John Madera just posted his second issue of The Chapbook Review, which is already a great resource and definitely worth checking out. John and I discussed  that TCR would be a great place to review mini-comics. First of all, they are very similar to poetry chapbooks: small runs, usually hand-made, ephemeral, short, and so on. Also,  it’s usually only comics artists who read minis, and that’s only because they are rarely marketed and circulated outside of that group. For instance, John didn’t even know they existed when I suggested including them in TCR. But a huge swath of readers will benefit from the medium if they just knew that these little books are out there. And TCR is a great way to reach an audience that is more likely to read fiction and poetry than comics (it’s a similar bridge I’m trying to cross with Action,Yes, particularly the Abstract Comics section in the new issue). So John thought a good place for me to start my mini-comics reviews is with a mini by a poet. Go here to read my review of Mary Ruefle’s first comic, Go Home and Go to Bed!. I plan on reviewing more minis in the future. (Let me know if you see something interesting.)

If you live in NYC, go to back of the comic shop Forbidden Planet (ignore the Captain America and Kiss statuettes that guide you on your way), and look at their amazing mini-comics section. Ten minutes browsing those shelves and looking at what people are doing with folded paper and ink will scramble your brains.