by Randy Lander

MBQ VOL. 1 manga Tokyopop Writer/Artist: Felipe Smith Tone Assistants: Jeff Schweikart, Frantz Lovell Letters: James Dashell, Mariela Smith & Felipe Smith Editor: Luis Reyes Price: $9.99 US/$13.99 CAN I've dipped my toe slightly into manga waters, but haven't really done a lot of exploration of Tokyopop's offerings. However, their Original English Language program has started to intrigue me more and more, so I figured I'd try them out with MBQ, the much-hyped book from new artist Felipe Smith, and if this is what I can expect from the OEL manga, I'll definitely be back for more. MBQ reminds me more of something like Scott Pilgrim than regular manga, blending manga storytelling conventions with a different influence, in this case a street vibe that is reminiscent of the work of Jim Mahfood and Dave Crosland and a touch of comics industry parody reminiscent of a number of indy comics. Smith has a pretty large cast of characters, including violent gangbangers, a gentle giant working fast food, a rookie hero cop and a wannabe comics artist, and the story sort of wanders between those lives, but it never feels unfocused or sprawling. Instead, MBQ reads like a snapshot of daily life for the lower class set, trying to get by on minimum wage jobs and dreaming of something more. If I had one adjective to describe MBQ, that adjective would be outrageous. There's a level of energy and enthusiasm in MBQ that's infectious, and even when Smith is dealing with some ugly violence or the messy side of sex and drinking, the book remains entertaining and compels the reader to keep turning pages. There's a variety of material to be had in here, from the comedic drudgery of working in a karoake bar, convenience store or fast food place to a brutal beatdown of a thief by his boss to an awesome extended foot chase between a cop and a crook. If you read the back of the book or the general press on the book, the impression you might get is that it's all about Omario, struggling artist, but in fact his story is but one of the stories at work in the pages of MBQ. Smith is taking a look at the street life from a variety of angles, not just the glamorized thug culture that dominates gangsta rap but the realities of street life, which includes crappy jobs and more often than not crappy people. Though MBQ does have an overriding story and a connection between most of the characters, there's also a nice standalone feel to each of the chapters. Each chapter essentially works as it's own little mini-story, with setup, escalation and punchline, and I find the structure at work to be fascinating. Smith uses the decompressed storytelling common to manga, but he also presents the sort of stories that are complete on their own that are more traditionally found in older American comics. MBQ Volume 1 charts Omario from nearly using a gun to settle a score all the way to finishing the first chapter of his comic and heading out to print it, but the story crosses a number of other paths along the way, and each story is broken into what are essentially standalone chapters. Each of these chapters is memorable on its own as well, although if I had to pick a favorite I'd probably go with the chase sequence between lanky rookie cop O'Malley and a would-be store robber in chapter seven. Then again, that leaves out the great sequence where O'Malley breaks up the robbery in chapter six, or the terrific introduction of Jeff and his role at McBurger Queen in chapter four. Basically, unlike the fast food burgers that inspired the name, MBQ doesn't have any filler. Smith's art style is also something designed to make you sit up and take notice. The exaggerated proportions of O'Malley and Jeff are the most extreme examples, but really all of Smith's characters have a distinctive appearance, and Smith's art style reminds me of everyone from Crosland to Skottie Young to Adam Warren to any number of manga artists. He's particularly good when it comes to deforming the faces or bodies of his characters for storytelling effect. The explosive anger of Mrs. Palmer at her incorrect order, the full-page slap she lays down on ineffective security guard George, the malevolent, feral quality of gangbanger Dee, the disgusting effect of an Uzi on someone's head and the sweaty after-effects of a karaoke makeout session are all made vividly clear in this first volume of MBQ. Smith also has a terrific facility with emotions and expressions, perhaps best explored in the rise of anticipation and fall of disappointment on Brian at the tail end of the karoake sequence and the deadpan expression on O'Malley's face throughout most of his police work. MBQ may not be for everyone, if only because there's a fair amount of raw language, nudity, sex and violence. However, if your age or sensibilities don't prevent you from enjoying a comic with those elements, than I think it's fair to say that MBQ does offer up something for a wide variety of people. There's very funny comedy, exceptionally well-done action and really great character moments to be found throughout. Email Randy Lander comments about this review.