Review: PSYCHO GRAN COMIC CAPERS CAVALCADE No.2

I've had this fine comic since July but I'm only just finding time to catch up with reviews I promised to do. Here we go then with the second issue of Psycho Gran Comic Capers Cavalcade, written and drawn by David Leach.

If you're already familiar with Psycho Gran you'll know what to expect. If not, expect the unexpected. Psycho Gran started out in Oink! comic over 30 years ago, but as David Leach owns the rights he's able to bring her back in all new stories. Well, not entirely all-new, as the strips in this issue originally appeared in the digital comic Aces Weekly a few years ago but this is the first time they've appeared in a physical print form.

As Aces Weekly is a landscape format comic, it threw up a bit of a problem for transferring to print. Should it be a landscape comic? David decided otherwise, and he's come up with Widescreen PsychoVision, which means that when you open the A4 comic you rotate it 90 degrees to read the stories. This is great for two reasons; firstly you get you see David's detailed art in a nice big size, and secondly it's a bit like reading the A3 size Topper or Beezer comics of old.

They're all short stories, with none lasting more than six pages, but are well told examples of how to do snappy comedy-horror tales. The quality of the printing is superb too, with rich colours and sharp reproduction. In comics tradition there's even a pull-out double-sided poster, although putting it on your bedroom wall might bring you nightmares. 

The thing that impresses me the most though is how much David Leach has progressed as an artist since those days on Oink! Like most of us on that comic back then, he was just starting out and finding his style. Now it's well established and he has a good understanding of his craft. 

Psycho Gran Comic Capers Cavalcade No.2 has 36 full colour A4 pages for £5 plus postage. To buy a copy, contact the Psycho Gran Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PsychoGran/

...or the publisher's Facebook page, Dead Universe Comics:
https://www.facebook.com/DeadUniverse/

...or if you're in the neighbourhood, visit the Dead Universe Comics shop at 5 Bourbon Street, Friars Square Shopping Centre, HP20 2PZ Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.