10.18.2007

SPX '07 Gems: "Mimi's Doughnuts Zines" #10-12

I was lucky Marek Bennett, the New Hamspshire creator behind Mimi's Doughnuts Zine, stopped by my table at SPX.To be honest, there was so much stuff at SPX that I'm not sure I would noticed his books among the thousands of minis at the show. But, like I said, I was lucky. It's an absolutely fantastic zine. Most of the comics are loosely based on his growing up in a small New England town. Each issue is a collection of strips, typically centered on a theme--elections, the environment, desegratation, Sputnik, growing worms in the basement of a doughnut shop--fun stuff. While autobiographical comics (and I cast semi-autobiographic comics into the same lot) have taken a beating from comic book critics recently because of their navel-gazing, this one distances itself from the pack. Bennett has a easy cartooning style and a knack for scripting funny stories. But he also does wonderful introspectives. None of that "why can't I get a girl" whiny stuff. Instead, Bennett thinks about his deceased grandparents, heaven and about that bum with a bicycle who used to hang around town when he was a kid. Bennett's cartoons are witty and charming and will bring a smile to your face. (You can order a subscription to the zine, which comes out quarterly. Issues are $3 to $4 each.)