Previews for Wednesday 1/16/2013: Time To Get Ugly

By pghhead -

 

TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH #1 of 4 (Image, January 2013) Story by Perker & Kristensen.  Written by Ken Kristensen.  Art & Cover by M. K. Perker.  Colors by Cemal Soyleyen. Letters & Logo by M. K. Perker.

toddcvr   toddpg19

There’s been a bit of advance press about this book.  Sometimes that makes the critics a little skeptical.  I was fortunate enough to get an advance preview of Issue #1, so I could judge for myself.  This book may just live up to expectations.  It’s funny and deliberately so, in a time when many books that attempt to be humorous end up failing to even make me smile.  TODD coaxed several chuckles out of me.

TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH is irreverent and satirical, poking fun at suburban life in the United States, parenting, and social mores, among other things.  Would you buy a comic book version of the SOUTH PARK cartoon series?  This isn’t it - - but it’s the closest thing you can find in a comic  book format.   In the advance press release, co-creator Ken Kristensen commented:  “We couldn’t be happier—right out of the gate the response to TODD from both retailers and reviewers has been overwhelmingly positive.  And, for a take-no-prisoners, politically incorrect, taboo-tickling book to be embraced like that is a testament to the current sate of comic readers, who I think are hungry for stories that have something fresh to say about the world.”   What TODD seems to say about the world isn’t very flattering, but I’m still laughing. Exaggerated outrageousness makes it palatable.

Todd Belluomo is apparently elementary school age.  No one knows of his facial features because his parents force him to wear a paper bag over his head 24/7;  supposedly because he’s just too ugly to look at.  His looks are also his good fortune, as he gets passed over during an encounter with a neighborhood serial killer who only kills “beautiful children”.  I guess everybody has standards.  His mother Peggy, thinks Todd’s an imaginative liar when usually he’s just being victimized and set-up by some local bullies.  His father Gus passes on his “wisdom” to Todd in between beers, which are fetched by Todd in exchange for this valuable knowledge.  His answer to Todd’s questions about “gay marriage” are revealing of his politics as well as his I.Q. = “See, all Presidents try to legalize torture.  Obama’s way is to legally torture gays by allowing them to marry. Simply genius.” 

Todd tries to make friends with the new neighbor girl.  The issue opens up with some classic imaginative play with her Ben and Candie dolls  - - the conversation the little girl creates between the two dolls is hilarious.  Kids’ perceptions of adult relationships are blunt, twisted and spot-on.  The dolls (albeit a little sticky) turn up later as police evidence in a murder investigation in which Todd seems to be the number one suspect.   Along the way we also meet the also-opinionated and mildly perverse Chief Hargrave and Mr. Finger, the blind pet shop owner. 

Kristensen depicts Todd as a sweet, naïve little boy with a little streak of strange running through his veins.  He can also make you care about Todd as we are witness to the misinterpretations and injustices he is constantly beset with.  Perker’s art style is humorous but not cartoonish, reminding of some classic Jack Davis/Al Jaffe work in the early MAD magazines.  Kristensen’s a member of the Writers Guild Of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  One of the high points of his career (prior to the infamy that TODD will bring about)  has been working with Michael Chabon on The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist for Dark Horse Comics.  Perker is an Eisner-nominated comic book artist and writer whose work included Cairo, Air, some Fables and The Unwritten (for Vertigo/DC) and Insomnia Café (Dark Horse). He is a member of the Society of Illustrators.

OTHER BOOKS WORTH CHECKING OUT ON JANUARY 16:

AA_006_VARIANT_ZIRCHER_1

ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG #6 continues the return of another classic Valiant character – The Eternal Warrior

BLACK KISS II #6 Howard Chaykin’s heady tale of crime, Hollywood, and orgies against a supernatural back-drop concludes.  Adults only.

BLEEDING COOL MAGAZINE #2 – Readers lamenting the demise of Comic Buyers Guide have this alternative magazine to check out.

BLOODSHOT #7 - - a stand-alone issue detailing his brutal history. It’s a prelude/lead-in to the upcoming HARBINGER WARS storyline.

 

BS_007_CVR_ANDRASOFSZKY

 

     CROW: SKINNING THE WOLVES #2 – Original creator James O’Barr returns for a gritty and disturbing tale set amongst a Nazi concentration camp.

     FASHION BEAST #5 Some more Alan Moore Lovecraftian-flavored madness.

     FERALS #12 David Lapham’s spin on the werewolf mythos is bold and blunt, as may be expected.

     STITCHED #11  Artist Mike Wolfer is doing a decent job writing this  book and taking it to a different setting.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert Kirkman: Invincible, Walking Dead, Wolf-Man

By -
Image
I wasn't actually a huge fan of Robert Kirkman when I first started reading his books.  He was competent, sure, but I didn't see the appeal-- The Irredeemable Ant-Man was a boring side story in the middle of  Civil War and  The Initiative (although I've since changed my mind about this), and his  Ultimate X-Men run was, in many places, a mixed bag (although I did very much enjoy his "Phoenix?" storyline).  And  Marvel Zombies  just seemed like a ridiculous idea--not that I bothered to try it at the time. Now, though?  I've completely reevaluated my opinion on his work, and when his name is attached to a project, I'm far more likely to give it a look.  I don't know if I'd classify him as a master storyteller or a comics icon--but he's very skilled, he has an incredible knack for dialog, and he writes stories that, no matter how ridiculous, seem real .  In a medium where characters frequently violate the rules of physics, that's not alway...
Read more

more random readings from May 2009

By pghhead -
Image
What else did I finish reading last month?  Here’s a cross-section of various titles . . . . . . . . . WITCHBLADE #126 “War Of The Witchblade Part 2” by Ron Marz and Stejepan Sejic  (Top Cow/Image) Preface:  Now here’s an interesting concept! = In order to attract new readers to its’ titles Top Cow is giving out free books each month as part of it’s Let Us Win You Over project.  ( www.topcow.com/freecomics )  Every month it’s a different title. And they work through different comics shops each month as well.  In April the title was Witchblade #126 and one of the participating dealers was Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE (my preferred supplier) so voila! - - - I find a copy in my hands. Since the last time I explored the Witchblade series the mythology has expanded to a battle between the forces of light and dark with each side choosing its agents on Earth, hence the Darkness vs. the Witchblade.  I’m still not overly interested in this typ...
Read more

INDIE COMICS: Huffin’ & puffin’ B.B. Wolf’s got the blues

By pghhead -
Image
BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPs  (Top Shelf, May 2010 hardcover, black & white, 86 pages,   $12.95)  As told by JD Arnold with illustrations by Richard Koslowski What got my attention immediately was the pairing up of a classic fairy tale with musical motifs.  That’s a combination that pushes two of my “hot buttons” - -  so I made it a must-read.  I was not disappointed.  This is a very entertaining and cleverly designed work that rivals Bill Willingham’s  creativity on the long-running FABLES series from Vertigo. As if taking the classic tale of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs and turning it upside down wasn’t enough to interest, BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPS  serves as an allegory for the oppression of  the black population in the deep South (Mississippi) in the 1920’s.  While they may be free (wolves),  the governing bodies (pigs) have the power to deny them their land, homes and possessions and even own the...
Read more