Off the Racks: Is that a Sock Monster in your Pocket…?
Neil Brideau's Sock-monster
If something occurring two times can be a theme, then the theme of this article is “cool stuff I find while bored at my second job.”
I’m surfing the wild world of Web sites at work (which you still should not tell anyone) and I happen upon an article for Stumptown–a small press expo held every year in Oregon.  I come across a familiar face and after delving deeper, my old friend, Neil Brideau. Well, maybe not “old” or “friend” but I did recognize him as the guy who works at Quimby’s books. I had just dropped off some comics for commission there last week! Small world right?!
So, lets see what my old buddy Neil is hawking these days.
It’s a fun grab bag of works he’s self-produced over the past 5-6 years.  Neil has a couple short stories about monsters and aliens geared toward children, as well as two issues of a sci-fi “gang-fight” comic called Alpha City, written by Kevin Sciretta.  However, what really caught my eye was the long-running Web strip, Sock-monster. (www.sock-monster.com)
Topics include pollution, star gazing, and the consumption of cute animals.  If my eyes didn’t melt on me I may have finished all 600 strips. It’s okay though, you can pretty much jump in wherever. One criticism I have is that the word balloons take up a lot of space, but the characters do have a lot to say in one panel.
The art seems simplistic, but it’s very befitting of the strip. Detailed enough, but also having memorable characteristics.  For example, Capitol Man is a little more loosely drawn then the other characters and this adds to my hatred for him. It has a DIY feel that adds to the charm. Whether you like the style or not, I think you’ll remember these characters and his style.
Since I’m lucky enough to be local, I will be stopping by to pick up Neil’s stuff in the coming weeks at Quimby’s (1854 W. North Ave., Chicago). But if you’re not so fortunate, you can order it online here!
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I like this and I’m so not a comic guy. I like the medium of comic books but I don’t read them. Cool short stuff like this is perfect for me to have a quick laugh and move on. Trying to break into that world is hard, I give John credit for trying while holding down the 9-5, cause it sure as hell ain’t easy.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by jonathan westhoff, jonathan westhoff. jonathan westhoff said: New article @OsmosisOnline http://bit.ly/aIphLA hope @OhBoyComics doesn't mind [...]
So if it wasn’t for these posts I probably wouldn’t be into comics at all. I applaud you for your ability to use your free time at work so wisely. Your insight helps bring in those who would normally find this genre boring or childish. I like that you have brought to us a personal background and opened up our eyes to some new variety.
[...] boredom lead me out onto the mean streets of Chi-town on break. I was looking for Neil Brideau’s Sock Monster collection [see last article], but sadly they were out. I did pick up his mini comic “Spitting [...]