Sitcomics 2017
Written by Darin Henry
Pencilled by Ron Frenz
Inked by Sal Buscema
Coloured by Glenn Whitmore
Lettered by Marshall Dillon.
Last issue we met The Blue Baron and Ernie Rodriguez and saw how the did a modern day Freaky Friday. It was a great set-up for the story arc and helping to introduce us to the Blue Baron and the world he lives in. Not to mention the super-powered group of cohorts that make up the Heroes Union.
Sometimes it really is all about the quality of the whole thing that hits you in a way where you find after two issues you find a series that you can’t imagine not having. This is one of those because the way that Darin is writing this is hysterical, interesting and almost a normal superhero comic. From everything he introduces in this to how they act and what we see of their motivations and purpose it really is one of the most complete books out there.
I’m not sure what Darin’s purpose in creating this was but the end result is one where it takes the superhero genre and it kind of mocks it and ends up being exactly what the general public is going love. This has all the classic stereotypes and tropes involved and he’s able to do this in a way that makes sense and gets to show the kind of behaviour that the world’s mightiest hero might have after 300 years of existence. Some snotty punk with powers yeah and then there’s the whole thing where they both need to learn to grow up so yeah the lessons that’ll be learned while in each other’s bodies well that’s just nicely added into the story while it’s not one of those obvious aspects.
The ebb & flow of this story and how it switches or transitions back and forth between the two is extremely well done. I never feel like anything is cut off, missing or left hanging and I’m really becoming this little fan of what Darin can do and will have to now actively seek out that he’s worked on to see if this just a fluke, kidding there’s real talent here. Though I’m not sure of the total behaviour of Ernie in Carson’s body, the heroic stuff is actually nice to see as he stumbles through the battle but the home life I’m not sold on yet.
Now this is why the gentlemen are legendary artists. The interiors here are simply amazingly good stuff. The linework and the varying weights we see and just the whole composition of the pages and panels with their angles and perspective this is what truly seasoned and talented men are still capable of. Forget their ages these men are freaking stellar at what they do and what we see here, including the backgrounds which make me so happy is something you just don’t forget. The way they are capable of bringing the characters to life, including the designs of the heroes we see is spectacular.
Well Ernie is beginning to understand the cold hard truth of what it means to be costumed hero and it’s much more in depth than he ever imagined it could be. Also the creation of a new villain, and the resurrection of an old one who seems be catatonic in his cell. So who or what is controlling him remains to be seen but the Blue Baron is going to be in some massive trouble when the Liquidator finds him.
Alright I am in awe of this series. Everything about this is done in such a way that not only does it feel like a blast from the past in how it not looks, reads and feels but it’s simultaneously incredibly modern and now in how it reads with the subject matter. This is what comics are all about why they were created in the first place. You won’t find the likes of this anywhere else but the back-issue bins and that’s a huge bonus. Also the fact that 68 pages fly by like the new 26 or 32 standard is another aspect of this that's amazing because reading this it flies by.