Actus

An oversized album, collecting stories from Tel Aviv-based comic collective, Actus, along with short stories by Etgar Keret and contributions from various international graphic artists. This isn't my favorite of Actus' work, mainly because it feels as if they're trying to fit too much into too few pages. Usually, their collections consist of stories from the five of them and one additional guest artist and here there are very short contributions from eight others (in a total of 120 pages). The best of the stories are well on par with other Actus-collections: Yirmi Pinkus’s “Rodnitzky’s Agony” is a great commentary on personal versus private life; Itzik Rennert’s “Bombshell” is a funny fable about the dangers of secrets; Batia Kolton’s “Compensation” is somewhat long, but has a great twist at the end; Mira Friedmann’s “So Far So Good” is a sad story about what loneliness can do to a person; and the Etgar Keret's stories are always worth the time (although both have been published elsewhere). Unfortunately, it's the guest artists' works that appeal to me the least, but the collection is still worth a look for the works of the Actus-artists.… (meer)

A collection of stories from Israeli comic collective, Actus Tragicus. As usual, this group has produced an inventive and diverse collection, which can't help but bring the human condition to the front. Their stories of are of varying absurdity, but always manage to be darkly humorous.

The Panty Killer by Rutu Modan - A serial killer roams the streets of Tel Aviv, leaving all the victims with their underwear on their heads.

We Are Seven by Batia Kolton - Visual interpretations of Wordsworth’s "We Are Seven," Irish folksong "Danny Boy," and "He’s the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge.

Crumpet Ladies by Yirmi Pinkus – A series of bizarre stories about the existential state of old people, tied together by a story of the author’s aunt Gina’s humiliating search through the trash for her lost dentures.

Royal Sable by Mira Friedman - A Jewish furrier’s flight from Prague to Tehran during WWII, where a telephone call from the royal palace could spell extatic success or utter ruin, depending on one’s state of mind.

Pretenders by Itzik Rennert - A bitter taxi driver in need of a change, is forced to confront himself, and realized that there’s more to himself than he ever imagined. Personal Involvement by Itzik Rennert – A writer takes drastic measures when his characters refuse to go in the direction he wishes.… (meer)

A collection by Israeli comics collective Actus (which consists of Rutu Modan, Yirmi Pinkus, Batia Kolton, Itzik Rennert and Mira Friedmann) and their, for this book, guest artist Anke Feuchtenberger. As the title suggests, these are six different variations on the theme of happy endings, some more original than others but none predictable and some so unexpectedly surreal it's a pure joy to follow discover where the stories are all going. Of the six, Feuchtenberger's story is my least favorite since I'm still not very sure what it was about (there is such a thing as too surreal) and my favorite is Modan's story for its heartbreaking simplicity.… (meer)

Another collection by Israeli comics collective Actus (which consists of Rutu Modan, Yirmi Pinkus, Batia Kolton, Itzik Rennert and Mira Friedmann) and their, for this book, guest artist David Polonsky. These are six different stories where the artists explore some conventional and some quite unconventional sides to love. Modan presents a very uncomfortable story about hero worship, Pinkus' story shows a serene morning in the lives of two lovers, Kolton's story deals with the awkwardness of prepubescent feelings, Friedmann illustrates the loss of innocence, Rennert produces a sad and funny story of Everyman's love life, and guest artist Polonsky relays Baron von Münchhausen's fantastic tale of passion. Without actually spelling out an answer to the understood question in the book's title, the artists manage quite well in circling the topic and together present an unexpectedly complete picture.… (meer)