Image Comics 2017
Created & Written by Jody Leheup & Sebastian Girner
Created & Illustrated by Nil Vendrell
Coloured by Mike Spicer
Lettered by Dave Lanphear
After being betrayed by the bears that raised him, the legendary Shirtless Bear-Fighter wanders the forest he’s sworn to protect, fistfighting bears, eating flapjacks, and being the angriest man the world has ever known! When wild-eyed, super-strong bears attack the citizens of Major City, Shirtless ventures into the human world to do what he does best...PUNCH THOSE BEARS IN THE FACE! But all is not as it seems. Someone is manipulating Shirtless...and only by confronting the demons of his past can Shirtless hope to save his future! A heart-filled, hilarious, tall tale for the ages…
I have to say after the promo came out and we saw Shirtless pixelated I was way more curious to see if that would be the case when the book came out. I mean let’s face it if it were a woman she wouldn’t have been pixelated in the series but a seemingly well endowed man of course that is pixelated and i’m actually rather sad by that. More so since those people who see it in this issue make those faces and react the way they do to it. I mean c’mon it’s 2017 there’s no real reason it should’ve been pixelated like it was.
Now onto the story. I think it’s a hoot pure and simple. There’s a great premise, idea and execution to it that is engaging and leaves the reader wondering what the heck is going on here. Like why Shirtless is being recruited by these folks and what kind of past he has with them? The clues are here but the reality isn’t and we are left with a lot questions we’d like answered which by the way is a great way to get us to come back guaranteed.
I like that this has that absurdity to it which makes it fun and unexpected and then balances that out with the seriousness infused with it. This really does have that near perfect balance between the two ideals that makes it work. It’s a precarious thing to have and to have it done this well is something extraordinary. The way we see the story unfold here is great and when an agent starts to question her superior and the internet cats come out to quiet her down you almost literally laugh out loud. This of course is in contrast to Shirtless and how adamant he takes things.
Now we covered the lack of real nudity but the rest of the interiors are very good. It’s got a great easy breezy feel to it that is easy on the eyes and evokes things from the senses. The utilisation of the page layouts through their angles and perspective are handled extremely well. Even backgrounds or lack thereof are used nicely throughout the issue. Also the bear in the city that is wreaking havoc well that’s got that blend of absurd and realistic to it as well. All of it really does come off beautifully.
I’m not usually one for the silly but this this one is a great change of pace for me. It’s delightful in every way possible.