Hey Everybody, It’s Minus
So here I am, slightly rocking like a weather phenomenon. I sat down today and read the entire archive of Minus. It was one of the most refreshing, enjoyable reads that I’ve had in quite a while.
The strip is done by Ryan Armand, who makes time to carefully and delicately paint and ink each strip onto a 15×20″ illustration board. He says that he likes to think that he is illustrating a comic strip for a newspaper in the early 20th century. To me this is an interesting creative choice, since a number of comics are set in present day or the salaciously tempting future.
The main character in all of the strips is Minus; a quiet, creative little girl who just might have some magic up her sleeves. I instantly liked her, probably because she carries herself with a sweet innocence that is hard to come by anymore. The comic itself feels like it was created in the mind of a child, and each strip is the product of Minus’s wild imagination.
There is no one continuous plot line. It is mainly little Minus getting into mischief and trouble. There are a few strips that are connected together, but these are usually three to four strips at best.
No matter if there is a storyline or not, there is an undeniable sense of whimsy and fairy tale-ness within Minus. It is difficult for me to put into words the thoughts this comic invokes.
The best way to get my point across is for you to close your eyes for a moment and think about your favorite childhood moment. Can you feel the sun on your arms? Can you feel the warm breeze as you climb that tree to get a better view?
That is what Minus recreates in an astounding little girl, who just wants to have fun being young.
[…] Allison Cook offers a short review of Ryan Armand’s whimsical, delicately drawn strip Minus for Fleen. (Above: panel from the June 22, 2006 Minus strip, ©2006 Ryan Armand.) […]
By Journalista » Blog Archive » Dec. 7, 2006: Any fanatic can kill him for God’s sake on 12.07.06 5:24 am
Minus is fantastic, original work.
By Crun on 12.07.06 6:08 am
Minus is Little Nemo in Slumberland for the Harry Potter generation, and just a little bit warped. It is heartbreaking, hilarious and beautifully drawn. Everyone should read Minus.
By Gordon McAlpin on 01.27.07 10:58 pm
Minus is everything good about webcomics and is such a refreshing change pace.
By Picky on 03.08.07 2:40 pm
[…] Bee, in “Motel Art Improvement Service,” by Jason Little, beecomix.com Girl Genius, by Phil Foglio [as cited on the Eisners nomination site; should probably read “Phil and Kaja Foglio”], http://www.girlgeniusonline.com Minus, by Ryan Armand, http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus1.html Phables, by Brad Guigar, http://www.phables.com Sam and Max, by Steve Purcell, telltalegames.com/community/comics/samandmax/issue-3 Shooting War, by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman, http://www.shootingwar.com […]
By Fleen: Your Favorite Faux-Muckrakers Since 2005 » Could Be One Of Those “Good News/AWESOME News” Kind Of Days on 04.20.07 8:12 am
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