From Andy Hartzell's story
Sometimes, a prolonged absence makes it all the sweeter to meet old friends again. So, yes, it was worth waiting so long for the fifth issue of Boy Trouble. This time, editors Robert Kirby and David Kelly have devised an 80-page collection of short stories, professionally printed, with a color cover and a spine. It doesn’t look like a fanzine anymore, but thankfully, it has retained the variety in form and content which characterized the previous issues.
Robert Kirby and David Kelly provide a few short stories, by themselves or in collaboration with other writers, while Craig Bostick gives us bitter-sweet one-pagers about young guitarists in love and Tim Fish reveals yet another period in the life of his character Tighe, from The Cavalcade of Boys.
From Tony Arena's story
A new presence in the anthology is felt with the female artists, including Leanne Franson and Jennifer Camper, and I must say I have a soft spot for the contributions of Andy Hartzell and Tony Arena.
Hartzell, an accomplished cartoonist who was already in the previous issues of Boy Trouble, writes and draws a retelling of the classic Beauty & the Beast fairytale. Musings on the nature of love, art and very atmospheric art combine to create a powerful story with an ending which lingers in memory for a long time.
Tony Arena’s work has a very different charm. His art is generally detailed and solid and the characters are well-defined. While his style has a certain amateur quality, it also has a lot of personality. His story, about a young man in a punkish milieu and his attraction toward another guy he meets there, rings very true. That, and I think he draws really cute guys.
I haven’t mentioned all the contributors to this hefty magazine, but it should be obvious by now that there is something for everyone in those 80 pages, which (hint, hint) can be bought from David Kelly himself.
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