Clare's Comics Catalogue - Papercuts & Inkstains #7

Clare’s Comics Catalogue – Papercuts & Inkstains #7

Imagine my utter delight when I checked my emails and found the latest offering from the Madius Comics guys waiting for me. It was like Christmas had arrived early. I tore off the wrapping (opened the attachment) and dived in to my new gift. That’s right, Papercuts & Inkstains #7 is here. First up – the “Official” press release. After that, my thoughts.

The “Official” Press Release

The holiday season is upon us.

Your maison hosts an evergreen.

You’re ding donging merrily on high.

Your slippers are warm and comforting.

You lift your hot chocolate to your lips to discuss what a wonderful year it’s been.

When suddenly…

MADIUS COMICS IS BACK!

RED AND GREEN FIREWORKS ERUPT

SANTA STRIPS DOWN TO A REINDEER-SKIN THONG AND GIVES YOU A LAPDANCE

You thought it was over, but GUESS AGAIN!

They are BACK!

Flying down your chimney with the perpetual grace of a stunned penguin those Madius Comics scamps are here to bring you a festive treat.

That’s right, it’s…

PAPERCUTS & INKSTAINS ISSUE 7!

42 all new pages of laughs, shocks, surprises and LOVE!

Wait, what?

You heard me right. Madius Comics has decided to keep things as illogical as ever and took it upon themselves to launch a Valentine’s Special in December. Hey, why not, eh?

Contained within this Cupidean package is 5 brand new tales to shock and amaze!

First up, from the mind of Rob Jones and the ink of Dan Charnley is a punky coming of age romance between a young musician and his devoted girlfriend. A story to remind us all that life is short and that true love lasts forever. It’s BLOKHEADS!

Following that grounded tale of love and loss we blast away into the far reaches of space with a haunting sci-fi tale that covers what happens next. What happens after humans finally finish off this planet we call home and we’re all forced to find a plan B. A new home. This story of finding hope even after it appears all hope is gone. From the minds of Michael Sambrook and Rob Jones with stunning artwork from longtime Madius star Rosie Packwood. You’re going to love LONELY ROBOT!

Then, next up, blasting out the gate is a bonkers story about robots, gatling guns, character stereotypes and shoddily executed plans. Or, at least that’s what this story seems to be about? Peel back the bombastic veneer and find out what matters most about stories. Family, togetherness and love. From the minds of Michael Sambrook and Rob Jones and the pen of David Broughton it’s TIME DOESN’T MATTER HERE!

Next up, we blast back into space for a beautiful story about legacy. The Gas N’ Gulp is a longtime bastion of neutrality out there in the stars. A refuelling station for all travellers no matter their affiliation. When the longtime owner of the station passes away we follow what happens to the vacuum he leaves behind. From the mind of Rob Jones and with artwork from James Gibbs, it’s GAS N’ GULP!

Then, it wouldn’t be Christmas without them (wait, what has Christmas got do with them?) it’s THE PROFITS OF DOOM! Hide your kittens! Uh oh, things are getting serious for everyone’s favourite hooded plonkers. They are about to charge into the tower. Every road has led up to here. So, now what? I guess they should probably come up with a plan. Read along as they try to do exactly that. It’s not pretty. But hey, what did you expect? From the minds of Rob Jones and Michael Sambrook and with artwork from ever brilliant Mike Smith, it’s, well, we’ve already told you, THE PROFITS OF DOOM!

And it wouldn’t be a comic without a cover so a special shout out to the stunning blind date inspired piece from Russ Leach and Riley Jones that adorns this festive package of love.

So, mark your calendars, the issue lands on CHRISTMAS EVE exclusively on the COMICHAUS APP!

So make sure to get that app downloaded TODAY! The wonderful folks at COMICHAUS are offering free trials so if you aren’t sure, hey, give it a go. What do you have to lose?

Also stuffed within the chambers of COMICHAUS is around 500 other pages of MADIUS COMICS brilliance for you to check out covering almost everything they’ve ever released. This includes every issue of PAPERCUTS & INKSTAINS released up till now collected in the massive PAPERBACKS & INKSTAINS volume 1. So, if you’re brand new, that’s the best place to start!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Stay safe out there!

