With this third issue of Shirtlifter, author Steve MacIsaac shakes things up a bit: not only does this issue include the first part of a long work (when the previous issues were collections of short stories), but it also presents shorter works by two other artists.
Matt and Conner
The first three chapters of Unpacked are included in this issue. First published online and now reworked for print publication, this story follows the days and nights of Matt, a newly single guy whose boyfriend left him a few months ago, after eight years together. Matt is a large, built, hairy man (like a lot of MacIsaac’s characters) who favors the same in other men. Preferably in unattached, sex-oriented men, since Matt definitely doesn’t want to launch into another relationship. MacIsaac creates fully rounded characters, especially with Matt and Conner, a guy he hooks up with, who turns out to be married to a woman, and only looking for no-strings sex with men. Over the course of the 60 pages of this story, which will be continued in the next two issues, the reader is treated to the non-Manichean portrait of conflicting opinions: Matt is accused by his coupled friends of self-internalized homophobia for having sex with a (mostly) straight man, Conner claims that two men can’t love each other–but enjoys having sex with Matt, while Matt tries to find a middle road between his own values, his rejection of any possibility of a relationship, and his sexual attraction toward Conner. What’s interesting is that MacIsaac doesn’t preach any gospel, but lets each character speaks his mind, and lets the reader form an opinion. The end of this part of the story leaves the characters in a very interesting place, and I’m really curious to know where they’ll go from there.
From Fuzzbelly's story
The first guest artist is newcomer Fuzzbelly (see his blog for cute bear images), a bear guy who does a little meta-story about his trying to do a story for the comic, while musing on the lack of realism in gay porn portrayal of blue collar men (big surprise, there). He has a good, loose cartoony style that brings a lot of warmth to his self-portrayal, as well as as an engaging sense of humor.
From Hall's story
The second guest is Justin Hall, whose comics I’ve often reviewed here. There’s an old tradition in literature magazines of presenting excerpts from works in progress, and that’s exactly what Hall is doing here: The Liar is a long narrative from which we get twenty pages, with an apparently care-free young man hitching a ride, having sex with the driver…but this isn’t some cheap, erotic scenario. The young man is shown telling two different versions of his life to two men, for no apparent reasons. This excerpt is very intriguing, and I hope we’ll soon see more of this.
This new issue of Shirtlifter is the thickest one yet, with its 88 pages. The production values (thick, glossy paper, a spine) make it look more like a highbrow magazine than a little zine, and yet it retains its strength, its pertinence, and its very personal point of view.
You can buy it from the author or from Amazon
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