In the end, Death comes for us all. Unless, of course, Death Takes a Holiday.
Randy:
Traditionally, comics about Death fall into the weird, borderline indecipherable artsy style or the goth style that kicked off with gothy favorite Death from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Jim Massey's take is somewhat different, a humor strip that focuses on the nonsense of day-to-day life and modern day politics.
Don:
Jim Massey has struck mini-comic gold here with a hilarious mix of charmingly simple artwork, biting political and social satire, and some good, old-fashioned, Vaudevillesque humor. Of course, calling this a mini-comic isn't entirely fair, as there certainly more to the production of this small book than an afternoon at a Kinkos with a stapler. This is the business class of mini-comics, and it's thoroughly entertaining and clever.
Death Takes A Holiday #1
written and illustrated by Jim Massey
published by Varmint Press
Don:
Picture a guy hanging out in a bar, getting sloshed with new friends and mercilessly mocking those around him. OK, the image in your mind right now is probably that of Norm from Cheers. But picture the guy as thinner -- a lot thinner -- and wearing a cloak. Now you've got an idea of what to expect from Death Takes a Holiday.
Randy:
Death Takes A Holiday poses the deep, philosophical questions about death that we all have. Questions like: What would Death wish for if he had a genie? Where does Death stand on an anti-Devil coalition? And should death have a sexy, sassy sidekick? OK, maybe these aren't the questions we've all asked, but that is what Death Takes A Holiday #1 is about, and it's a lot of fun. Massey's story is about a slacker version of Death with a bit of a biting wit, reminiscent of Norm McDonald's take on the character in Family Guy but with a bit of a political edge.
Don:
It's easy to compare Massey's death with the Family Guy version, not only because both are sarcastic and farcical, but there's some common ground visually as well. I think what really makes this absurb strip work so well, though, is that just about all of the other characters are never "seen." Their dialogue originates from off-panel. There's ludicrous about the approach that enhances the humor. The "camera" never strays from Death and his -- pardon the pun -- deadpan reactions to everything that's going on around him.
Randy:
You might not think that a strip about a slacker Death would be a great venue for political commentary, but as it turns out, Massey does some of the funnier commentary I've seen on the Bush administration's foibles outside of The Daily Show. Massey doesn't spare the lunatic fringe on the left, either, with a funny skewering of the simplistic "No Blood for Oil" crew to go along with the hilarious parody of Bush's "coalition of the willing" that features Jesus and Mohammed trying to take down the Devil.
Don:
Making fun of American politics these days is like sex -- it's perfectly natural and a hell of a lot of fun. The "Operation: Feral Pudding" storyline was a hoot, but I was more taken with Massey's brief lambasting of morose indy comics storytelling and how willing homophobes are to expose their ignorance, all in an effort to prove themselves accepting.
Massey's art could be described as crude, but the simplicity of his style just makes the depth of his humor all the more effective. Massey's linework is in the same vein as that of Scott (Dilbert) Adams, and the creator is more than willing to poke fun at his own artistic limitations. In the process, he again transforms what could be seen as a weakness or liability into a strength.
Randy:
Though Death Takes a Holiday is at its funniest when Massey is poking fun at Bush's Iraq war policies through the use of religious figures, most of the book is a pretty good example of comic timing. The outrageous, somewhat needy personality of the genie is a lot of fun, like something out of Berke Breathed's Bloom County, and Massey's "Angels" strip is a delightfully cynical answer to those annoying people who tell you that any good fortune must be a result of God's interference. If you're getting the idea that this book might not go over so well with those on the right-wing religious side of the spectrum, you're right, but hey, those folks don't have a sense of humor anyway. I kid, I kid!
No, seriously, Republicans are evil.
Kidding! I'm kidding! Man, am I gonna get hate mail. Ahem... anyway, the artwork on Death Takes A Holiday can charitably be referred to as "minimalist" and more honestly referred to as "amateurish." But honestly, it doesn't really matter, because Massey's art carries the comic timing, which is the most important aspect of the book.
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