SUPERNATURAL LAW #33
"Huberis the Dybbuk"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
|
Exhibit A Press
Writer/Artist: Batton Lash
Art assists: Trevor Nielsen & Melissa Uran
Editor: Jackie Estrada
Price: $2.50 US |
Batton Lash continues his lambasting of independent comics creator Dave Sim, whose anti-female comments in his own title -- Cerebus -- have been the source of much controversy and conversation within the comics industry over the past year. To his credit, though, he seems to participate in his own send-up, contributing to this issue's cover (along with creative partner Gerhard). While the parody is cute and fun, Lash seems to stretch it a bit thin here.
After firing Wolff and Byrd, Huberis the Dybbuk has hired the sleazy Owen Bundt to plead his case, hoping to get the courts to force a local church to grant the demon membership. Bundt drops the ball, of course, shortly after some cash comes his way, leaving Huberis in the hands of his two female assistants, and a female judge. Huberis's disdain for women... causes some problems, and Wolff and Byrd suddenly find themselves involved in the matter again.
The illustrated text bits here don't work at all that well for me, due in part to the fact that they're presented in Huberis's intentionally irksome voice. I don't read Cerebus, so I assume Lash is riffing on something Sim does on that title. Furthermore, the text bits make for a dense read, the simplicity of the parody concept really doesn't merit the added effort.
Lash's simple, expressive style tells the story clearly. Given the somewhat Archie-esque look of the art, I'm surprised at the level of detail and dense panel layouts that Lash incorporates here. I'm also pleased to find that Lash continues to present characters of various shapes and sizes, rather have making the book's gutters a runway ofr idealized model types.
I think the reason this issue didn't click for me is that its central players are rather one-dimensional. It's Huberis and Bundt who are in the spotlight, and they're rather one-note characters, not terribly compelling. The title characters are shuffled off to the side, and the story suffers for it.
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
