#kaptara

[dailyindiecomics]

“Keith. Prince of the dance floor.”

Keith Kanga in Kaptara by Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod

[vancouvercomics]

Hey there VanCAF fans, did you hear that we announced our first Featured Guest today for VanCAF 2017? (Probably not cuz we just that a moment ago but anyway) It’s CHIP ZDARSKY! He’s an artist and a writer and he’s won some awards and you probably know him if you’ve read Sex Criminals or Jughead or Kaptara or Howard the Duck or Star-Lord! We’re super psyched to have him visit all the way from Toronto on both days of the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival this year (Saturday May 20 and Sunday May 21) and if you want to meet him he’ll be exhibiting all weekend! Or at least he said he would be... @zdarsky you promised, right?

VanCAF, the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, is held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Saturday May 20 and Sunday May 21. The festival is open 10 AM to 5 PM both days, and it’s free to attend! For more information, visit VanCAF.com

[themyskira]

Kaptara #2 by Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod

[themyskira]

“Glomps used to live in Endom. They were always kind of shitty, but over the years they dug in their heels and got shittier. Then, claiming ‘glompandry’ when Endom refused to tolerate their rampant sexism and racism, they--”

“--created this society of freedom! Freedom from those who would censor our glomptruths! Freedom from the %$#&s and the $#%#@*s and of course they %$#@*s who control the media! Are you here to silence us in our glomphomes now??”

“Oh, for... no one has ever attempted to censor Glomps! You began eating people!”

-- Kaptara #3 by Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod

[re-readingcomics]

Comics read 01/06-17/2026

For the first time in years I re-read some comic books! Years ago I read the first volume of Kaptara, written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Kagan McLeod. Then in more recent years, much to my surprise a second volume was published and I bought it. But I had to admit to myself, besides the fact that I enjoyed it, I really didn’t remember much of Kapatara. The things that I could remember were:

the lead character is gay, and something of a loner,

it involves space travel and

one of the characters is an orb that displays positive affirmations.

The last was definitely a favorite part.

Turns out that there are a lot more characters than just those two. Our lead, Keith Kanga is first introduced with one ensemble, but by then end of the first issue he is with another. We are left to wonder if/when he will be reunited with anyone from the first.

Keith is throwing himself into a new life after being very unhappy and depressed in his previous. And the new life is in a planet with a mish/mash of knock offs from various 1980s children’s cartoons. I recognize He Man and The Smurfs without being sure if I ever watched an episode of either of those shows. These versions of these characters feel like it could have started as fan fiction, then wisely pivoted. While rereading the first volume I often found myself wondering what are they trying to say with it. But if what they were saying could be simply said, it would not be a multi issue comic book.

(The Smurf types in this are called Glomp and they are there to parody Gamergaters/incels. I barely remember The Smurfs, but as someone who was bothered by the gender ratio of the characters, I’m glad to see it taken to this illogical conclusion.)

The first volume meanders along in an unhurried way, even as we are told of potentially catastrophic things going on. The second, despite being made to wrap things up, doesn’t have a change in pace, which is great as I like the meandering. And it does manage to wrap up in fun and surprising ways.

I need to write about the art. It fits the child-geared influences and being made for an adult audience. It is playful and clear. The character designs are distinct, and often grotesque in a goofy way. The pallet is generally warm and has enough variation so it doesn’t draw attention to itself, and everything looks like it fits.