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MAGIC PICKLE #3
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Oni Press
Writer/Artist: Scott Morse
Editor: James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
I was in for
a pleasant surprise this issue, because I thought the series was three issues
rather than four. So I was perplexed to find that rather than wrapping up the
series, this issue introduces the odd concept of a bank-robbing coconut and
introduces a little more schoolyard strife for Jo Jo. The result was an issue
that didn't really fit in the scheme of the story thus far, but was still highly
entertaining. Morse's odd vision of the world, both in terms of his imagination
and his art style, manages to make a concept as bizarre as a super-powered
pickle and his young friend approachable, fun and very funny.
The banter between Jo Jo and Weapon Kosher is half the fun of the book. Jo Jo has a child's innocence, but she has the sarcasm of a modern kid, already completely socialized in the ways of fashion and social mores of her group. She comes across as a cross between Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes) and one of the hip
teens on any number of WB shows, and the result works pretty well. That Weapon
Kosher has to play the straight man (straight vegetable?) helps to define him,
and I love watching his attempts to be a noble and forthright crusader when his
simplistic jingo-ism won't get him anywhere with the whip-smart Jo Jo.
Of course, Morse isn't all
about the dialogue. He is also more than willing to go for the jokes that
revolve around the sheer weirdness of the premise or for puns. The "moment I
will relish" line made me groan, and the exchange about being nuts with a
sentient coconut was brutal but funny torture of the English language. Much as I
love the main characters, though, the introduction of Roberto McSanchez has
given me a new favorite. His simplistic logic and inept planning was hilarious,
and his origins are just as out there as those of Weapon Kosher.
Alongside the bizarre and
goofy caper of McSanchez vs. Weapon Kosher we have some back-and-forth between
Jo Jo and her rival Lu Lu, which nicely establishes the world she's used to
living in, and why she's so capable of dealing with Weapon Kosher. It's often
been said that kids are cruel, and I was amazed that Morse captured the
innocence of childhood in their insults while he also showed how much childhood
bullies can define us.
There's a genial strangeness
to this entire endeavor. The threats are more silly than real, and the
characters generally solve their problems through cleverness rather than just
pounding on them. That makes this an ideal comic for kids as well as adults with
a taste for the strange. Morse has successfully combined the best of the
super-hero genre, a dynamic aimed at younger audiences and the strange energy
that pervades many independent comics to create a truly unique and entertaining
comic.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
