Advance Review: "Santos Sisters," Volume 2

I am a big fan of the, "Santos Sisters," and their tales. Created by Greg and Fake, this creative duo crafts a weird hodgepodge of superheroics, slice-of-life moments, and generally zaniness to bring us a stellar series. I adored the first volume, and the second is on the way (releasing on October 7th). This will collect the further Adventures of Ambar and Alana as originally published by Floating World Comics and now put in a gorgeous hardcover released by Fantagraphics. It's good stuff.

If you pictured a vaguely absurd blend of Archie-esque artwork, silver age-styled baddies, a bit of raunchy humor, and some topical riffs (cryptocurrency and memecoins get called out repeatedly), you'd begin to visualize the, "Santos Sisters." That said, you really need to read their adventures to totally absorb the twisted brilliance of Greg and Fake! I will compliment how this second volume stands alone pretty well, with any references to previous adventures given a little footnote. I was quite into a Halloween special that features appearances by other popular horror-styled characters that the creators were willing to let pop up, including the awesome Cassie Hack of, "Hack/Slash." Especially wild was the multi-part tale of Todd (the boyfriend of Alana) being wrapped up into a strange combination of prymaid scheme-meets-global-spy-conspiracy that the Santos Sisters help rescue him from. It is very silly as well as clever.

This second volume collection of the "Santos Sisters," is an utter delight. I continue to be a huge fan of Greg and Fake's superb creation, and would encourage you to purchase a copy of this book on October 7th, or you can always ask your library to order a copy!

5 out of 5 Stars.

The, "Santos Sisters," Volume 1 Collection is Joyful, Undiluted Fun

The, "Santos Sisters," are a clever pastiche. The art style is reminiscent of vintage Archie/Sabrina/etc. strips but the jokes carry a much more modern sensibility, plus there is a bunch of gentle prodding and joking about superhero comic conceits. Created by the duo of Greg & Fake, "Santos Sisters," has been self-published, had issues released by Floating World Comics, and much of their adventures (so far) have now been collected in a snazzy hardcover printed by Fantagraphics (who sent me a copy for the purposes of review when I reached out and asked for one). I greatly enjoyed reading the adventures of sisters Ambar and Alana, that's for sure!

One reason, "Santos Sisters," works so well is the clever mish-mash of nostalgic and modern vibes. There are riffs on classic comedy tropes (for example, one unveiled villain complains about the, "Meddling," sisters in a homage to Scooby-Doo), the art looks straight out of vintage funny books but with a nice modern sheen, and the problems of today are tackled but always with a nice lighthearted and fun tone--a stalker ex-girlfriend is more hilarious than scary with her 8-ball themed explosives in one strip. "Santos Sisters," works as its own standalone piece, but is even more superb when examined as a comic for those who love comics and silly fun. 

Little in-jokes, such as a newscaster named "Rob Liefeldteeth," bump up against anthropomorphic robbers riding jet skis straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon or a character quite similar to Conan the Barbian. That isn't to say the comic is at all childish or only dedicated to gazing in the past. The grown-up story beats cleverly contrast with the other elements. A lot of raunchy jokes take place, for sure! As I said, there is a mix of old-school vintage style melting into some edgy and sharp humor.  This comic is perfect for GenX or Millenial readers, in essence, so I ate it up.

"Santos Sisters," is a fantastic comic and I am very pleased to have this hardcover collection that I can revisit and enjoy whenever I need a strong shot of fun with no downer, "Ironic," chaser. This comic is intentionally joyful, fun, sex-positive, wacky, and full of clever homages and in-jokes. It's a real treat to read and I hope we get plenty more, "Santos Sisters," comics in the years to come!

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Night Cruising," is an Eerie and Great Read

Floating World Comics puts out some of my favorite indie stuff lately so when I saw the solicitation for, "Night Cruising," it caught my eye. Focusing on a trouble-making youth named Ricky, the comic features him cruising around Los Angeles getting up to worse and worse trouble. Creator, Harry Nerdlinger (of," Vacuum Decay," fame) has said online that the comic was, "...inspired by just the mood of driving around LA at night, listening to the Cure, the Doors, and late-era Bowie. I think Lost Highway probably had a big influence on the general imagery." I haven't seen, "Lost Highway," but know it is quite trippy and I'd say, "Night Cruising," is without a doubt a surreal little dip into madness. 

The comic opens as Ricky drops off a lady after a date that seems to have been very proper and polite but then things quickly get dark. Ricky zips around the city getting up to all kinds of nefarious activities and it is hinted that since a head injury, he has been not quite right, although he maybe was already pretty, "Off," to begin with.

Something is seriously wrong with Ricky.

Nerdlinger's use of black-and-white results in lots of darkness mixed with blinding brightness when a car's headlights shine or Ricky goes into an ominous diner. The contrast helps contribute to the disorienting nature of the comic as Ricky seems to careen all around the city, only stopping to get into trouble. "Night Cruising," definitely puts readers ill at ease as they read it and Nerdlinger has created a freaky and eerie one-shot. If you like ominous tales that aren't quite horror but clearly are twisted and discomforting, then, "Night Cruising," is worth checking out.

5 out of 5 stars.