The Unwritten 31 (January 2012)

843000 Frankenstein’s Monster does join the gang, but he doesn’t really do anything. He’s muscle, without a lot of dialogue; it’s too bad.

This issue features Tom wielding the magic, Lizzie and Richie freaking out and a lot of action. Carey and Gross and M.K. Perker (who finishes) do a great job with the changing genres. Well, not so much genres. It’s always action-oriented, but there are some calm periods with the characters regrouping.

But, as an action issue, not a lot really happens. Lizzie argues with Tom about him not knowing enough about his magic, she tells Richie about it, she turns out to be right. Carey doesn’t go much for character development, he goes for big action set pieces. And those action set pieces work. It feels like Carey’s priming for something big.

Oddly, the issue’s most intriguing moment might just be a throw away line of dialogue.

CREDITS

Tommy Taylor and the War of Words, Part One; writers, Peter Gross and Mike Carey; pencillers, Gross and M.K. Perker; inker, Perker; colorist, Chris Chuckry; letterer, Todd Klein; editors, Joe Hughes and Karen Berger; publisher, Vertigo.

Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth 4 (April 2013)

Todd The Ugliest Kid on Earth 4 Some things can never be unseen. I’m pretty sure Todd’s dad naked in bed covered in money is one of them.

Kristensen and Perker doesn’t introduce any new characters this issue, I don’t think, but many of the series’s smaller players reappear. Even though Todd will return as an ongoing, this issue feels like a finish.

There’s a lot of plot development, maybe even more of it than there is humor. The issue has a lot of action, often funny, but the action humor is black. Kristensen only has a handful of really funny lines.

He brings all of the plot threads together to resolve the story pretty well, while still introducing little things and setting up the big development for the ongoing series. One has to wonder if it would have ended the same without its success.

It’s a moderately satisfying finish, but probably the series’s least successful issue.

CREDITS

Writer, Ken Kristensen; artist and letterer, M.K. Perker; colorist, Cemal Soyleyen; publisher, Image Comics.

Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth 3 (March 2013)

Well now… Kristensen saves the issue’s biggest laugh for the final page. It’s a small panel, but it’s Todd’s panel and Todd isn’t in the issue much and it’s a damn good joke. It’s kind of a dumb joke, but the way Kristensen tells it is smart, which isn’t the way Todd usually goes, but here it does and it works.

Kristensen splits the issue between Todd, his mom and his dad and the police chief. The police chief is fighting the serial killer, which is hilarious; the mom and dad are both having extramarital encounters. The mom’s is sad and depressing, but the dad’s is Kristensen telling Scientologist and Internet jokes.

The change in tone–and pace (the issue seems to take place over an hour or so)–makes Todd entirely unpredictable. The beautiful, preciously careful Perker makes the comic even more of an oddity.

Todd continues its excellence.

CREDITS

Writer, Ken Kristensen; artist and letterer, M.K. Perker; colorist, Cemal Soyleyen; publisher, Image Comics.

Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth 2 (February 2013)

IMG120739A Kristensen really runs with the Todd in jail angle. It’s a busy issue–Todd’s parents get their own subplots, the moron cop who arrested him gets a little page time and, of course, the real serial killer gets a scene or two.

There’s some wonderful about the panels of Todd running around the prison yard playing with a butterfly. Perker’s art perfectly captures the innocence of the act, but also all the danger around Todd.

There are a lot of jokes this issue. Not just the prison jokes, which start at inappropriate and get funnier, but also digs at Oprah, Scientology, celebrity worship… other stuff. Perker is able to turn all these things into sight gags, even Todd’s mom picking up a sleazy guy at the bar. The writing and the art synthesize beautifully in Todd.

The only problem is the ending. Kristensen stops the issue, rather than ending it.

CREDITS

Writer, Ken Kristensen; artist and letterer, M.K. Perker; colorist, Cemal Soyleyen; publisher, Image Comics.

Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth 1 (January 2013)

Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth is delightfully disturbed. The titular protagonist is so ugly, he has to wear a paper bag around. But that ugliness does save him–there’s an axe-wielding child killer on the loose who lets Todd go because he’s so hideous.

