It's been far too long since the last issue of this series, but I'm struck by how easy it is to pick up on the ongoing plot here. Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount offer up a thoroughly accessible script here, and in the process of wrapping up the King of the Hoboes plotline, introduce a new one and a great new character as well. After four issues, the characters are actually starting to take form here... but thankfully, they're not taking on a great depth. This is about the jokes after all. It's nice that I have a clearer picture of who Pappy is, but it's not like I want I relate to the character or get to know him by joining his book club or anything.
Thanks to a rather bloody and disconcerting avian encounter, Blackbeard's pirates manage to escape from their hobo-imposed bondage (not that kind... get your mind out of the gutter). With the captain drugged out of his mind, the men realize there's only one man who can help them exact revenge and end the threat of the King of the Hoboes, and that's Blackbeard's one-time co-captain and brother, Bluebeard.
Yount's angular artwork reinforces the goofy tone of these characters perfectly. His style reminds me of the work of Paul (Jack Staff) Grist here. The backgrounds throughout this issue are a bit lacking, but it's not as though the creator has to create a sense of reality in order for these characters to convincingly exist for the reader.
If Boyd and Yount can be described as anything, it's as children of the 1980s. References to Happy Days, The Golden Girls and The A-Team can be found in this issue, and it's a delight to see these ideas filtered through the cynical and satirical lens of their storytelling. The writers point out the inherent flaws and goofiness in the A-Team formula, but they also remind us of why we enjoyed it as kids at the same time.
There are two key elements to the effectiveness of Boyd and Yount's humor. The first is the conflict between the nature of the title characters as stereotypes of a bygone age and genre and the modern setting and culture they embrace and reject at the same time. The other stength in the creators' sense of humor is the complete and utter disdain they seem to exhibit for pop culture. Somehow, it serves as both a condemnation of a society obsessed with even the most inconsequential of celebrities and as a celebration of the memories they've provided over the years.
Pretty brainy explanation, hey? How about this: it's fuckin' hilarious. Just go out and buy it.
