|
TALES FROM THE BULLY PULPIT VOL. 1
Highly Recommended (10/10)
|
Image Comics
Writer: Benito Cereno
Artist: Graeme MacDonald
Colors: Ron Riley
Letters: Chad Manion
Price: $6.95 US |
Because of Street Angel and Scurvy Dogs, I cannot say that Tales From The Bully Pulpit is the weirdest, funniest thing I have read all year. I can only say that it is tied, and that if you like either of those books, you will love this one. Bully Pulpit reads like the insane lovechild of Mel Brooks and Sam Raimi. It is not, of course, for everyone, but if you can't get behind the idea of Teddy Roosevelt and the ghost of Thomas Edison battling Nazis and martians across time and space, then I'm afraid I just can't help you anyway. Tales From The Bully Pulpit really is a rollercoaster ride. Not in the sense that it's a rollicking thrill-a-minute adventure, but in that it starts off with sort of mildly amusing jokes, than hits a few really funny jokes and then, by the time you're nearing the end, it has built up to full speed and is providing increasing laugh out loud moments with each page. By the time I finished reading this book, I was wiping away tears from laughing so hard.
Both Cereno and MacDonald are new names to me. MacDonald's work, however, calls to mind a number of impressive current Image artists. I'm most strongly reminded of Invincible artist Cory Walker, as MacDonald has the same likable simplicity to his work. He does some big design stuff, from Edison's gloves to the Nazi complex in the future to a two-page splash of the Sylvan Resistance, but his real strength is in his comedic timing and hilariously skewed recreations of historical figures.
It's one of those concepts that could be either delightfully wacky or embarrassingly goofy: one of the more colorful Presidents of the past and a famous inventor team up in a time machine. The high concept is definitely the kind of thing that comes up when you're drunk, high or have just been up for way too long, and too often, these concepts disappoint in execution, because the joke is all there in the explanation of the concept. Cereno and MacDonald, however, have used this idea as a launching point for an increasingly bizarre (although not surreal) story of adventure that is aware of how funny it is without painfully nudging the audience with "Get it? Get it?" moments every few pages. When it comes to this kind of thing, presenting the absurd as if it's the most normal thing in the world is half the battle, and the creators have nailed that.
They also have a great pair of protagonists here. Their take on Roosevelt, who blends the famous "Rough Rider" spirit of the American historical figure with a likable cluelessness and heroic streak that reminds one of the Tick, is the centerpiece of the story, and a big part of how it works. They have also taken the time-honored buddy movie formula to heart, with Edison being the more modern, more educated of the pair, but he's no less enthusiastic about their jaunts through time. These characters are at the heart of an outrageous comedy, but to them, this is an adventure story, and that's part of what makes the book so enjoyable.
Another big part is the increasingly wacky series of gags stemming from the premise that the world is ridiculous enough to allow this time-travelling pair. The introduction of futuristic Nazis into the equation, mixing together tales of South American Nazi exiles and a hundred cliched science-fiction tales, gives the book additional life in chapter two, as does the introduction of martian elements into chapter three. The influences here are many and varied, but you'll find references to everything from John Carter, Warlord of Mars to The Boys From Brazil. By the time they've gotten to their climactic final battle, which involves a gathering of historical talent in a move reminiscent of the finale of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, it's impossible not to be having a great time.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
