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DON'T CALL ME STUPID!
Neutral (3/10)
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Fantagraphics Books
Writer/Artist: Steven Weissman
Price: $12.95 US/$19.45 CAN |
Steven Weissman takes his reader into a world that reminds me a bit of similar concepts by Jay (Jetcat Clubhouse) Stephens and Brian (Norton the Vampire) Clopper. There's a slightly darker atmosphere looming over Weissman's collection of supernatural Little Rascals, though. Though there are pleasant moments of exploration of childhood, innocence and the changing face of families, in the end, Weissman's scratchy art style and occasionally impenetrable plotlines made this book a bit too hard on the head.
A new kid comes to school, but while "Sweet" Chubby Cheeks charms all of the adults, he bullies his classmates, notably Pullapart Boy and L'il Bloody. While the odd little children try to counteract Chubby's tyranny, they have adventures with other friends as well, like X-Ray Spence, Kid Medusa and the crime-fighting kids known as the L'il Tin Stars.
Weissman has developed a squat look for his young characters. His designs are simple, but for the most part, effective. Still, I found myself confusing Pullapart Boy for Dead Boy a fair bit, and Chubby was rendered inconsistently. Weissman makes excellent use of mono-chromatic schemes and grey tones to add depth to his simple figures and panel layouts.
Far too much time is spent on the boys' cruelty toward one another. One could argue that that's what little boys do, but Weissman takes things a bit too far. Mind you, his look at bullying and how adults turn a blind eye to it hit the mark. I found I wanted to see much more of Spence and Medusa, while the L'il Tin Stars held little interest for me.
The biggest problem with this book is a lack of clarity in a number of the stories. There's a surreal tone throughout the book, and it makes for some arduous reading at times. That translated into confusion and indifference toward the characters. It's a safe bet that given the tone of the book, I am not a part of its target audience.
Note: This book was released a few weeks ago, but a review copy was made available in the meantime.
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