Sock-Induced Indy Comic Hilarity

February 7, 2011 Patrick Hickey Jr. Books & Comics 0

After turning the last page of the first issue of Sean Von Gorman’s “Sock It To Me Comics,” two things are abundantly clear.

Von Gorman is funny and knows his pop culture.

Stringing several small stories together, in addition to several hoax-ads in between, Von Gorman’s work will remind many of a younger, less-polished, but still charming and entertaining version of Eric Powell, the evil mastermind behind Sci-Fi/Noir/Comedy hits from Dark Horse Comics, “The Goon” and “Chimichanga.”

Unlike Powell however, Von Gorman’s protagonist isn’t a muscle-bound tough guy or a bearded little girl.

Instead, it’s a man and his sock-puppet roommate.

And his name is Sock.

What could have easily been mundane and repetitive is instead hilarious and witty. Channeling the themes of great ‘80s sitcoms, with hints of “Futurama,” “Star Wars” and the depths of Von Gorman’s mind, Sock’s antics hit the mark for anyone looking for the type of comic that doesn’t need super heroes to be entertaining.

That doesn’t mean that Sock sees himself as a nobody though. His origin story, or what he believes his origin story to be, sets the scene for the shenanigans that take place through out the course of the comic.

It is also here where Von Gorman makes himself a credible storyteller. Even in the jokingly way this individual story is told, he proves to the reader that he’s a huge fan of the medium and someone who wants their attention. After this story, Von Gorman shows the reader he’s just like them and as a result, he steals their laughter. Luckily for them, he gives it back after every speech bubble and turn of the page.

Visually, while done in modest pencils, the look of the comic is fun and unique. Even though clearly influenced by modern comic art, Von Gorman is anything but a knock-off. With several full-page pieces in between the solidly structured smaller boxes, the flow of the art does an entertaining job supporting the writing, taking the reader everywhere from heaven to Sock’s bedroom in just 24 pages.

While the question remains to how much better the comic could have looked had it been in color, the fact that they are in black and white isn’t a hindrance.

Overall, with an abundance of charisma and plenty of laughs to be had, Von Gorman’s indy comic has serious staying power.

You can pick up Gorman’s comic by searching for it @ http://www.indyplanet.com/store/

mm
About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13870 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*