IT CAME FROM CHEESELORD: A review of THE THING THAT CAME FROM SPACE OR SOMETHING

Meet writer and illustrator Angel Onofre. He’s the new blood at CheeseLord Comics, an indie press known for severe depravity and hopeless despair. How does Onofre measure up?

Well, in this book there isn’t a lot of hopeless despair, but there is a certain kind of depravity. It’s not the same brand, but it’s definitely fucked up. The protagonist is Angel, who one day decides, out of the blue, that he wants to create a webcomic, but he doesn’t know how to figure out HTML. On the advice of a crackhead, he goes to a drug dealer who knows someone with great HTML skills, but first Angel must do something for him: deliver a letter.

If you know anything about CheeseLord Comics, you know that letter isn’t very innocuous. It leads Angel down a road of aliens, space drugs, poop and death.

It’s very strange, because unlike other CheeseLord books, the humor here is actually light hearted. It’s fun, and it helps that the style is so cartoonish. Everything is so exaggerated and over the top, it makes one feel like this could have happened in the world of Ren and Stimpy. Even scenes involving lots of violent death come off as hilarious.

And you will never guess where the story is going. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, and when you read the description of the next issue, you’ll laugh your ass off. Buy this book and find out what happens when you take space drugs, and why it’s never good to snort something that fell from the sky.

THE THING THAT CAME FROM SPACE OR SOMETHING!

Written and illustrated by Angel Onofre

Published by CheeseLord Comics

38 pages

$5

ONE QUESTION INTERVIEWS: LEO PEREZ

Poorly photoshopped artwork by Jon Lennon

I’ve known Leo Perez for quite a few years now. In fact, we worked on the Napalm Assault together for a while. When I first met him, he was an artist, but he wasn’t doing a whole lot with his talent. He wanted to do comics, but he never really found direction as far as that went. Then came the day I introduced him to Jon Lennon, and Leo turned into an absolute beast of a comics illustrator. He is now an integral part of CheeseLord Comics. Here is my question for him:

ME: Imagine a world without CheeseLord Comics, and you never met Jon Lennon. Where would you be as an artist now?

LEO PEREZ: Fuck. I’m going to have to go deep here, aren’t I? I’ve always considered myself an artist, but obviously Jon Lennon was the guy that woke the beast up, roped the beast and then helped me to tame it. I learned a lot from Jon, but most importantly Jon helped me financially as well. Jon fronted most of our cons and trips while I found my legs and became this somewhat self-reliant artist I am today. It’s even to the point where Jon and I have begun to explore different art styles together and have become more involved in our art than our comic creating. I owe a lot to Jon and CheeseLord because of the work and focus that he’s helped me put into my work, and in doing so we’ve become full partners in this comics business. This year alone we were able to win a bid in a huge project where we got paid extremely well and I could not have confidently done my part without the guidance and teachings of Lennon. That is 100% real and true. So going forward as we continue to grow artistically and as a company, I can always look back and say yeah, I did it, but not without my friends, family, my wife and notably Jon Lennon. Oh God . . . he’s going to read this and have the biggest dick in the room!

Keep up on all Leo Perez (and CheeseLord) news here. Follow him on Twitter here.

ONE QUESTION INTERVIEWS: Jon Michael Lennon

Jon M. Lennon is the lunatic behind PRODUCT OF SOCIETY and the star of Matt Zingale’s documentary of the same title. Easily the most offensive artist you’ll find at any convention’s Artists Alley, he is a major force in indie comics.

ME: Your work has taken a new direction of late. What broke you out of your regular style and propelled you into this new transgressive style?

JML: Real life happened. I was shocked out of stagnation and complacency by a sudden, unexpected confrontation with my own mortality. In February 2013 I spent three days in the hospital with pancreatitis. A week later I fell in love with a woman who had no interest in me. These two events sent me on a new course that altered my life, art and future. I gave up fast food and pop and started exercising. The woman I was obsessed with was also an artist, so I started pushing myself to make better art to impress her. I eventually lost over a hundred pounds and was rejected by the woman who had been such a motivator for me. As an unexpected consequence of the weight loss more women began showing interest in me but I hadn’t really dated anyone for five years so I found myself unable to deal properly with normal dating experiences. As the physical changes and emotional trauma piled up inside of me I constantly worked on new art. I pushed my style and technique in ways I had never attempted before as the content of the pieces became darker and progressively nightmarish. The dust has still not settled on 2013 for me but what is clear is that I am physically and mentally healthier and I am more satisfied and excited about the artwork I am creating than I have been in years.

Jon can be found here. Be sure to buy his work here. Follow him on Twitter here.

WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO 2013 ARTISTS ALLEY: CHEESELORD COMICS

CheeseLord Comics have a few nifty little chapbooks available for this convention season.  Jon Michael Lennon has two, and Leo Perez has one.  They’re all only a dollar, so why not get them all?  Check these out:

KID TOUCHERS AND MORE . . .:  Yes, Lennon has taken mug shots from the sex crimes registry and he has illustrated them for your reading pleasure.  Keep an eye out for the guy charged with sodomy and aggravated urination on a minor . . . .

SUICIDE TASTES LIKE ASS!:  Lennon has been having some problems with the ladies lately, and it’s rapidly driving him crazy.  This is a sketchbook of crazy shit he did just to exorcise these women from his heart.  He goes to a lot of dark places with this one.  It contains his most vile work.  It will change your life.  Just check out the btw #YOLO one, and you’ll never be the same.  (On a side note, Lennon made up shirts for this convention.  One of them is the btw #YOLO one.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it immediately.  Apparently, he didn’t have high hopes for selling this one, so he only made up three of them.  One for him.  I bought the second.  There’s still one left.  He thinks he’s never going to sell it.  I hope one of you proves him wrong.  It is easily the most offensive shirt I have, and I have a shirt that says, THOUSANDS OF MY POTENTIAL CHILDREN DIED ON YOUR DAUGHTERS FACE LAST NIGHT.)

EL TORO DORADO #0:  Perez has a new superhero for us, and his name is El Toro Dorado.  A throwback to El Santo, the Golden Bull’s legend starts here.  Not only does he kick Hitler’s ass, he takes down Anne Frank, too!  Take a look at some of the sketches in the back.  If they’re any indication of what’s to come, shit is about to get fucking crazy very soon.  Look at Abraham Lincoln, for Christ’s sake!  And what about Hammer and Sickle?  Good times are coming at CheeseLord Comics.