This month I am posting a review of a different self-published comic book each day for the rest of the month! Here is an archive of the books reviewed so far!

With today being Easter and all, I couldn't help but feature Eric Skillman's Egg #1 (Egg as in Hard-Boiled Stories).



Egg #1 is a 24-page comic book written by Skillman featuring five short stories by five different artists.

"These Kids Today," drawn by Connor Willumsen, "Below the Fold," drawn by Jorge Coelho, "Uninvited," drawn by Jhomar Soriano, "The Real Thing," drawn by Dan Duncan, and "Spared," drawn by Joe Dellagatta.

Skillman is a very strong writer, and these five stories are really pretty remarkable, in the sense that Skillman is able to tell five interesting stories in 24 pages.

Sure, one or two of the stories would feel a bit slight if they were not included with a bunch of other good stories, but that doesn't mean that they are not good stories in and of themselves.

"These Kids Today" is an almost cute look at an older guy dealing with a younger woman - Skillman does an impressive job getting into the narrator's head in a big way, using popular culture references to emphasize his points.

Willumsen's art has a great Sean Phillips-y vibe to it.



"Below the Fold" is definitely the densest of the stories, and in just a few pages, Skillman creates a compelling crime reporter protagonist. I was not as impressed with Jorge Coelho's art as I was with Willumsen, but he did not get in Skillman's way at all.



"Uninvited" is the slightest of the stories, but it's also quite effective. Soriano has a real knack for storytelling - it reminds me a bit of Mike Oeming.



"The Real Thing" challenges the "Uninvited" for the slightest of the tales, but it's still a fun look at con artists who find themselves conning the same mark.

Dan Duncan's art works okay.



Finally, "Spared" is a good twisty take on the notion of "You never know who you will run into on the road at night"

Joe Dellagatta conveys mood very well and tells the story pretty nicely, but his characters at time seemed overly stylized (to the slight detriment of the story).



All in all, you're talking about one hell of a value for your $4, particularly if you're a fan of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Criminal (and what right-minded reader ISN'T a fan of that title?).

Definitely Recommended.

Check out the book on IndyPlanet here to purchase it! In the mean time, check out Skillman's site here.

Eric sent me a copy of Egg #1 for review. If you would like to participate in the month with your self-published comic, there most likely is still time (depending on how fast you mail out comics). Just check out the Review Copies section to see where to mail a review copy of your comic.