At first glance, the debut issue of Windy Corner Magazine may look like something your kid made one afternoon in art class. And that’s okay, because subverting your expectations only will open your mind to be accepting of all of this indie effort’s innumerable charms.

The brainchild of editor Austin English, Windy Corner is anchored by much of his Crayola-penned comics — slice-of-life pieces about a girl named Francis, dealing with a shaky home life because of lean times and the discovery of her father’s adultery.

It’s not the writing that’s special, but the art. English draws on slightly yellow paper with crayon and the ever-occasional dollop of Liquid Paper and cut-out/pasted-on word balloons for a slight 3-D effect. You may call it primitive; I call it different – perhaps even daring and obviously done with love.

After the four-part Francis story, English also contributes three of his own childhood remembrances, done in the same style, and an interview with indie cartoonist Andrice Arp. Several examples of her work are shown if you’re not familiar with this talented lady (I wasn’t) and her thoughts on the medium and the creative process hold genuine interest.

Finishing out the main features is a several-page exercise in abstract minimalism by Richard Hahn that’s an almost-wordless comic combining geometry, doodles and fever dreams. It’s a nice capper to a new art-minded mag certainly worth the purchase. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Sparkplug Comic Books.