Every Dog
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It Could Happen
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The Last Supper
Author: Jason Shiga
Illustrator: Jason Shiga
Length: 24 panels (plus choice arrows and instructions)
Number of Endings: 4
Plot Summary: If you eat a brussels sprout, you can have some ice
cream!
My Thoughts: This is quite a novelty -- a piece of paper cut and
folded so that you can unfold it in many different patterns, each revealing
a different story. The plot is revealed randomly since there is no text
showing the difference between any two choices. This doesn't really matter,
though -- this thing is more about structure than about content, and in that
regard it is triumphantly successful as a novelty item. As a story, it is
unsurprisingly limited, but it will prompt either a chuckle or a groan of
disgust, depending on your sense of humor.
The Bum's Rush
Author: Jason Shiga
Illustrator: Jason Shiga
Length: 77 panels
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: A boy is given birthday money and must decide whether
or not to give it to a panhandler....
My Thoughts: This comic is printed on a single gigantic piece of
paper (actually a couple of sheets taped together), which is why no cover
scan can be displayed with this review. Its narrative flows across the page
from panel to panel, with certain panels leading in multiple directions and
making choices possible. Choice-making is a little less random than in the
previous comic since it's possible to peek ahead, but things are otherwise
pretty similar. This is obviously not as impressive a feat of engineering,
but it's a slightly more substantial story featuring a generous dose of
Shiga's ironic humor.
Meanwhile
Author: Jason Shiga
Illustrator: Jason Shiga
First Published: 2000
Length: 69 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Plot Summary: A bad decision while purchasing ice cream can lead to
all manner of adventures with weird scientific inventions.
My Thoughts: This is Shiga's most substantial interactive comic so
far, and like his other works it includes a novel choice-making mechanism.
The panels of the story are connected by a sort of pipeline which
occasionally branches. Some of these branches actually head off the page,
connecting to tabs that protrude from other pages earlier or later in the
book. This prompts the reader to turn the page and continue the story. I've
never seen anything else quiet like this, and it obviously took a lot of work
to cut out all of the tabs properly! The content is as satisfying as the
form, with interesting wacky sci-fi concepts, occasional humor, and genuinely
challenging gameplay. Actually, the gameplay is so challenging that it may
frustrate some players (I certainly couldn't figure out all of its secrets),
but this shouldn't discourage you from giving it a try!