The Good
Having a rough day? Need something over the top and ridiculous to up your spirits? Then you should be reading PUNKS. Yeah, that sounds like a terrible advertisement, but I just feel like getting informal and a bit silly for this review since the book is exactly that. For those who don't know what this is, here's PUNKS in a nutshell: one-off, farcical stories filled with immature jokes and art that resembles DIY scrapbooking. That all sounds like a giant insult, right? It's not. Every insane element of this book is what makes it a great book.
The things you expect from a comic book like continuity, coherent plots, character development, and thought provoking narrative are not here. This is a safe place for jokes about punches to the crotch and references to the McCarthy era communist witch hunt and the Hunt for Red October: McCarthy Communist Hunt for Red October. PUNKS is a break from long-form storytelling, which usually gets wrapped up in overly convoluted plots.
Let's just talk about the issue. Sean Connery and a whole bunch of Baldwins are in this issue. At this point, I'm sold. Dog finds himself in a sticky situation as he needs to cook a holiday dinner, but Sean Connery is in his kitchen, and Dog is actually Connor Mcleod. The dialogue is hilarious and most folks in their 30s will have a good laugh at the numerous references to things from their childhood/teenage years.
The second half of the book is Dog interviewing Rick Remender, who is apparently a fish, which is actually an old issue of the original comic. It's an incredibly mean interview which equals nothing but pure comedy. While I loved the main story, the interview was so over-the-top and hilarious that I can't get it out of my head.
When you first open this issue, you're going to notice the art of Kody Chamberlain. What I found particularly awesome with this issue was the real obvious lack of continuity with Lincoln's facial hair and the mixing of Sean Connery faces. Sometimes Lincoln has a beard, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes Connery is old, sometimes he's young. I love the "who cares" attitude of the book, like Josh Fialkov and Chamberlain enjoy doing some of these weird things. It's like being with them on an inside joke.
The Bad
If you don't like it, then you don't get it, and you probably take yourself too seriously. Don't take that as an insult. This book isn't for you.
The Verdict
PUNKS is an insane breath of fresh air. It's unlike everything else on the shelves and any book that makes fun of the McCarthy era communist hunt, more than half a century after it happened, is totally ok in my book. The interview with Rick Remender is hilarious. And I'm totally digging on the cut and paste art. The book is just a solid good time and if you understand the formula of the book, you're going to love it. (The secret formula is fun)
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