Image Comics 2015
Written by Sam Humphries
Illustrated by Tommy Patterson
Coloured by Jon Alderink
Lettered by Rachel Deering
Oh my stars and garters there really is something just incredibly fun about this whole story. It pokes fun at our political process and the endless useless commentary spent hours on as well as the fascination with everything the candidates say and do. The irreverence here is wonderfully NON Politically Correct and there are so many remnants of characters like Trump blended with fictional characters that this is incredibly fun!
There’s also something about Tommy’s caricature realism here is perfectly done! I mean that hair alone is utterly fantastic and just the way he portrays all these people is utterly fantastic. Then of course there’s the dolphin and the demon all of it is just one of those reasons that make this as good as it is.
Well aside from the political nonsense that’s going on there’s that whole deal with the devil thing too. I have to admit that when we see another deal struck, more pressured into acting on his behalf, it starts to beg the question how many people are under his influence and how many more will be affected so that Jack can have his dream become a reality? I like the idea though that Jack and this devil are working together and are constantly at odds with one another because it makes the characterization that much more interesting.
Sam is no stranger to writing some incredibly interesting stuff, see Fanboys vs. Zombies, but this has that kind of almost British sensibility to it, it’s a thinking man’s absurd humour. There’s quite a bit of overt satire happening but also in the mix is some of the best characterization of people throughout the United States that are the kind of average ordinary Americans who get caught up in what politician say. Whether right or wrong, absurd or on point it doesn’t matter there are always going to be those that follow someone and we aptly see that here.
So humour aside there also seems to be a kind of running commentary on not only the political system, the press making up terms to make them sound more knowledgeable but also with general populace at large. I hate to sound elitist but there is a prime example of those highly educated versus those that aren’t and whom they decide to follow, though in this current Presidential Candidate run that seems to have been readily dismissed. That Sam has his own unique voice and can demonstrate so many different things in one story that affect everyone of us on some level is the reason I love reading his work.
Is this serious, god I hope not, perhaps not really but you’ll be hard pressed not to call this entertaining. For in the midst of a both the Republican and Democratic run for the Presidential bid this book is in the right place at the right time with the exact amount of humour we need!
Utterly brilliant from it's conception to it's execution!