Creators: Jim Alexander, John McShane, Lynsey May, Fin Cramb, Luke Cooper, Glenn Fleming, Graeme McLeod
Publisher: Planet Jimbot
Amazing & Fantastic Tales by Planet Jimbot is a dark, moody anthology that’s about a 60/40 split between prose short stories and comic strips. For a book that opens with a comic about aliens, closes with angels and demons, and folds the third part of a Western serial into the middle, the book is surprisingly enjoyable. Add in some space travelers, a creepy old guy and zombies on a boat and you’ve got a moderately confusing but ultimately fun read on your hands.
The whole book is only 24 pages, but since over half of it is prose, it feels a little longer. There’s no doubt that the short stories are enjoyable, part three of The Last Posse in particular tickled me, but they’re not incredibly well written. Sometimes the plotlines drag on, clinging to one point for a little too long, only to rush through at the end. They’re fun though, and in a story that’s only a few pages long, the dark humor of murderous cowboys and seeing the refreshing new way that aliens understand guns counts more to me than an impeccably written dialogue.
Likewise, Love & Asbestos is fun in a really dark, twisted way and the art fits perfectly, adding some really great facial expressions on the old man and helping him tell a story that you may feel a little bit guilty for enjoying.
The other two comics (Kroom part 3 and The Bounty Hunter) are certainly fantastical, but the art in the latter left a little bit to be desired. The characters were little more than outlines and felt really flat. It made the dialogue feel a tiny bit nonsensical, though the black and white format helped define the tone better.
The book has its moments and should be given a chance because it really does try to live up to its name.
