Battling Boy | Pope, Sycamore
First Second
The crackle of the energy in this book is audible. Paul Pope pumps the YA fantasy genre with gallons of Red Bull and mutagen, and creates one of the most authentic teenager characters ever. Set loose in a world like our own, Battling Boy wrestles with lurid monsters, fawning crowds, and the weight of his father's legendary expectations.
It occupies a similar space as my intentions for the next Kunghur book. So I'm reviewing it with a very particular set of lenses: Where does its "energy" come from?
Pope's imprecise line work... it amps the vibe that this is a 'fun' book. The characters are fleshy and voluminous - look at the way he draws plump lips and sagging skin. Also - monsters eyes (and the eyes of some humans) are decidedly non-human. The beasts are endearingly silly, not scary, in appearance. Maybe that's the mastery of Battling Boy... the way Pope utilises 'fun' and 'silly', without devaluing his story or its characters. Enthusiastically recommended by Vlada from Junky Comics.
XCT, #2 | Paulet, Halyday, Gaylord, Gaylord
Comics2Movies
Contrast Battling Boy with XCT - there's a gaping mismatch between this story's tone and the art's style. XCT's commercialised televised gladiatorial bloodbath reads like TV's Vikings meets The Hunger Games. Yet the art could perfectly suit an all-ages Spider-Man book (and that's not intended as any kind of criticism). Bonus points for the "OnFleek" magazine title.
The Infinite Loop | Colinet, Charretier
IDW
Time-travelling, reality-warping love, told with tenderness and affection - as opposed to, say, Matt Fraction's Casanova series and its hyperactive hypersexualisation. The Infinite Loop is a much more enjoyable read for its warmth. I want Teddy and Ano to be happy together forever - even more than The Doctor and Rose Tyler. You've gotta check out Elsa Charretier's gorgeous Darwyn Cooke-inspired art.
Deer Editor, #2 | Lindsay, Kivelä, Shaw
Four Colour Ray Gun
A book with a pun as bold as "Deer Editor" featuring a deer who's an editor? Shut up and take my money!
Ryan Lindsay's been writing some really interesting stuff lately - see Negative Space, below. For now, let's spend some time admiring Sami Kivelä's inking. Even in this one panel, you can see maybe six distinct line weights (ie. the thickness of the line). There's a sense of depth and priority in this one simple illustration. The art style is reminiscent of Sy Barry's Phantom artwork which I adored as a kid... cue the goosebump thrills - thank you for that Sami.
I was gripped by Deer Editor the whole way through - totally recommended.
Negative Space, #3 | Gieni, Lindsay
Dark Horse
A depressed guy is literally fighting depression - in space! With a happiness bomb! And the happiness bomb is powered by ... ah, that would be telling.
Okay, okay - it sounds like a bad high school creative writing concept. But it's amazing. Lindsay's created a flawed, scarred, and scared character who transforms this book into something much more meaningful.
Weirdworld, #1 | Aaron, del Mundo
Marvel
Another book I've been reading as part of my research for Kun-ghur, this was released as part of Marvel's massive spring-cleaning event, Secret Wars. The story's set action pieces are nicely done, but it's the art which kicks this book into fantasy overdrive. No inks - just colour, splatters, and some Photoshop blurs. Again - match the art style to the story's tone, and you're on a winner.
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'Six Comics' is a collection of thoughts about six comic books I've read in the past month (not necessarily released in the past month). The rules: at least one issue of an ongoing title I've never read before; at least one Australian book; and a preference for books whose creators and/or characters are more diverse than straight white and male.