Pubo is a light and fun comic about an escaped lab experiment, a bunch of forest creatures who talk and the government agents tracking Pubo down. Honestly, given all that I've heard about Vox, I was expecting something a whole lot weirder, and certainly something that would instantly grab me with its brilliance. However, while I wasn't blown away or anything, I did enjoy this book, and it's worth a few chuckles if nothing else. I'll be interested in seeing where the story goes from here.
Pubo, the lead character, looks like a bit of a cutesy dwarf/troll doll type of creature. His personality doesn't match this cute visual, though, which is a nice touch and which instantly made me like him. Though he's not really a completely sour character, he does have a bit of world-weary cynicism and practicality to him, which you'd expect of someone who has had to deal with lab experiments that have mutated him considerably. His interaction with One Stone was particularly fun, an amusing confrontation between the mysterious philosopher and the straight shooter type.
Purvis's artwork is very effective, with a sort of cartoony style but plenty of detail where it's necessary. I'm reminded somewhat of Judd Winick's Barry Ween work, although that may be partly because of the similar treatment of clueless secret government operatives. But there's definitely something to be said for Purvis's style, as it really captures the humorous action of Pubo's escape, the long falling sequence and the nonplussed attitude that Pubo has to his new circumstances.
We've all read numerous "government experiment escapes custody" stories at this point, it's become a staple of conspiracy fiction as well as modern day science-fiction stories. The basics are a little too familiar here, from the agent being browbeaten about losing their prey and nevertheless put on the recovery job to the escapee trying to find a place to hide. What is different, though, is Pubo's attitude, as he settles into his fugitive life pretty easily. In fact, considering all he's been through and the weirdness facing him, he's sort of easy-going about the whole thing, which is kind of a fun change from expectations.
Expectations are what feeds into Pubo for me. I've heard so much about Purvis and how great Vox was that I was expecting to be instantly blown away by Pubo, and it didn't really grab me that strongly. However, I like the lead character a lot, and I'm a fan of the artwork, and I'm curious to see what other twists Purvis can put on the fugitive science experiment story.
