Review: SOME FORGOTTEN PART (2007)
To dismiss self-publishing 'digital marketplace' Lulu Publishing, as just a platform for vanity publishing, a way for any old have-a-go author to see their work published, would be completely foolish, because here is an intelligent, beautifully conceived and drafted graphic novel that would not have seen the light of day if not for Lulu. There are no overly stylistic pyrotechnics, just the most pre-eminent sequential art, written by CI reviewer Leonie O'Moore, with sensitivity, a welcome quality in a field flooded with too much of the same and not enough quality or innovation. A demonstration, then, of how mainstream graphic novels can-and should-be made.
- 9/10 Steve Hooker, Comics International magazine
The artwork is stunning, and the story is told with little dialogue. It is almost a mood poem set under the sea, a sort of existential wide screen epic. Imagine, if you will, Terence Malick's take on The Little Mermaid and you wouldn't be far off the mark. And it's funny too.
-Michael O'Keefe http://tizersoze.wordpress.com/
Review: MONSTRUM HORENDUM Vol 2. Book 2
Ah, to live in a small press comic book world where every book was as gorgeous as this one. Granted, the $8.65 price might drive some people away, but this is a huge book with a vast array of colors all over the place, and they're used to illustrate lush landscapes, swaths of ocean and a couple of unexplained monsters. I mostly like the black and white nature of minis, but there are days when I just want to bask in a comic like this. In this issue the crew deals with recently taking over a "haunted" boat, the fact that their financier is broke and the free ride is over, discovers a giant prehistoric shark that seems to have a connection with the mysterious little boy, Ella (the captain) and her feeling that something is wrong with her father, another mysterious monster, and the ex-fiancee of the rival of Chester's that was killed in the last issue. That's a pile of stuff to work through, isn't it? That's all on top of the fact that Leonie manages to work more character development than should be legal in between all these tense situations. The mystery of that little boy is being opened bit by tiny bit, Chester is being slowly and reluctantly revealed as a human being after all, and even Montague (despite his desperate need for physical proof of these monsters) clearly has his heart in the right place. The basic plot of this issue deals with trying to track down an orca that has been killing people, in case you were curious, but that gets resolved so quickly and in a manner that so effortlessly shifts the story in another direction entirely that it hardly seems worth mentioning.
One minor complaint is the couple of typos in the book, as it makes no sense to me how something that is so clearly dedicated to the best possible artwork could be a little lax in checking the spelling, but at least there aren't a lot of them. There, I have listed my legally obligated complaint. Everything else about this book is a joy to behold and, seeing as how this book came out in 2009, the next issue must be right around the corner. Right?
-www.opticalsloth.com
Review: MONSTRUM HORRENDUM Vol. 2 Book 1 (2008)
Anybody out there remember the first volume of Monstrum Horrendum? Good for you if you do, but I checked back to my review of the old comic before writing this one and have to say that the artwork is hugely improved this time around. The sheer vibrancy of those colors don't hurt a bit, granted, but the it would look nicer even in black and white. It seems to retain the basic concept of the first volume, as this is a crew of five adventurers (ship captain, wealthy financier and big game hunter, scientist, "fish boy", and an old sea dog) who hunt for different monsters in each issue. This time around they're trying to track down a giant sea serpent, something that is several times bigger than their ship. This is the point where you have to decide if you're going to worry about technicalities in this comic or just go along for the ride. I picked the second option, but if I didn't there was a huge problem with how exactly they planned to kill or capture the creature, as a little dynamite or some harpoons seemed ridiculous, and that leap that is made later in the comic towards the sea serpent is not possible with any of these earthly laws of physics. So screw it, Saturday morning cartoon it is! On that level it works very well indeed. You have the captain constantly getting sick of the financier thinking he's in charge of things, the financier needing to kill this particular serpent to show up his rival, the scientist who seems to have no skill at worldly affairs, the mysterious fish boy (just a boy who speaks an unknown language, not half fish or anything), and the old sea dog being the constant voice of caution of wisdom. It's a fun adventure story, the painted look of the book is stunning (I particularly enjoyed Leonie's willingness to go with the full page spreads when needed), and the pacing was excellent. The sea serpent doesn't show up until close to the end of the book, of course, but that only gives us time to let us know the people involved and feel some concern for their safety in all this. Nicely done all around.
