That there is life yet in the good ol' floppy, saddle-stitched comic book is amply testified to in the first two issues of Mike Bertino's Trigger (And, while we're at it, in the first two issues of Michael DeForge's Lose, as well [the first of which is already out of print – note to collectors: you snooze, you lose.].  So:  2 + 2 = ...something, we're just not sure what, yet.).  Bertino demonstrates solid control and surprising range in the three stories and two covers that comprise the first issue.  The first impression made by the front cover is a "let it all hang out" art-comic kind of vibe, but the first story, "Grown Ups, part one" quickly has the reader questioning their initial judgement as it is a finely nuanced slice of life tale.  The next, "Flannels Are Cool Again," is a spirited adolescent romp that could be taken to be a look at what was lost by the "grown ups" whose story preceded this.  And, then, there's "Below Us," a completely realized tale of the struggle for sanity that, while somewhat reminiscent of Sammy Harkham's work, packs quite a punch and is entirely successful on its own terms.  Get this before it's gone, we say.  Recommended!

The second issue of Trigger has a similar tripartate structure to that of the first, with the order slightly reversed.  This time out, the goofy romp, "Goo Pants," is the lead off with the second part of "Grown Ups" following.  The third tale is "The Biggest Banger," a science fiction fantasy tale of interstellar travel and alien civilizations, and is once again the brain twisting wild card of the bunch.

<<•>> edited by Alex Spiro; introduction by Paul Gravett <<•>> art by Stuart Kolakovic, Mikkel Sommers, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Luke Best, Rob Hunter, Jon McNaught, Ben Newman, Andrew Rae, Luke Pearson, Jack Teagle, Jon Boam, Jakob Hindrichs, Clayton Junior, Daniel Locke, Isabel Greenberg, Mike Bertino, Nick White, Rui Tenreiro, Sean Hudson, Luc Melanson, Katia Fouquet, Yeji Yun, Matthew Lyons & Liesbeth De Stercke  <<•>>  The fine folks at the London-based NoBrow Ltd. have produced their first anthology, and it's a doozy!  Editor, Alex Spiro has assembled twenty-four artists and, with a nod to The Book of Genesis, asked each of them to "take on seven pages to tell their tales of the creation of everything."  As those who are familiar with the NoBrow works on display here at Copacetic already know, their publications are finely crafted and produced in an engaged, hands-on manner, in keeping with the company's stated aim "to place a renewed focus on quality in print."  The company maintains a special focus on hand-separated planes of flat color that gives their entire catalogue a wholly unique feel, and now, with A Graphic Cosmogony, they have produced an amazing 176 page hardcover volume – by a large margin the most ambitious assemblage they have yet to produce – that will pop your eyes out and knock your socks off!  It's hot off the press and it's here.  Check it out.