SANTA’S LAPDANCE FINALLY ENDS

The Review

Well. Normally a P&I review is about which story made me snort-laugh the most/spit tea all over my keyboard. Not so with issue 7. It’s very different in tone from it’s predecessors, marking the beginning of a new volume. There’s a lot more emotion, even from the usually utterly barmy Profits of Doom. Maybe it’s the time of year, perhaps personal circumstances, but I definitely found myself weighing more on the side of an emotional reaction than outright hilarity. There are still funny moments, especially in the ever irreverent Profits of Doom, but I found myself saying “aww” more than “eww” this time out. And that’s a good thing.

We’re Back in Black (and white) after the technicolour daydream of Paperbacks and Inkstains earlier this year and time to rock.

Blokheads

I took a sneak peek at Blokheads, the first story in the issue, as soon as it landed in my inbox the other night and it hit me hard. Blokheads takes a run at exploring true love in bittersweet fashion. It’s spiky, with a clever little conceit that I’m not going to ruin. The art from Dan Charnley has a scruffy, punky feel that is so perfectly suited to the story. It’s hard to say too much about this one without spoiling, so I’m just going to say be prepared to get a little choked up.

Also I defy anyone to not immediately reach for youtube and start playing Ian Dury after the closing panels of this one.

Lonely Robot

Next up is a little tale that ventures out into the stars – Lonely Robot. After humanity used up what was left of the earth… wait… no… that’s from Firefly. But the premise holds. Instead of taking ships and setting out into the skies to look for habitable places, this takes a more technological route. Robots… it’s got robots! It’s a sweet, sci-fi tale with a real message hidden in those cute little bubble shaped robots.

I loved Rosie Packwood’s work on Bun (also for Madius Comics) and I’m looking forward to MANY more collaborations between her and the Madius team. Please. If that’s not too much trouble.

Time Doesn’t Matter Here

This action packed romp with heart confused the bejeesus out of me to start with. The opening panel contains a couple of lines of speech that made me scratch my head and wonder if Sambrones hadn’t been getting into the “Christmas Spirit” a little heavily… if you know what I mean.

Glasgow, Ireland? TwentyTwentyThirtyFive? Put the eggnog down lads yeah? However I soon got lost in some massively entertaining and thoroughly inventive cursing from the squad of, uh, heroes? trying to take on an army of MechaChines. The last couple of pages of this one seriously made me go “awwww”. Which is not something I EVER thought I would say about Papercuts and Inkstains. It’s a particularly apt time of year, even if this is a “Valentine Special” for a reminder that family is important.

Gas N Gulp

That theme of family is continued in the next tale in this anthology. Only in space. Gas N Gulp focuses on a space petrol station that stands a beacon of neutrality despite a raging intergalactic war. It’s also what makes our narrator, Beaufort Barnell Junior, proud enough to tell his son of their family legacy.

I think my favourite thing about this one is playing spot the changes. There are two pages where the central focus of every panel is Pa sitting outside the Gas N Gulp, but the fuel prices and the things happening shift. James Gibbs has done a great job on art duties on this one. From the little things, like the characters having four arms be totally normal, to that amazing splash page with an assembly of space craft of every conceivable size and shape. I think what Rob Jones is getting at with this one is that no matter what changes in your life, family is a touchstone.

Profits of Doom

Yep, those demon summoning idiots are back. After all what would Paperbacks and Inkstains be without them? Shorter. Fewer tentacles. But also a lot less fun!

Still with their demonology mentor Terry, they are about to breach the stronghold of Bulgeroth, the demonic entity they brought to our dimension. They still don’t seem to have a terribly solid plan though.

There’s the usual heavy metal muppetry you’d expect from the boys of BOOBDAE, but with a solid helping of heart and a dollop of social commentary on the side. George’s pleading with his demonically possessed wife Mary is unexpectedly heartfelt, as is his reasoning for wanting to summon Bulgeroth in the first place.

The standout moment though comes in the final pages. I won’t go into detail because it’s too good to spoil. Just know that when I got to the end of Terry’s dialogue in the bottom left panel on page 43 and realised what they were doing… I don’t think I have EVER laughed that hard. There may even have been some seal-like clapping. Because it’s genius.

Final Thoughts

Well, it’s been a crazy year, and ending it with the Profits and their particular brand of barmy just seems ever so fitting. It’s also a great culmination for Madius. They’ve been a machine this year, turning out some of the best content I’ve seen, working with a whole host of brilliant artists who always seem to match perfectly with the content. I don’t know how they do it, but I look forward to 2018 and even more!

If you want to get your hands on Papercuts and Inkstains #7 then you’ll need to download the Comichaus app. #7 will be available there first, from Christmas Eve (Dec 24th).