Aha! And people said I was a fool for saving everything!
PTF Reviews DIE KITTY DIE
Well, I'm back. Can't say I had a lot of fun with the last series, but when you want to gouge your eyes out with an ice cream scoop, you can only go up. So let's delve into a book you all have probably already read and commented on...because I am that guy who is always late to the party!!
Kitty Ravencraft is a comic book icon on the decline. Sales are down and not even the most ludicrous of publicity have garnered lasting acclaim. Leaving only one option: KILL KITTY. How do you kill a witch? Let's find out!
The art: Ohhthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! I think...finally the horrible nightmares of heads with shifting noses, chins, and skeletal structure might just end! We have Dan Parent and Fernando Ruiz, so I went in thinking the art would be great, and it was wonderful. Dan Parent does a great job with the opening and Kitty Comics/Evil Corp. Ruiz did an amazing job at the comic shop and Kitty's manor. I keep going back and finding new things to admire.
The writing: It's a first issue and it does what a first issue is supposed to do: introduce the characters, start the story and point to where it will be going in future issues. And if you're a fan of...jokes relating to a female's frame, then you'll be happy. I like that all the characters have their own dialogue and way of speaking. Rudy is a pervert, Ace is a moron and totally tubular dude, Skip is skuzzy and angry. The characters have their own personalities and it's a joy to read.
The pacing is really well. I really like the set up for the villains: Skip is the boss, Ace is an idiot, and Monica seems to have common sense to her. So it's a pretty good dynamic. The supporting cast is fun. Most of all Kitty is a well rounded person. She's fun, she's friendly, she has worries (no longer being famous, being forgotten, and mansions ain't cheap) and is a character I'm going to root for to survive whatever comes her way. Seriously, if this ends like Drag Me To Hell, I'll be depressed for weeks.
The lettering. Janice Chiang did a really wonderful job. Especially on the first pages with the old school effects. I liked the emphasis on the EWW when Rudy the frog wanted a kiss from Kitty and skip deciding to KILL Kitty. Dippy the Dead Kid getting his own special word balloons. And the ending with DIE, KITTY! DIE!
The coloring. Glen Whitmore did an amazing job with this issue. I give him major props for the opening pages. I actually pulled out my first issue of Mighty Mutaninals #1 to really respect how great a job he did with the coloring to capture the old time comic feel. He could not have done that any better. And he's got two different artists with different styles and he does not miss a beat. And he looks like he'll be the colorist for Super Suckers so that comic is already on good footing with me.
The inside references and quips: There done where you don't have to be in the know and can just use common sense to realize how stupid these ideas are...and yet real comic companies do them (Sigh). Oh, and for future issues, if the jabs, quips, pokes at DC Comics continue and increase, I'll be more than willing to give an automatic B. Just throwing that out there...
The homages to Harvey Comics: I used to have a huge ton of Harvey comics: Casper, Hot Stuff, Little Dot, Spooky (my favorite) so I really appreciate the trip down memory lane.
Extras: We have few gag pages for the old timey junk you'd mail off for and then be vastly disappointed when it did not live up to the hype. And awesome pin ups from Mike Rooth and Gisele Lagace along with Dan Parent and Fernando Ruiz. Also plugs to their websites and other online comics. And I love the homage to old ads in comics that looked amazing...until you realize they didn't work at all.
The Bad
Misspellings and grammar: We got two pretty bad ones early on with "torpedos" and "missles" both on the same page. Also you had "...wasn't 'a' very clear." I consider these pretty big no-no's with comics. I learned to read mainly from comics and read comics aloud to myself to improve my speech, so this really bothers me. Although it is nice knowing there is a worse spellcheck than mine. Like now how spellcheck is saying spellcheck is—I can grammatically use it as one word or two or with a hyphen you stupid piece of!!!—er, um, yeah, moving on.
Who's that guy? The first issue did a great job introducing us to the protagonist, the antagonists, supporting cast, future friends/allies...but who was the fat guy with the blond hair and five 'o'clock shade? I'm assuming he's a reoccurring supporting cast member. I'll just call him Kevin Smith until I have conformation.
Things I've learned.
That Rudy and my cousin both do things with Barbie dolls that worry me.
- Dippy The Dead Kid is much more Spooky than he is Casper.
- Zombies make everything better.
- Hello Kitty Comics might not have been for younger children.
- Freaky Delivery is the only way to go.
- Ending comic with an "X" makes it cooler.
- Killing a living being is much better than investing in better ideas and smarter marketing.
- Skip prefers the Rob Liefield method for achieving financial success in the comic book industry.
- I can buy a nuclear missile AND lazer-x-specs for less than ten dollars! Wowie!
- Breasts jokes are the best jokes.
Yeah, this was an amazing issue, the art is great, the writing is very good, the lettering, the coloring, and the extra art is nice. But there is a major problem with the spelling and grammar that I can't overlook, so instead of an A+, I've got to give it a B+. But I'm hoping that won't be a problem for the rest of the series. I highly recommend this book. And so far it's the best book I've read this month.
Next up is Super Suckers issue 1! Is it all bite like a vampire or bark like a sissy werewolf? Find out!