I love getting comix in the mail, especially when they are good, and Estrus Comics by MariNaomi
is certainly no exception. So far I have only been exposed to the 4th issue of her ongoing series of autobio comix. Featured in this issue, is “Ex-Factor: A Romantic Resume†a collection of short strips reflecting on her history of bumbling interactions with boys over nearly 25 years(she got a young start with a nice embarrassing story kindergarten heartbreak). While most self exposing autbio comix can be very embarrassing to read and somewhat tedious, filled with nauseating naval gazing, Mari knows this and pokes fun at her own misfortune making for a really entertaining read. My particular favorite story, is a nice unfortunate menstrual timing and the shock on an unknowing young boy. I hate the term of a comic being a good one to show to your girlfriend, but its kinda true with this one. The strength is how relate-able her work is. Mari has a great minimal cartoony style, making great use of some solid blacks, and strong inks. For the skeptical reader looking for some kind of artistic comparison to base opinion on, I would say there is definitely a flavour of Mary Fleener, which equals goodness to me.
Also included in this collection, is her story from the Pet Noir anthology, which was actually my fav from the book, so it’s a nice inclusion. Over all, its a great self-published collection that promises for more awesomeness in the future. For a nice list of where to pick up her comic, check out her site with a list of awesome stores that support the indy goodness.