But I’m not sure I would call writer Ken Kristensen’s humor disturbed; Todd is never uncomfortable, Kristensen’s jokes are just outrageously inappropriate.

M.K. Perker’s art adds to the lunacy. Perker could very well be illustrating a children’s book–the art is lush, expressive and pleasant. Todd and his family are the only things out of place in the idyllic setting. Well, the serial killer too.

Kristensen’s finish for the issue is one long series of jokes about small town cops. It’s funny, but doesn’t indicate where the series is going. But given the quality of this issue, Todd should work out just fine.

CREDITS

Writer, Ken Kristensen; artist and letterer, M.K. Perker; colorist, Cemal Soyleyen; publisher, Image Comics.

Air (2008) #5

Perker’s full page of Amelia Earhart alive and well in the pages of Air might be the ugliest piece of artwork in the issue. And the issue is full of ugly artwork.

It’s also full of swearing. I don’t think the comic was PG before, but Wilson’s apparently gotten tired of writing dialogue so every third word starts with an f.

Before the lame ending and all the cursing and the worsening art–and Perker did such a good job the last few issues–I was going to make a comment about it reading like a sequel to Nevada, which I mentioned before.

For all the quirks and fantastical details, Wilson can’t seem to get a handle on actual humor. She’s also changed up the supporting cast again–not a nice thing to do every three issues–but the lack of humor bugs me.

Air’s mildly endearing, but never amusing.

Air (2008) #4

Two things this issue really rile me.

First, the ending–there’s this hostage situation with the protagonist, Blythe. She gets taken up to the roof where the villain throws her off and she lands safely on some steampunk thing.

Steampunk thing not the issue–we don’t get to see her taken up to the roof. There’s not enough time, because Wilson has spent the issue on other stuff. This issue’s present action is appropriate for two issues, instead she does it in one. It would have been two lovely issues too, with lots of character and texture. Instead, it’s awkward.

Second issue. Blythe’s boss. Wilson has clearly come up with a very interesting character, but doesn’t seem to get, as the readers are reading a comic book, they only get to see the woman and hear what she says…

Unless the writer does something special, which Wilson doesn’t.

Air’s frustrating.

Air 5 (February 2009)

Perker’s full page of Amelia Earhart alive and well in the pages of Air might be the ugliest piece of artwork in the issue. And the issue is full of ugly artwork.

It’s also full of swearing. I don’t think the comic was PG before, but Wilson’s apparently gotten tired of writing dialogue so every third word starts with an f.

Air’s mildly endearing, but never amusing.

CREDITS

The Engine Room; writer, G. Willow Wilson; artist, M.K. Perker; colorist, Chris Chuckry; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Pornsak Pichetshote and Karen Berger; publisher, Vertigo.

Air (2008) #3

Once again, Wilson has some really significant pacing problems. I imagine she thinks the reader immediately finds her details as interesting as she does, but the reader is just hearing about them or seeing something briefly related to them. They make very little impression.

It’s like she doesn’t quite know how to add personality when writing a comic book. Instead, she overloads on everything else. I don’t think it’s to compensate, but her approach gives that impression. Having a lot of detail doesn’t make something successful. It just means you have a lot of detail (or, in the case of Air, the appearance of detail).

All those statements made, this issue is quite good. The pacing is still off, Wilson not giving the reader time to enjoy any of Perker’s artwork, which is improving.

It also feels like her first story arc should be done this issue, but it isn’t.

Air 4 (January 2009)

Two things this issue really rile me.

First, the ending–there’s this hostage situation with the protagonist, Blythe. She gets taken up to the roof where the villain throws her off and she lands safely on some steampunk thing.

Unless the writer does something special, which Wilson doesn’t.

Air’s frustrating.

CREDITS

Masks and Other Memories; writer, G. Willow Wilson; artist, M.K. Perker; colorist, Chris Chuckry; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Pornsak Pichetshote and Karen Berger; publisher, Vertigo.