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BLUNTMAN AND CHRONIC GN
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Image Comics
Writer: Kevin Smith
Artists: Mike Avon Oeming & Mike Allred
Colors: Pat Garrahy & Laura Allred
Letters: Pat Garrahy & Sean Konot
Editor: Bob Chapman
Price: $14.95 US |
My first thought upon finally getting a hold of this was "Man, this is f--king late." My first thought after reading it was "Man, this is f--king hysterical." Sure, it might not have made it out in time for the movie tie-in, but Smith and Oeming turn in a comic that is every bit as hilarious as the movie whose release cried out for a tie-in comic. Smith pokes fun at just about everyone here, including himself, various super-hero origins, other movies and of course the titular duo, particularly the always-clueless and obnoxious Jay. Oeming's artwork, which works so well as a contrast to the darkness in Powers, works as well here as a super-heroic but
slightly askew style of artwork, and the addition of reprinted Mike Allred
artwork from Smith's time at Oni is icing on the cake.
While I'm loving Green Arrow, this is something quite different from
Smith's work there. This is pure Kevin Smith, with all the vulgarity, niche pop
culture references and dick and fart jokes that implies. Within these pages
you'll find a man who has a dick for a head (complete with a disturbing visual
on Oeming's part), a villain whose gimmick is constant masturbation and a pair
of super-heroes who largely smoke weed and try to use their super-heroic
identities to bust in on lesbians and offer them the manly love that they're
sure they need. There are enough laughs here to be found from the sheer audacity
of what Smith has to offer.
Of course, that's not to say there aren't other laughs as well. Ever since his humble beginnings as the writer/director of Clerks, Smith has shown an appreciation for geek culture that has made him beloved by those who get the joke. His riff on super-hero origins, as Jay and Silent Bob pass up familiar origin sequence upon familiar origin sequence, usually in a hilarious manner, makes for a great "first issue" in the graphic novel. In fact, the entire structure of the graphic novel is a twisted take on the super-hero genre, with the gathering of the villainous revenge squad and gags ranging from Carrie references to a funny Superfriends visual gag.
No target is safe from Smith's pen, and he takes a few shots at everyone, including Internet message-board posters, DC's propensity for pulping, critics of his tendency to go heavy on the dialogue, or the infamous attack on Bob Harras in the margin of Earth X. Honestly, I found the commentary on the
foibles of Warren Ellis and his forum to be mean-spirited and a little
belabored, but for the most part it's well-observed and funny satire.
The hilarious script is accompanied by some incredible artwork from the Powers team of Mike Avon Oeming and Pat Garrahy and the X-Force team of Mike and Laura Allred. Both of them
have a cartoony, left-of-center art approach that fits perfectly with Smith's
characters. While the art is recognizable as super-heroic, it is also
recognizable as something quite different from the norm, and it brings a humor
to the piece without simply going over-the-top into caricature territory as some
humor comics can.
Bluntman and Chronic was originally supposed to come out in August, making it four months late, if you feel like being charitable. Happily, the graphic novel is well worth the wait, and should make a nice bit of Smith humor for fans who are caught in that zone between Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back's time in the theatres
and its impending arrival on DVD.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
