only found 2 issues so far
#2 download
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Tales From The Bog is one of the best little-known comics around. Interestingly, it is produced right in our own home state of Alabama. Aberration Press is located in Glencoe, Ala, in the Birmingham area.
Tales From The Bog first saw publication in December of 1995. The comic’s creator, Marcus Lusk, is typical of many independent (meaning non-Marvel and DC companies) titles in that Lusk handles the majority of the creative chores. Initially, Lusk handled everything from the pencilling to the lettering, but he eventually brought on the talented pencil art work of Scott Roberts.
Lusk’s art style is certainly reminiscent of Jeff Smith’s Bone . Both Smith and Lusk have been compared to the classic work of Pogo by Walt Kelly. Lusk’s work is not as clean as Smith’s, but that should in no way suggest it is inferior. Lusk’s lines tend to have a sketchier look rather than a “coloring book” finish. Lusk has created for himself almost a trademark or signature style in that the pages are all framed in solid black, showing that Lusk really knows how to use the contrast. There is very little gray in Lusk’s work.
But Lusk’s style works well with his story, which is also not as “clean.” Lusk must have a distaste for the use of captions, for his work is practically devoid of them entirely. His readers do not get a “back at the farm” caption to propel them along. Still, his stories are incredibly easy to follow.
And the story is an interesting one. Set in an unnamed small Alabama town, Lusk’s story wonderfully captures many aspects of both the comic book industry and small town Southern life. Lusk manages to show the outrageous marketing strategies of Corporate Comics (Marvel and DC to the uninitiated) and both sides of the fans: those who support those same strategies and those who hate them. Lusk shows us, in Reggie the comic store owner, the day to day hassles of dealing with a monopolistic distribution system to the very real threat of first amendment issues.
The most incredible part of it all is that Lusk is able to present both sides fairly even. Lusk, in his editorial pages, makes it very clear where he stands personally on the issues, but in his story, he is able to present the very real threat to comic shops of inadvertently selling some material to minors, to the very real “vile, repugnant” trash that some comic companies publish—all in the name of free speech.
Throughout this all, Lusk’s characters talk with an accent which most of us are comfortable. Lusk, obviously because he’s actually heard a Southerner talk, presents a very real picture of the varied accents we have here. His characters, unlike many “Southern” characters presented by other companies, actually sound Southern. And while there is just a very slight tone of self or south-bashing, it is not enough to distract us or even alarm us. Again, Lusk is able to present a well-balanced view, admirable in an overwhelmingly liberal field, so that he doesn’t actually tick off any of the more conservative types.
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