Chang3lings Comics: 4th Big Book of Rap

 

• US Letter, 8.5×11 in, 22×28 cm
  number of Pages: 20
• Publish Date: Jun 02, 2024
• £6.00
• https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/12020717-4th-big-book-of-rap
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• "Underground legend Richard Pester continues exploring decades of work never before seen."
• A simple statement but it hides a lot.  Apart from the covers that are very eye catching and different there are the interiors.  Trials of the Cosmic Oddity continues and in this part "Davey" is caught out drawing...comics! Know the feeling from when my own parents taunted me over writing science fiction when I was at school.  
• Derna Assumed and Derna A Lost Episode are nice changes as the text stories featuring colour as well as black and white illoes (19 in total) nicely and is reminiscent of the old British comics where there were illustrated text stories.  Even the old Class Comics featured these and as someone who learnt mainly to read from comics ("Gran -what does 'psychokinesis' mean?") I approve. If you just want pretty pictures (this one has those) but really don't want to strain yourself by reading...you are in the wrong place.
• The front cover as well as the back (interior and external) feature two lovely pin up pieces and, oh, right; there's also a short piece on why to never trust Fantagraphic Books or a contract from them.
• I still say that A Cosmic Oddity would make a great graphic novel and having already read it all in black and white I think it is fair to say it would make a great British rival of Harvey Pekar's American Splendor -and that is not bull-shit. I re-read the first volume twice and bored people talking about it.
• This is bound to get a big thumb's up and if you don't buy it now you are going to be rather daft looking in the future!