Off-Kilter Comics

When I was a kid the last things I wanted to read in the comics were the predictable and redundant exploits of the superheroes. X-Men or Fantastic Four? Screw that. I'd prefer Kim Deitch or Mark Beyer's Agony to sooth my teenage angst. For anyone interested in comics that plumb the depths of melancholy (and make you chortle in the process) "Off-Kilter Comics," a new exhibit at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, is your meat. "Off-Kilter" features the brilliant work of six under-heralded artists: Lilli Carré, Dan Zettwoch, John Hankiewicz, a fellow named Onsmith (who also curated), Ivan Brunetti (creator of the magnificent and lacerating Schizo), and our own Zak Sally, whose Sammy the Mouse still haunts my dreams. The last four will be on hand to deliver a gallery talk at the show's opening this Friday. This quartet will also be on hand to sign books at Big Brain Comics from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. the following Saturday. Gallery talk and reception 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, April 4.
April 4-20, 2008