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POUNDED #1
(Best of the Week!)
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Steve Rolston
Editor: James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US |
I've enjoyed much of what Brian Wood and Steve Rolston have done in comics thus far, but it's fair to say that Pounded is my favorite work that either of them have done. It has great characters, a sharp design sense and a wicked sense of humor, and though the protagonist may not be entirely likable, he's unlikable in highly entertaining ways. Pounded
is sort of about a punk rock band, but it's mostly about their frontman, the
slightly self-centered Heavy Parker, and his romantic trials and tribulations,
at least in this first issue. It's another one of those "don't ask any
questions, just buy it and enjoy it" books that I've come to expect from Oni
Press.
Wood has created an
interesting lead character in Heavy Parker. He is without a doubt narcissistic
and delusional, far more suave and "real punk" in his mind than he is in
reality. However, there's no denying that he actually does have style and charm,
whether it's the smooth (if selfish) way he handles Missy or the opening
sequence, which shows that he does know how to enjoy life without over-thinking
it. However, it's not just Heavy Parker who will carry this, it's the love
triangle developing between his sweet and seemingly perfect girlfriend and the
sexually athletic but dangerous Ali. Both of these characters are quite well
developed as well, and I though Wood did a nice job of portraying Parker as
someone who cheats on his girlfriend, while not necessarily being a total jerk
about such things. There's room for redemption, or at least self-realization, in
his character.
Steve Rolston did some nice work on Queen & Country, but I wasn't always entirely sure his work was suited to the subject matter. Pounded, on the other hand, is right up his alley, and his art performance is even more impressive. Leaving aside his great command of facial expressions, which was his best asset on Queen & Country, he does stunning backgrounds, whether it's a high-rise
overlooking Vancouver, an establishing shot of the New York skyline or just the
interior of a club or its restroom. He also has the comedic timing that Wood
absolutely needed in his artist to pull off this script, conveying a lot of
personality for the various band members in Parker's drive to pick them up or
the dangerous sexuality of Ali MacClaw.
Pounded has style and humor to spare. The wardrobe and
the settings pull even a guy as clueless about the club music scene as myself
into the world of Heavy Parker and his pals, and though the interactions between
friends and lovers are distinctive as a result of their setting, they also have
a universal appeal. I particularly enjoyed Parker's realization that he was in a
long distance relationship, whether he wanted to be or not.
Though Pounded is about a lead character who could be
considered a bit of a loser, the series is definitely a winner. It's a funny
book that has some serious relationship issues underneath it, and it's
definitely one of the strongest first issues I've read.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
