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Jokester Magazine #1
posted February 28, 2005
 

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Creators: Various
Publishing Info: Mike Arnold and Marten Jallad. 48 pages, 2004.
Ordering Numbers:

The format of Jokester Magazine #1 lies somewhere right in-between a newsstand magazine and a homemade, self-published effort, which gives you some idea of the great range of quality in the comcs going cover to cover inside. The editors break their efforts down into one-page gags, gag cartoons, features and comics strips, in an attempt to cover as many of the natural homes for humor in the funnies that one can imagine. The weakest section is the features -- think MAD-style text and illustation pieces -- which almost proves too much to get through. The strps section feels like a dumping ground for failed strip try-outs, although one of them, Ryan Reid's The Good Little Robot, is drawn pretty well (think Jen Sorensen, but much slicker).

Although consistently stronger than the back half of the book, a lot of the single-page comics and panel work suffers from overwriting, usually because the author feeels the need to present the dea as well as simply get to it, extera verbiage that should not be required in a humor magazine. It's a good enough idea 'zine, though, if only because so many of the cartoonists have failed to publish regularly even if you were to go looking for them. I'm doubtful the editors have the taste or utilize the kind of irresistible format that will raise the talent level very quickly. The ediors may also wish to consider using thei biggest name cartoonist on the cover; I don't think I would have purchased this were it given to me directly