So Buttons issue 13

Harvey Pekar was a great American creator. An obsessive, an autodidact, a working class guy from Cleveland who was mostly broke but loved jazz and loved making comics. A talk show regular who had a film of his life made. A great film. And of course a comics creator who produced a remarkable body of work through his book American Splendor. His subject was himself and his life and he worked with a wide range of creators, probably most notably Robert Crumb (something of a kindred spirit.) 

I was lucky enough to meet Harvey when he did a Q&A for his film at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It is film and Harvey Pekar that set the theme for So Buttons issue 13 from Jonathan Baylis. “Film School with Pekar’s Pals and Mine” is the issue title and we discover the connection in the story So…Premiered. This is the tale of another film festival – this time Sundance where author Jonathan Baylis worked. Artist Joe Zabel and inker Gary Dumm bring the Ditko with some unexpected Spidey. It is no coincidence that Gary Dumm was a collaborator with Harvey Pekar on American Splendor and the book features several other artists who worked with Harvey.

The film theme continues with tales of working with Eli Roth at film school in So…Inglourious. I’m not a horror fan and I can’t imagine ever sitting through a movie like Hostel but I understand the nerdy love for obscure video nasties and Italian cult flicks (see also Taglio Finale from UKC Horror that I reviewed here). It’s really a story of kinship among movie makers and film fans and the art of Gary Dumm and colours by Laura Dumm are contrastingly bright and cheerful.

Artist Brian Bram also worked with Harvey Pekar way back in 1977 and it is very cool that he has provided the art to a story of student film making in Central Park.

One truly horrific story in the book is So…It’s a Viscous Cycle. A tale of eye surgery that I will admit I did not read..in fact I could not read. Sorry Jonathan, you hit on my kryptonite there, even if it is illustrated by the awesome Coin Op team of Maria and Peter Hoey.

Skipping over that then, to something I can dig. The music of Ennio Moricone in the story So…Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn. A word also for the awesome film poster from an imaginary dimension  by Miguel “ECH” Echemendia. Mr Monster’s Michael T Gilbert (another American Splendor artist) provides some wonderfully lurid art for the story of uncompromising actress Tallulah Bankhead.

Probably my favourite story in the book is So…Ripped illustrated by the talented Karl Christian Krumpholz, who I am a big fan of. It has movies, Comic Cons and bourbon (some kind of American whisky apparently.) Best of all it has Karl’s unique art which is filled with movement and feels truly alive. Karl also contributes the cover, a rooftop scene filled with chimneys, smoke and water towers. It just needs Daredevil to run across it really.

It’s not all movies though. We also have zombies, Alan Moore, Swamp Thing and baseball. There is a lot in this issue! Once again So…Buttons is packed full of autobiographical insight and features a host of talented artists. It is a fitting tribute to Harvey Pekar and whilst it is no clone, it continues the spirit of American Splendor.
So Buttons issue 13 is Kickstarting now, until November 10th so don’t miss out.