James Kochalka's Sketchbook Diaries Volume
Two
By James Kochalka
Published by Top Shelf Productions
Their first major release since Top Shelf's 12-Hour Miracle a couple of weeks back finds the publisher once again affirming its place as one of the finest comics publishers in the country, if not the best. Never mind all the other great cartoonists they publish and distribute: Chris Staros and Brett Warnock are Gods Among Men simply because they continue to provide James Kochalka with a home for his brilliant comics.
And it's here, in Paragraph Two, that I shall moan and stutter and wring my hands over the dilemma that I face. What else is there to say about Kochalka? How long have I been telling you about his lean, smart, funny, neurotic cartoons? Did I convince you to try him out when I reviewed his Monkey vs. Robot graphic novel for Silver Bullet Comics a couple of years ago? Were you won over when I reviewed his incredible Carrot Boy rock opera CD for SBC?
Here in Paragraph Three I'll speculate that you might have caught on to the joy and delight that is James Kochalka when he was the first official interview that I conducted for Comic Book Galaxy, which didn't even exist yet when my friend and partner Marshall and I travelled to Burlington, Vermont on August 13th, 2000 to do the interview. Hell, I even interviewed him again not that long ago, simply because he's so funny and entertaining that I will exercise any excuse at all to get to talk to him.
In between those interviews, I'll mention here in Paragraph Four, I also reviewed Sunburn, Sketchbook Diaries Volume One, and ranted about the shitty treatment James got from a newspaper that published his strips. Clearly, I've had a boner for this guy's work for years, and clearly, I've tried to express my admiration and appreciation for his work to you at every opportunity.
The question is, if I haven't convinced you yet, what else can I say?
I can tell you Sketchbook Diaries Volume Two is funny, yes, and it is, in many, many places. I can say it's insightful, and yes, most certainly, it is. Kochalka has a great eye for human behaviour and a great ability to distill all its complexities down into a few simple ink splashes that speak volumes about us all.
I can say it's sexy: James shows us his wife's tits, and even if they're only cartoons, hey, it's nudity. All you sex-starved Witchblade fans should start lining up now!
I can say that's there's something absolutely fascinating about watching a gifted cartoonist give you an entire year of his life for the sake of his art, in which he allows you to learn about who he is and what he loves and what he thinks and does and what makes him laugh and what scares him silly.
I can tell you that there are lots of cartoons about his cat, Spandy, and that those are almost always my favourites. I can even tell you that when I did that interview with James, back on August 13th, 2000, I got to meet Spandy, and that meeting this housecat was one of the nicest moments of my life and a cherished memory, even if my attempts at getting her to pose for a photograph probably made her hate my guts.
Or here, in the tenth and final paragraph, I can tell you that I am the subject of the August 13th, 2000 cartoon, and it's James, it's brilliant, and like all the cartoons here, it reveals his thought process in a unique moment in time, captured for you with his gift, to create cartoons that inspire laughter and introspection and awe. James Kochalka is every bit the Superstar I've been telling you he is for the past two years now. So if you haven't been paying attention, if you've tried to deny it, let's put this game to rest. Buy Sketchbook Diaries Volume Two and we can all be happy. Grade: 5/5