21 Pulp, Inc. 2015
Written by James Patrick
Illustrated by Carlos Trigo
Coloured by Alex Sollazzo
Lettered by ET Dollman
Cover by David Dumeer
I love these little independent books there’s a real creativity and love of the medium on display here that brings me joy. This is one of those great examples the writing James brings is great and the characterization and realization of one man’s life, in this case his name is Saul, and the really versus his expectations well it’s good stuff. Plus there’s more to this than you’d think and as the issue ends we get a larger picture happening and a future for him that even he couldn’t have seen.
There’s some great tongue in cheek humor here to go along with a more serious look at what happens when things don’t go as you plan. The employee’s of Hero Hourly don’t have individual codenames unlike their villain counterparts and while that makes it easier for James since he doesn’t have to keep coming up with identities the bad guys names are guaranteed to make you giggle a bit. So we Saul kind of getting his butt kicked in the opening but how did he end up being a Hero Hourly employee and find himself here?
Let’s go back and review some of his life that led up to this shall we. Saul graduates from college with a 4.2 GPA, he’s a white male and his thesis was partly published so of course he’s high on himself and his prospects. You know the cocky arrogant guy getting out of school thinking the world’s his oyster yeah that’s him to a T. So right after graduation heading home to his roommates he unloads his frustration and is ready to go out and get a job.
Because things will happen they way the character wants them to you’ll have to see the circumstances behind the string of events that ultimately lead him to Hero Hourly. Though there’s some great straight guy humor in this that well if it’s true i’m laughing if not then it’s only something James has done and that’s even better. There is one scene with Saul’s uncle that’s rather gratuitous and not very revealing but hey the family connection kind of keeps the characterization going the same route.
Hero Hourly is a corporation that gives it’s employees superpowers and sends them off like rent a cops. There’s a handbook/manual and a wide variety of people wearing the costumes. How this came into being is told here and glossing over it is okay since it doesn’t seem to have any real consequences in how things progress. So we get to see Saul taking a job he never wanted, that he more than likely thinks is beneath him and tries to make the best of it. With low hourly wage and little in the way of benefits too I might add. It’s a good little book with solid writing, characterization and plot development.
The interior artwork is normally not what I gravitate to but is completely well suited to this book. It really has the perfect amount of fun, whimsy and outrageous with a tad seriousness that comes with the territory. I like how Carlos and Alex bring this to life. The use pages and panel layouts move the story along nicely and keep us highly entertained.
Find this at your local shoppe, if they don’t have it ask em to order it or hop online and head to www.21pulp.com because this is 5 Star Fun!