PK Shorts Issue #1 is not just a pretty cover. The teasers and shorts in
this creation of Umbrella Studios are an interesting and varied collection of
both art styles and subjects. Also, all the shorts maintain a professional,
polished look. The only complaint I have about the shorts as a whole is that
not all of their artist/authors have doujinshi that can be purchased through
Umbrella Studios (or even have a way to be contacted), which is actually
rather frustrating. The layout of the entire magazine is simple, yet
effective. However, the layout of the contents page is rather baffling, I
STILL haven't managed to figure out why the titles were put in that order.
-_-;;
Because I liked pretty much all of the shorts in their own way and therefore
couldn't decided which two to review, I just chose the first two in the
magazine, "Avis" by neko m, and "Jinan Legacy: Belonging" by Harley Sparks.
The short, "Avis," by neko m, is a gorgeous little glimpse into the life of a
male prostitute. The panel style, which is very open, emphasizes the slow,
quiet tempo of the well though-out narrative. The use of screentones helps
accentuate the art and is not overdone. The only complaint (and a minor one
at that), is that it's a little difficult to decipher who is speaking right
off because of the way the dialogue bubbles are drawn.
"Jinan Legacy: Belonging" by Harley Sparks is a rather thorough look (for a
short) into one character's past and their relationship with another
character. In my opinion, the most striking thing about this short is a
subtle difference I didn't even notice the first time through. The art style
is so detailed and expressive that at first I didn't realize there was
absolutely no dialogue or indication of sound of any kind. In my experience
(which admittedly isn't much), this is rather abnormal for a doujinshi, even
a short one, but works well with the dream-like quality this short is trying
to convey. The panel layout manages to make the progression of action very
clear, but also tends to make things a bit cluttered.
PK Shorts is very professional in its presentation, and the addition of the
fabulously adorable postcards is a nice touch (I'll have to keep at least one
for myself). My only hope for PK Shorts in the future is that they will be
able to afford better binding then two staples. ^_^ -- reviewed by
Rae
PK Shorts: full review by Rae
