Careful

Careful #3

Careful #3Underground comics were never meant to be easy, they have long had a legacy of pushing the boundaries of both what the man on the street would call decency and the questionable sanity of the folk that produce them...'Careful' meets this criteria with great aplomb.

Crossing the line between reality and demented perversity, 'Careful' issue three continues to delight and derange even the most hardened of underground comic book fans. The lead story this edition 'The Vomit' pretty much sums up 'Careful's endeavor to get right under the skin of its readers as it follows the non consequential misadventures of Johnny Nobody, an office worker who spends his time doing little more than fantasising about female work colleagues, getting drunk on his own watching trashy mainstream horror movies and masturbating continuously while occasionally vomiting from his lonely excesses. Writer Martin Jones and artist Rik Rawling's with this strip alone deliver one of the finest comic strips that I have read in quite some time as it perfectly encaptures graphically the essence of both 'Careful' as an underground magazine and what most likely is many a sad loners lifestyle in a pure deviant sense (well we all know someone just like this surely? or is that just the friendly freaks I associate with!)

Don't think for a minute that this is all that 'Careful' no.3 has to offer as your mind will be truly bent out of shape with such deranged pleasures as 'Cancer Towers on the Holy Road Highway' (were your brain will surely start to hurt), Carrie Donovan's 'Absynthia Empty' (a hilarious new text serial) and the welcome return of Louise Graber's 'Black Light Angels' (for some refreshingly light hearted relationship relief) amongst all the other cool mind warping delights.

Once again 'Careful' issue three proves that it is the product of some welcomingly deep and demented minds - 'The Vomit' contains the scribbled memo "Wake Up, Get Drunk, Masturbate, Cry", they must have forgot to include "Read Careful". Essential reading for the deranged amongst you - check it out!

To order 'Careful' issue 3 (�2 & postage) visit the official website by clicking here.


Careful #2
Careful #2

I've noted over the years that there seems to be two definitions of the underground comic, the first being the more conventional type ala mainstream store comic books albeit with a more adult graphic content and then there's the diverse comic book that slides into a more art house territory. 'Careful' magazine from Omnium Press is an interesting cross breed of both.

'Careful' no.2 arrives boasting a Texas Chainsaw inspired cover with a stimulating mix of strips varying very much in style and content. Jones and Tomlinson's 'Goodbye to the Cancer Ward' is very simplistic art wise but downright bizarre and quite perverse in thematic content inevitably being somewhat bewildering while Harris and Rawling's 'What Did You do In The War Daddy?' is a short but skilfully drawn commentary on the reality of war. On the other hand Louise Graber's 'Black Lite Angelz' is an uber stylish short about a gay encounter that acts as a teaser for her full on comic book while my own personal favourite 'It's an Odd Boy Who Doesn't Like Sport' by Jones and Tomlinson is a hilarious snapshot look at dysfunctional family life. I'm sure you get the idea here.

Add to the mix some more demented comic strip scenarios and fun written articles (ranging from the witty email communications obsessively discussing Hollywood babe Christina Ricci to a great overview of 200AD comic's 'DR & Quinch') and you have a refreshingly differing late night adult read.

'Careful' is most definitely a magazine to keep a close eye on, as are the contributors that participate in its production. Chill your mind on the extreme end of comic book entertainment - check it out!

For more information on 'Careful' check out the official website by clicking here. 'Careful' no. 2 is available now for the nice price of only �2UK (& �1 postage).

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