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petrange77's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
valjeanval's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A strange issue, and I don't just mean the fact that it is pocket-sized and read vertically. It was a challenge both for my brain and my booklight. Standouts for me were "Washing Up" by Erin Somers, "The Air as Air" by Ed Park, and "The Testament of Edward Hyde" by Jim Shepard. The inclusion of Jeffre Neuman's one act play "The Headliners" was also really cool, and I'd love to see it performed. I was a little confused by the inclusion of Tim Heidecker's "From the Bus" which might be fun to read if you're a fan, but I've never actually heard of him before and didn't find anything particularly insightful or interesting from reading his road diary, but maybe if I looked up some of his work, I would.
Content Warnings
Minor: Outing, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Infidelity, Sexual content, Murder, Death, and Drug use
emilyinherhead's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
This issue isn’t as long as it would seem from the page count. It’s broken up into three mini-books: one contains letters and stories like a traditional McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, one has a play called “The Headliners,” and one is Tim Heidecker’s diary “From the Bus” about his summer 2023 The Two Tims tour.
A few of my favorite stories include:
— “Washing Up” by Erin Somers, about a woman who lives in a car wash
— “Time of Useful Consciousness” by Lauren Spohrer, about a fact-checker and also plane crashes?
— “Adjective” by Kristina Ten, about an immigrant woman’s experience at a new job, written in a Mad Libs format
The play, based on two actual vaudeville performers, Eva Tanguay and Julian Eltinge, is a sad, funny, and thoughtful look at queerness, self-expression, and fame during the early 1900s.
I enjoyed Tim Heidecker’s tour diary more than I expected to, considering that I haven’t seen the show, heard his music, listened to “Office Hours Live,” or watched much Tim & Eric. In my mind he’s the pretentious guy from that one I Think You Should Leave sketch who burns his mouth on gazpacho and asks for a nutcracker. But yes, a fun time to ride along on his bus and be inside his head for a bit.
A few of my favorite stories include:
— “Washing Up” by Erin Somers, about a woman who lives in a car wash
— “Time of Useful Consciousness” by Lauren Spohrer, about a fact-checker and also plane crashes?
— “Adjective” by Kristina Ten, about an immigrant woman’s experience at a new job, written in a Mad Libs format
The play, based on two actual vaudeville performers, Eva Tanguay and Julian Eltinge, is a sad, funny, and thoughtful look at queerness, self-expression, and fame during the early 1900s.
I enjoyed Tim Heidecker’s tour diary more than I expected to, considering that I haven’t seen the show, heard his music, listened to “Office Hours Live,” or watched much Tim & Eric. In my mind he’s the pretentious guy from that one I Think You Should Leave sketch who burns his mouth on gazpacho and asks for a nutcracker. But yes, a fun time to ride along on his bus and be inside his head for a bit.
bbretterson's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
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