meef 02 frog artist
meef 02 frog artist
Print Mint March 1974
Unlike the first issue, Meef Comix #2 does not feature an epic adventure, but a series of one-pagers and various short stories. Some of these are beautifully illustrated tales, like “The Electronic Music Concert,” which features a wordless passage of an excruciating cacophony of noises orchestrated by a European (Spanish?) conductor. Bravo!
Another highlight is “A Zen Fable,” set in a Buddhist monastery, in which a new monk approaches his mater with a question about the meaning of life. Unsatisfied with his master’s condescending response, the monk takes off on a trek through the snowy wilderness while pondering whether his master truly has a handle on the meaning of life. The story concludes with the humbled, half-frozen monk returning to the monastery, only to discover his doubts about his master may have been well founded!
Other stories are also skillfully illustrated, but they don’t achieve the same level of interest or have not aged particularly well. One of those is “The Hijacking,” in which several people try to hijack the same airline flight. Comic stories about hijacked planes were quite popular in the early ’70s, when hijackings seemed to happen once a month (even MAD leveraged the concept, and Fuktup Funnies also features a hijacking story). Schrier’s take on the concept is amusing, but perhaps not zany enough to remain funny post-911.
Some of the book features drawings that didn’t make it into Mother’s Oats or The Balloon Vendor, sometimes for good reason. They feel like filler here, which is not a good thing for a book with 24 interior pages. Despite a few weaknesses (and due to its strengths), Meef Comix #2 is still indispensable for fans of Schrier, who didn’t produce enough comics to satisfy our appetite before he moved on to more financially rewarding career paths.
Fred Schrier – 1-28
2 – Reflection • 3 – The Electronic Music Concert • 8 – Beer • 9 – You’re Mad • 10 – The Hijacking • 14 – Dog • 15 – A Zen Fable • 19 – Quick Sketches • 20 – The Bedspring • 27 – Honky MotherFunny • 28 – Peter’s Pornographic People Shop