Comically Challenged: Joe the Barbarian #1

Due to some nasty weather, Diamond didn’t ship comic books out my way for Wednesday. So, instead of delaying the review this week, I’d like to go over a book that came out a couple weeks ago. Honestly, I thought it would be better to post this one late than not at all. I just enjoyed it that much. Do you know how much it will cost to put it in your life? One dollar. One. You can’t even get a double cheeseburger at McDonald’s anymore for that much! Whatabargain.

Vertigo put out the first installment in an eight issue mini series written by Grant Morrison, art by Sean Murphy. This book right here? It’s the reason I love comic books.

Low blood sugar is just something some people have to deal with. If you’re going to have a condition, that’s probably one of the most boring outside of hay fever. And yet, a great writer can make it interesting. A great writer can ask, “Where does the mind go when it slips into that unclear dimension when it can’t decipher what’s real or not?” Well, when you’re a teenage boy that loves to draw and collect action figures and toys, you slip into a war zone of sketches, Transformers and teddy bears.

Joseph Manson is a guy that would rather spend his time working in his sketch-book than talking with any of the kids in his school. Not that that isn’t understandable, seeing as how they’re a bunch of douches. He’s raised by a single mother after one can assume his father died in the war. The man definitely died, he was definitely a veteran but whether or not the two were related, I really don’t know. So on a school field trip, some of the aforementioned douches interrupt a candy-time session and Joe simply forgets to stay on top of his sugar levels. So when he gets home and into his room, he starts slipping into a blackout. Here we find The Action Elite fighting force discussing tactical defense of Playtown. We’ve got teddy bears, ninjas, cowboys, dinosaurs, Batman, soldiers and Ultimus Alpha (the store-brand Optimus Prime, I suppose) and they’re all in a bad way.

Thus ends Chapter 1: Hypo. Although the premise is great, it’s the art in this book that pushes the story into the land of fantastic. Sean Murphy handles the art with Dave Stewart as colorist. Judging from the storyline, you’d think the artist had better bring his A-game. He does; it’s absolutely breath-taking. The simplest thing, like a tree in the Portland Memorial Cemetery, becomes the most detailed double splash layout I’ve seen in a long time. What makes it so impressive? His capture of movement and expressive use of shadows.  Whether it be the clouds, the rain, the leaves or even the rope tethering the flag to the pole-there is always some form of coherent movement in the art. A trait that could easily be screwed up if it weren’t for the shadowing. Check out this page without its color. It’s a school bus. Nothing special. But, my God, look how menacing that thing looks. We’ve all been there. Buses are torture. Especially when you’re surrounded by assholes. The readers don’t need work balloons to explain how much that sucks for Joe. We know. The art makes it relatable. When you pick this one up, take a look at the page when he starts getting dizzy as he’s lying in bed. The quilt on the bed, the tv, the poster of the solar system all combine in a pseudo vortex. You can’t tell me that panel isn’t incredible. You can’t. You’ll try but you’ll fail.

If I could come to your house, take you by the hand and make you buy this book, I would. This is going to be huge. Go spend the dollar; it’s worth every single one of those pennies. How often do you get to see the mundane turn into something remarkable?