Rating: 4.5 / 5 – Recommended Reading!
When I saw the solicit for this I didn’t know what to think. It was clearly a humor title, but what kind of humor was I going to get? Kristensen is new to comics but has written a screenplay that won an Academy Nicholl Fellowship prize, so that’s a good thing. He knows how to write. The art is by M.K. Perker who did the Vertigo series “Air” that I loved, as well as the OGN Cairo. This had something going for it, I wasn’t built up to a point of over-expectation, but it looked like it was worth a read.
I read the 1st issue and loved it. We get the story of Todd who is apparently so ugly he goes around with a paper bag on his head so as to not burden others with looking at his face, and this says a lot about Todd. He’s a kind soul and the world he populates is full of thoroughly unpleasant characters that he interacts with in a very upbeat way. It’s the other characters who are the truly “ugly” people.
Todd just wants to make a friend, but he’s taunted by bullies. His parents are loathsome and don’t support him. In fact, every authority figure in his life seems to treat him pretty shabbily. But Todd endures. That’s the humor of it. The dialogue, the situations, and the wonderful art by Perker that perfectly fits the story. I don’t want to spoil the story by giving away specifics, but will say that there is a serial killer operating in Todd’s town and Todd’s run-in with him plays out in a most unexpected way. Great 1st issue. I’ll be buying a hardcopy of #1 for my collection when it’s released on Jan 16th (I was reviewing a pre-release press copy). I’m definitely looking forward to issue #2!
bob@comicspectrum.com
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