIST 3, dated April 10, 1992. It’s a snapshot of my tape-trading teenage life, back when you mailed out dub after dub of brutal demos in exchange for someone else's lo-fi masterpieces. A quiet war of patience, hiss, and black ink. This list was an add-on to my master tape catalog: the stuff I’d just acquired and was ready to trade. And 30+ years later? Honestly, it still stands up. A grimy time capsule of death, doom, thrash, hardcore, and some early techno-death mutations that still feel raw and weird in the best way.Honestly, I’d still listen to most of this today. A scene stitched together through flyers, letters, IRC's and blind trust. And no, I won’t be answering questions about my teenage sexual life or lack thereof. But I will talk about the brilliance of Repulsion rehearsals, or how Xysma's Doors cover still makes zero sense, but in a good way.
This morning, while making yogurt, I threw on an old Love Spirals Downwards album. Total random pick. I hadn’t listened to them in decades, and just like that, I was back in some strange corner of the ’90s. A twilight zone tucked between late ’80s dream pop and Twin Peaks-style jazz noir. Dreamy guitars, weightless vocals, everything wrapped in that soft, otherworldly haze. Pure 1993 bliss. Like an air bubble that never popped.
That album instantly triggered a memory: the Heavenly Voices compilations. A whole series of CDs that opened the door to a zillion like-minded bands I never would’ve found otherwise. Released by the German label Hyperium Records, they were the ultimate gateway drug to the ethereal scene. Some volumes even came with Zillo magazine, which back then was pretty much the sacred text of goth and darkwave heads. There were five volumes in total (plus a bootleg sixth entry from Mexico!), featuring obscure artists from all over the globe. Always fronted by these spectral female voices that felt more like weather than sound. Stoa, Love Is Colder Than Death, Collection d’Arnell-Andréa, and of course, the mighty Cocteau Twins, they all lived in that space. I think I got into it thanks to Semantic, the French distributor who carried the series. I even remember scoring a Best of Heavenly Voices disc—maybe it came with a magazine, maybe someone gave it to me. The details are foggy, like everything about those tracks. Soft, shimmering, half-remembered. Now where the hell did I put the lactic ferments?
Here's the artwork for a mixtape I made in 2020 for the Metal Punk Tape Exchange. The concept was hilarious: "A collection of sexually charged double entendres and innuendos that will forever ruin your perception of otherwise perfectly good songs." Songs included ranged from Bathory's 'Father To Son' to Autopsy's 'Gasping for Air.' No audio unfortunately, I forgot to rip the tape to the computer...
A few years back, my friend Raphaël and I hosted Sunday B-movie nights at our old hangout, Le Café Mamakin. We screened double features to near-empty rooms. Friends dropped by now and then, but most punters stayed glued to their drinks, oblivious to the cinematic gold playing next door.
I made a few posters to mark the madness. Here they are, for posterity. This guy is my new hero. He's doing things to folk music previously undreamed of. Even did a collab album with Finland's ultimate warriors CIRCLE - that's some serious terminal credibility right there. Richard Dawson is proper incredible. Give yourself a minute of relief and check him out. This song is the last track on his latest album, End of the Middle. An entire online book on, you guessed it, lettering, written by the most knowledgeable and talented artist himself. Wow! Click on each chapter's summary to read the whole page. Utterly fascinating stuff.
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DRY RETCH
Current regurgitations of ancient artefacts Archives
June 2025
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