Burning Building Comix #1
By Jeff Zwirek
Black Star

The first two stories of an eight–story building are on fire, and oh what a story they’ll tell.

If you’re bored with the ho-hum everyday comic book layout, might I suggest some Burning Building Comix? This mini needs to be read from cover-to-cover twice just to get the full scoop. Future issues will run the same way until eventually four issues can be stacked atop each other to complete the story of a city apartment on fire, from bottom to top.

Jeff Zwirek’s drawing style for this book is really beautiful, round and cartoony. All of the characters move in profile, which draws attention to their big heads and apt facial expressions. I especially like the use of imagery in place of language (ala Andy Runton’s Owly) so that while everyone teeters on the brink of death and calamity abounds, they are only allowed to scream “*$#%!” It’s comedy I can appreciate.

The book has a gorgeous design with a full-color cardstock cover, bright endpapers and pages of cleanly aligned black & white artwork. Upon opening the book, it becomes evident that the author endangered himself as well as his characters when he put this book together. A small piece of paper has been stuck on page 1 that features an image of a man running away from a creeping flame. The edges of the paper have been scorched.

This is what I love so much about hand-made books: endangerment to yourself and others for the sake of creating something beautiful. Outstanding, Zwirek. Well done.

I’m pretty sure publishers won’t burn pages and hand-glue them into books. Only Zwirek does that, and it looks really cool. However, Burning Building Comix did catch the attention of publishers at Top Shelf, which is why it is also available for your reading enjoyment on their website BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE.

–Sarah Morean