-www.opticalsloth.com
Review:MONSTRUM HORRENDUM Vol.1 #2 out of print
I've heard a lot of good things about small press outfit, There Goes Tokyo, but have never actually read any of their work, until now. I'm pleased to say that I'm impressed. Leonie O'Moore's eerie-yet-endearing tale of crazy creatures meeting the everyday world is well-crafted with lots of consideration given to pacing and presentation.
-Chris Bunting
-Comics International 7/10.
Review:MONSTRUM HORRENDUM Vol.1 #2
out of print
...it goes without saying that this group of characters could easily have stepped out of a Saturday morning adventure cartoon set at the turn of the century....Here O'Moore tells a simple, self-contained tale that manages in its 21 pages to include humour, tension and still find time to build relationships between the central characters...
-Leon Hewitt - Redeye magazine issue 4
Review:MISTAKES AND REGRETS
Leonie O'Moore, best known for her small press sea monsters, tackles human relationships in this highly ambitious outing. It's a flip comic, each half dealing with one side of a very two-sided situation. It weaves together to form a successful whole, with nice art, great dialogue and fantastic little touches throughout. A steal at only £1.00!
-Chris Bunting
-Comics International 7/10.
Review:MISTAKES AND REGRETS
Mistakes and Regrets was overall an enjoyable read. I like L. O'Moore's drawing style a lot. She has a nice simplistic cartoon-like style but still manages quite realistic poses for her characters. She has a great approach to light and dark and negative space. The structure of the story was interesting; it told the same story twice from the perspective of both of the people in the relationship, utilizing the technique of one story going halfway then you flip the book around and read the other story. L. O'Moore also managed a nice juxtaposition between the thought processes of the two characters and how often they were thinking almost the same thing.
-Evan Keeling- Poopsheet
Review:MISTAKES AND REGRETS
...art is attractive and her dialogue and characterisation have an honesty, realism and lightness of touch, all of which make a welcome change from the four-colour superheroics so favoured by both the small press and the mainstream....
-Matthew Badham - Redeye issue 4
Review: Love the monsters (2001)
I love this comic. Not because it's startlingly original, or because it looks shiny and fantastic- if I tell you that it's about a shark researcher trying to come to terms with the after effects of a shark attack, you can probably guess the rest. (Although on second thoughts, while it's a regular theme for TV drama, it is pretty off the wall for a comic). I don't love it for shallow reasons like that. I love it because everything about it is right. The script is well paced, and quite subtle, and doesn't have a snappy resolution. The dialogue establishes character quickly, reads well, and never seems forced. The art is confident, clear and expressive. More please.
-Jez Higgins. (Trs2)
Review:Love the monsters
"Leonie O'Moore weaves a story of a shark attack victim's attempts to deal with her experience which, however, may also be read as a general statement on coping with fear and shock. Her art shows traces of Carol Swain's influence, integrated into a raw but powerful style which communicates clearly and with strength. "8/10
-Comics International
Review: TgT versus issue (anthology title)
'Dino vs Squid' does exactly what it says on the tin. O'Moore's eye for scope (The giant squid is lovely) and open, friendly art style does wonders for the story. It's an incredibly short read, but a fun one.
-Al Stuart-Savant magazine
Review:Vampire Daisy mini-comic (2002)
I am of course familiar with Leonie's odd little character (I've got a little Vampire Daisy of Doom strip on her site), and therefore my expectations of 10 minutes complete escapism were already high. I wasn't dissappointed. This mini-comic contains 3 little Vampire Daisy tales and a pin-up joke. The stories are little twists on the usual monster b-movie scenarios or characters. We see the Vampire Daisy take on a real (?) vampire, go to a party with new character The Creature from the Dirty Pond (my name for him as Leonie hasn't named him yet) and attempts to enter the world of making movies ... Great to see Leonie is still enjoying making comics . . . This mini-comic is an excellent way for new readers to get a feel for a comic or character without too much investment ... looking forward to Vampire Daisy of Doom mini-comic issue 2.
-Dave West-Deva comics
