The Miscellaneous Adventures of Stykman #2

By Andy Doan
May 20, 2008 - 17:53

Stykman has been summoned by "Lucy Furr" herself (get it? LucyFurr... Lucifer... Yea I didn't get it the first time either) to a dark and dirty bar. Once there he to persuaded to complete a mission suited to his special talents as a super hero. What he doesn't realize is that he might have been tricked into helping the queen of darkness release hell onto earth. Seem a little heavy for a comedy book? Don't worry the indoor outhouse will take the edge off things.

As a comedy book, I would have to think that this one fits into the the slapstick sub-genre (if there is such a thing). A bit too outrageous for my taste but I will admit to allowing a few giggles early on. I like the contrast that's drawn between Stykman's bravado and his bumbling nature, but I can't help but think there needs to be a little more depth the character. The book was littered with what I assume were little church jokes. Most of them flew over my head (unless they weren't meant to be funny) the others seemed a little strange to me. Even though these are the types of things that may leave a Christian person in stitches I always think that is better to keep the inside jokes to a minimum. The overall plot of the book was a little weak but nothing less then expected. I think the idea for books like this is to get the hero from point A to point B by telling as many jokes as possible in between. Although I'm not convinced that the plot has to be diminished in works like these I will agree that the format worked well in this issue. Event though some of the jokes were a little dull the pace at which they are delivered increased the chances that one would work.

I have to admire the effort creator Jonnie Allan put behind this book. For a one man show it's very impressive. Design and consistency of the secondary characters seem to be the biggest weakness at this point. With the amount of practice the creator gets with each issue, I'm sure that mastery is right around the corner. When some of the spoken jokes fell flat the visual gags picked up the pieces. Synchronisation is the key to success here and I think Jonnie has made great strides in this area. Overall the artist has designed a very balanced piece here with style and tone fitting perfectly with the overall mood of the story.

Comedy is not a genre that I have a lot of experience with outside the odd Groo graphic novel. For me it's hard to become interested in a character with very little depth. For that reason I can't say that Stykman is the kind of title that I'd want to pick up month after month. There are Christian undertones here that seem to be a little more obvious here then in the previous issue. This makes me feel like an outsider as a non-Christian reader. I'm sure that these little background items could be ignored, but as a reader I don't think it's my responsibility. Unless the theme relates directly to the story being told I think they are easier to leave out completely. So there are a few personal reasons why I won't continue to read this title but I don't think my tastes speak to the overall quality of the issue. Jonnie Allan has poured a lot of his soul into this work and it really shows. If you are into slapstick comedy with slight Christian undertones this title deserves your attention.

Rating: 7 - Midly Entertaining /10

Last Updated: January 17, 2025 - 08:20

RSS Mobile Contact Advertising Terms of Service