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HIGH ROADS #2
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics/Widlstorm Productions/Cliffhanger! imprint
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Pencils: Leinil Francis Yu
Inks: Gerry Alanguilan
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Price: $2.95 US/$4.95 CAN |
While another character takes a turn in the spotlight, the creators continue to offer an irreverent pulp adventure that defies description. This easily stands out as the most bizarre story Lobdell has crafted, but it might also be his finest comic-book effort to date. This is hardly an in-depth examination of the human heart or a satirical look at society, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.
Sgt. Highroad finds himself on the rooftop of a Parisian brothel in the closing days of the Second World War, face to face with a gang of Nazi ninjas intent on kidnapping the woman who claims to be the American mistress of none other than Adolph Hitler himself. Highroad is outnumbered and outmatched, but luckily for him, he's got a diminutive actor who was once the hottest thing in Hollywood, now relegated to small revues in Paris posing as a mini-Fuehrer.
Yu's art is rich and textured in its level of detail; it can easily be described as meticulous. But there's an explosive weirdness and morbid glee to be found in it as well. His character designs are striking, and the action is so well choreographed that the figures seem to be leaping off of the page itself. There's a muted, restrained tone to the colors, but it's varied as well and doesn't work against the oddly upbeat tone of the book.
When I was a kid, one of my favorite Marvel characters was Puck from Alpha Flight. It wasn't just that he and his teammates were Canadian; I enjoyed the idea of a dwarf super-hero, of a man not only overcoming a disability but exceeding the usual human achievement. That's why Sir Arthur Bombridge is such a fun character here. He's an ass-kicking man of the world who just happens to have a worm's eye view of that world.
A G.I. from the Midwest who's managed to maintain his wide-eyed innocence despite witnessing the horrors of war. A four-foot, washed-up actor who's groomed himself to look like Hitler. And a woman who claims to be the horrible dictator's discarded mistress. Oh, and don't forget the bald, German ninja warriors. It's this bizarre array of characters that really makes this adventure worth reading.
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