UNUSUAL DEATH OF GREGORY BIGGS: A TRUE STORY, THE: $?, 5 ½” x 8 ½”, copied, 12 pgs.

Sep 19, 2013

Emi Gennis’s illustrations are impeccable. Gennis’s art is akin to Gilbert Hernandez and the story features all of the corrosive nihilism found in David Lapham’s Stray Bullets. The murder of Gregory Biggs is a story adapted from Wikipedia’s list of unusual deaths, a story that makes you question human judgment. Biggs was a homeless man struck and imbedded in the windshield of Chante Mallard’s car. Mallard proceeded to drive home, park in her garage, and sleep with her boyfriend while Biggs was dying on the hood. Gennis carefully crosshatches Biggs’s tragic demise without a hint of exploitation. Eventually, Mallard, assisted by her ex-boyfriend and friend, attempted to cover up the crime by dumping Biggs’s body in a public park. You can’t make this shit up. Gennis set out to create a narrative based on the accounts made public while crafting eerily understated dialogue. She goes as far as to list a series of notes and clarifications inside the back cover. The only major ding against this comic zine is its brevity. Thankfully, the art garners a second or third look. –Sean Arenas (emigennis.com)

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