#benjamin urkowitz

Felony Comics (published, edited and co-written by your humble comiXology tumblrina, Harris Smith) was featured by Jonathan Lethem in Best American Comics 2015 and features mind-bending crime stories by some of today’s top indie talents.

Here is ‘Antithesis’ by Benjamin Urkowitz.  I’d heard Mr Urkowitz’s name being thrown around here and there and finally came across one of his comics on my recent travels and boy howdy am I glad to have found it!

He’s put together a real simple and elegant book here.  Some of the strips are basic and flat thingies that showcase his good linework but I love his use of perspective against the simple one color backgrounds of the printing process, almost makes some of the stuff look three dimensional.  He’s got a great style and is barely letting loose what it seems are some serious drawing skillz.  The design of the book, the pacing, all top notch. 

But the centerpiece, the real top notch A++ story is the 4 pager ‘All In Me’.  I can’t give any of it away but it is a perfect little bit about the angst we feel, how trapped in our heads we get, and the fact that there is a world out there much bigger than we are full of way more complex situations than the ones we worry about.  Some of them are quite beautiful.  Well, I found the situation beautiful but you may find it shocking. 

Some Oily Comics Fan Art...

Each drawing comes from a panel from the new monthly Oily subscription.

From left to right: 

'The End of the Fucking World Part 16' by Chuck Forsman

'Word & Voice #4' by Aaron Cockle

'Lou #11' by Melissa Mendes

'Real Rap #2' by Benjamin Urkowitz

November's Oily Comics Package!

Lou #8 by Melissa Mendes

Word & Voice by Aaron Cockle

Real Rap feat. Duh Studge by Benjamin Urkowitz

Moose #13 by Max de Radigues

The End of the Fucking World: Part 13 by Chuck Forsman

-This was by far the best collection yet. The silence of both 'Lou' and 'Word & Voice' brought about feelings of serenity and suspense. The breaking of the fourth wall in 'Moose' was appropriate and well-timed (Finally! The answer to that perplexing first issue!) Chuck's latest installment of TEOTFW felt more genuine and apocryphal than previous chapters. But the real stand-out this month was the introduction of Duh Studge, the tons-o-fun dim-wittted subway attendant, aspiring "real rapper". Urkowitz is a welcomed addition to the Oily Gang. His stories and characters are the funniest I've come across in awhile. You can follow him here B-M-F-U.tumblr.com.