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The Royal Historian of Oz #2 Comic Review
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$2.95, Slave Labor Graphics Story: Tommy Kovac Art: Andy Hirsch The first issue of Tommy Kovac and Andy Hirsch’s The Royal Historian of Oz playfully poked fun at writers who regurgitate treasured literary creations while indulging in the act itself. The basic premise behind the series is that Jasper Fizzle, a lacklustre writer who’s devoted…
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Toner #5 Comic Book Review
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2010 Story, Art: Jonathan Wayshak Toner #5 is the latest self-published offering from the innately talented Jonathan Wayshak. While he’s worked for mainstream publishers such as DC (the Ferryman miniseries, Authority: The Lost Year) and Image, it’s apparent why Wayshak has remained in self-publishing mode for the past decade. Toner is bawdy, perverse, irreverent, passionate…
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My Monkey’s Name is Jennifer: Volume Two Review
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2010, Slave Labor Graphics Story, Art: Ken Knudtsen After a 7 year hiatus, Ken Knudtsen’s warped series about a transvestite monkey and his irritating young captor returns. The shifting planes of the indie comic market have meant that this delayed second volume was conceived as a graphic novel rather than initially printed as a monthly…
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Magnus: Robot Fighter #1 Comic Review
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$3.50, Dark Horse Story: Jim Shooter Art: Bill Reinhold, Raymond Swanland (cover) Colours: Wes Dzioba With Dark Horse’s new retro-fitted Magnus: Robot Fighter, Jim Shooter takes us back to the year 4000 and the futuristic city of New Am, a technological haven where robots fulfil every duty from policing the streets to working as effeminate…
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New Indie Releases: Star Crossed Galaxies, Because I Am & The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter
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In the second of what should now be a regular mini-reviews post, I’ve selected a trio of indie titles that have piqued my interest over the past few week. Stylistically, they couldn’t be further apart. Star Crossed Galaxy #1 First up is Star Crossed Galaxy from Twilight Pop Productions, the first issue of an ongoing…
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Tony Pacitti’s Best Friend is a Wookie. Allegedly.
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in NewsFor reasons that I cannot possibly fathom, in the eyes of TV, film and literature, Star Wars and geekery were joined at birth. Following on from Fanboys et al is My Best Friend is a Wookie: A Memoir, One Boy’s Journey to Find His Place in the Galaxy, Tony Pacitti’s presumably semi-autobiographical novel of awkward…
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Maximum Lifespan – Dr. Ed Park Interview
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in InterviewsA few months back I reviewed Dr. Ed Park’s Maximum Lifespan, an intelligent and multifaceted sci-fi thriller set in world where medical technology is close to unlocking the secrets of immortality. Ed, a Californian physician practicing Ob-Gyn, Laser Aesthetics and Anti-Aging, financed the book himself, and it has to be one of the slickest self-published…
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Ted Rall Returns to Afghanistan
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in Comic NewsWhen Ted Rall decided that the media wasn’t giving him the full story on the situation in Afghanistan, he took a page out of Joe Sacco’s Palestine and set off to report from his first hand experiences. The result of that 2001 journey was To Afghanistan & Back. The book is reportedly considered to have…
Shelf Abuse
Storytelling, comic books and self-publishing
To better focus my efforts, Bothersome Books, my wee publishing imprint and home to my novel and short stories, has merged with Shelf Abuse. Expect several new releases this year.
Shelf Abuse: Sporadically Singing the Unsung Since 2006
Welcome to Shelf Abuse, the blog of British writer, web/graphic designer and occasional illustrator Carl Doherty.
What started out in 2006 as a blog about comics, gradually leaning more towards self-published and creator-owned works, has slowly transitioned into a home for my own self-published efforts, and a place to share my opinions on art, literature, cinema, storytelling, publishing, design, animal rights, depression… and yes, still comics. You’ll also find the occasional guest article amidst my mercifully brief rants.
Current Site Status
Due to an increasingly dense schedule, I’m no longer officially accepting review submissions. Hopefully this will eventually change, but not looking likely any time soon.
However, my love for indie comics hasn’t diminished in the slightest. Please do feel free to follow me on social media, add me to your mailing list or inform me of your new book. I can’t always reply, but I always appreciate hearing about new books.