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MIGHTY EYEBALL BIG CARD #8
"The Valley of Manga"
Neutral (4/10)
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Big Card Comics
Writer/Artist: Rurik Tyler
Price: $2.69 US/$4.00 CAN |
Whatever else you can say about Mighty Eyeball, it's clear that Rurik Tyler is having fun with it. The book leaves surreal on about page two and just goes weirder, and it never really comes back from that trip. I'm reminded in tone of work like Sky Ape, only aimed at a
younger audience with a shorter attention span and without any attempts at a
coherent plot to go along with the nonsense. Tyler's artwork is pretty to look
at, and I can't say the book is lacking in ideas, but the utter lack of
structure, an intentional part of the book, pretty much puts me off, as I'm a
story guy first.
In terms of art and production quality, Mighty Eyeball is pretty
impressive. Cardstock covers, great paper stock and beautiful gray toned artwork
make a very professional and attractive looking product. This is sure to draw
the eye of younger readers, and they're not likely to have any more trouble
understanding it than the rest of us would. In fact, Tyler's sense of humor
seems aimed at the young reader, throwing in dinosaurs, cowboys and indians and
random gags with abandon.
However, the story structure is completely lacking. The basic plot, that of Mighty Eyeball recovering science experiments, is pretty clear, and even this
issue's basic story, grafting western elements onto that main idea, is
relatively easy to get. But when you have any number of characters talking at
one another rather than to one another, and the odd elements seem to pop out of
the woodwork with no rhyme or reason, what you mostly get is lost. The energy
overwhelms everything else, and I'm left with the feeling of someone screaming
things at me while laughing hysterically. If you're in the right mood, that kind
of thing can be fun, but if you're looking for some kind of coherent story, this
isn't the place to find it.
There are elements that I really enjoyed in the random weirdness of Mighty Eyeball. The very strange visual of a giant eyeball in a white cowboy hat,
riding a velociraptor, is hard to resist on a basic fun level. And Tyler's
enthusiasm is definitely infectious, from the sarcastic notes from the letterers
all the way to the battle of fonts and sound effects that ensue as a result.
Mostly, Mighty Eyeball is the equivalent of a young child
hopped up on high-sugar cereals. It's hyperactive, full of energy and hard not
to like. However, it can be quite off-putting, and it's definitely not something
you plan to sit down and spend an afternoon with.
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