In Review: Slang Pictorial Issue Two by Nick Prolix

Slang Pictorial Issue Two - Cover

Created and published by Nick Prolix
24 pages – Black and White

The Story: This is the second issue of Nick Prolix’s one man anthology that comes from the noirly comedic world of his ongoing webcomic The Sheep and the Wolves. It includes “Atlas Unfettered”, a fun look into the scandalous world of spiv infested ‘teeth and tits’ movie making and three excellent episodes of ‘The Sheep and the Wolves’ itself.

 

The Sheep and the Wolves - Promo art by Nick Prolix

The Review: I absolutely loved the first issue of Slang Pictorial, and Nick Prolix remains a class act – and one of the real hidden gems on the small press comic scene in the UK. He is also a machine, pumping out page after page of great comics both in webcomic form and this is the printed product, which I purchased from him at True Believers Comic Convention this weekend.

The Sheep and the Wolves is packed full of idiosyncratic and hip characters, each formed between some iconic, hip cartooning and even more sparky dialogue. The book harks back to 1950s coffee shop / jazz fuelled / greased back hair times. Nick is forming a big cast and spreads his wings into both the mundane every day environment (think a 1950s London setting for a Saturday Night Fever style movie into comic format) and also a filmmaking industry setting akin to something like the recent Hail Caesar’Coen Brothers movie.

Atlas Unfettered by Nick Prolix

The art has a great clean line approach to its style, which reminds me of an old newspaper strip with doses of Dick Tracy from Chester Gould or even Doonesbury by Gary Trudeau. I can also see big influences from the Hernandez Brothers (which Nick himself quotes in an interesting piece on his perspective on storytelling in this very issue). There’s also, perhaps, a little bit of the method of an artist like J Bone that is peeking its head from round the creative corner. But, don’t get me wrong, Nick has a slant that shines out with individuality and humour and is one of my favourite creators on the scene at the moment.

There is also a rumour going round that Nick just might be thinking about doing a Columbo  comic series? (I suggest that you write to your local MP to complain if this doesn’t happen soon?)

If you want to follow the Mr Prolix’s adventures then you can do this in a number of ways.

• Find him at his newly drafted Patreon Page here

• Follow The Sheep and the Wolves on Twitter here

• Or head over to the webcomic here

You can also pick copies up at Gosh Comics and Orbital in London’s West End or Bristol’s own Excelsior Comics. The creator can also be contacted with questions, feedback or unsolved mysteries at nickprolix@thesheepandthewolves.com

I’m fully expecting Issue Three to be out soon so catch up while you can and they all sell out.

Many thanks for reading.



Categories: British Comics, Reviews

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