By Kelly Gaines
Comic anthologies might be my new thing. Floating Head #1 has fully converted me. These books are pure fun. Floating Head is for anyone who enjoys weird creatures and sci-fi misadventures. A majority of the stories managed to get at least a chuckle out of me, and a few got a full on, not library appropriate, roll of laughter. The whole anthology is worth a look, but there were a few standout stories I’d like to mention specifically.
My absolute favorite was Radiation Brain #1. A pulp comic art style depicts the life of a bug creature who fakes acid flashbacks to get out of his job at a burger joint so he can rush home and watch his favorite survivalist TV program with his gun-toting roommate. It’s flawless, and probably the closest we’ll ever get to seeing Steve Irwin and Rick and Morty have a crossover episode guest starring the cast of Clerks. I hope desperately that there is more of this title out there.
Another stand out was called Alternative Animals. It’s essentially an ASPCA commercial that replaces ‘Arms of the Angels’ with a monster truck rally announcer and dogs straight out of Tim Burton’s nightmares. I can’t say I’d adopt any of these dogs, but I know the right creep for them is out there somewhere.
My third favorite is also my archnemesis of this book. I’m not saying I make archnemeses out of the stories I read often, but this one was a challenging and rewarding love/hate read- and probably the closest to having an actual archnemesis I’ll ever get. It’s the opening story of the anthology titled “Swap”. Swap is about an escaped convict who may not be an escaped convict, but if he is, he has a dedicated ride-or-die possibly ex-girlfriend looking out for him. The confusing premise was not the challenging part. This maybe convict, maybe named Robbie, speaks in jumbled word bubbles. I assume for the average reader, it’s not that difficult to figure out what he’s saying. Unfortunately, I’m dyslexic. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to figure out that it wasn’t me glitching, but the way the speech was styled. From there, I had the extra step of then trying to put the words back together correctly. It didn’t take as long as I’m making it sound like, but it was a frustrating little hurdle. Even so, Swap was creepy and interesting- which are my main requirements for a good indie story.
Another stand out, not so much because I loved it but because it had a twist I did not see coming, was titled “Goodbye T.S.” The characters irritated me, and I was bored with a majority of the dialogue, but I always appreciate a story that manages to surprise me. It took me until a panel from the end to start putting together that this comic was not what it seemed, and I commend them for that.
I think everyone could find something to love in short comic anthologies. This one was a hilarious bordering on disgusting sci-fi, but there are anthologies out there that span all genres. Books like this are the industry’s best hope of convincing the general public that comic books do not have to be superhero stories. It’s an argument I’ve been having with friends for years, and I’m determined to get at least one of them to check out this book. Pages full of pictures and text have infinite possibilities, and I love seeing creators that take the potential and run with it. Even if the result goes to strange places, that’s the whole point of creativity. Floating Heads is full of creators that push boundaries and seem to have genuine fun with their creations. It’s refreshing to see and enjoyable to read. Read it, give it to your friends, and hopefully you’ll come away wanting more as I did.
Score: 5/5
Floating Head #1
Graphic Science Fiction Quarterly