Fanboys Anonymous

Disposable Fiction Volume 1.

This is no throw away comic!

Fanboys and Fangirls, read on and take in a great piece of independent comic art for yourself.

Disposable Fiction is an anthology of 15 self-contained stories ranging from 5 to 20 pages each. The book is 126 pages long, including credits, and all but one of the stories are in black and white. Each story has a different artist, but the same writer.

It is the central voice of writer Jack Wallace that brings the collection together and provides a little cohesion. However, don't get me wrong—each story is valid in its own right and can stand up separately. Given this, you can either read the whole book or just some of the stories from the anthology; both are available on the Disposable Fiction website.

As all struggling artists must, the site store provides the finished and ultimate product for a small price. This will undoubtedly go only part of the way to reimburse some of the sweat, blood, and tears that have been poured in by the artists who created Disposable Fiction over the past few years.

Exiled from Vanity opening page by Jacqui Wilson and Chris Allen

From when it all started 4 years ago, Disposable Fiction now features work from 23 other creators that include artists, inkers, colorists, and letterers. All are striving to hone their craft in the comic industry and have helped produce this fantastic body of work.

The material of each story is quite different. In fact, the variation is a charming part of the overall anthology. In one story, a priest doses his congregation with LSD before a sermon. In another, a homeless man with schizophrenia is driven by the voice in his head to save a young boy in peril. There's a story in which a gay man and a bachelorette move in together after the government passes a law that all single people must be married to someone of the opposite sex by the age of 30. In another story, a forest nymph becomes human and takes over the corporation poisoning her forest. There's an action tale about a race across town to get into a secret spy organization. In addition, there are still another 10 stories in this collected volume.

 A large part of the appeal of independent comics is the variation they provide. The stories may not find resonance at a major publisher and are often more personal tales or aim to take on subjects that are difficult to market to mass audiences. This is slowly changing, but independent comics still provide a key voice and outlet where artists can explore their subject matter unhindered by stringent editorial censorship and oversight.

Run For Your Life art by Matt Shults

In this vein, Disposable Fiction has a sleek, finished quality to it. The work here is very good, and as an independent comic it stands above others I have reviewed because it explores story content about marginalized subject matter but in polished, presentable manner. The dedication of the various creators involved shows a passion for their work and a striving to contribute to more than just their craft; they want to be professionals. This makes reading the anthology an easy undertaking, because the enjoyment of the reader is not distracted by amateur follies.

Because of the manner in which each story has been produced in Disposable Fiction, there is no central theme. In fact, the voice of Wallace progresses differently because each of the stories was produced at different times over the past few years. What is clear, however, is the desire to tell an eclectic range of tales so the audience can sample the variation each team of creators brings to the fore.

Of all the stories available in Disposable Fiction, those I found particularly appealing included "Run for Your Life," as a quick and exciting jaunt; "Tarot-Con," due to its imagery and narrative, an interesting mix of art and story balancing on the edge; and "The Con That Never Ends" and "A Matter of Perception," which are both good at showcasing polished content in art and story.

Disposable Fiction is a worthwhile read with some touching and interesting stories backed up by good art. As an anthology, it provides a showcase for the artists, who will delight audiences with their talent. Make sure you check it out and leave us a comment about what you thought below.