The Tango Collection

More than 50 creators from Australia and New Zealand contribute short works to this compilation of comics on the theme of love, but the end result is disjointed and uneven. The contents are taken from an independent comics anthology of the same name, and contributing artists mostly work with an underground feel. In segments ranging from one to six pages, writers and artists present takes on romance and love ranging from the surreal to the autobiographical. The impact is haphazard as the tone, message, and quality of writing and art varies drastically from piece to piece. Although a few artists stand out—Bruce Mutard's clean sexual horror, Nikki Greenberg's whimsy—there's little sense of overall momentum as the book jumps from short piece to short piece. It's more successful as the document of an emerging comics scene than an exploration of the theme. (Sept.)