Charlatan Ball
Image
Story by Joe Casey, Art by Andy Suriano
Sep 18, 2009 Web Exclusive
Charlatan Ball, by Joe Casey and Andy Suriano, might be described as a wonderful mess. It follows the adventures of subpar stage magician Chuck Amok and his rabbit Caesar, who get whisked into an alternate dimension and dropped into a mystic tournament to the death. While the journey turns Caesar into the buffest anthropomorphic rabbit this side of Captain Carrot, Chuck stays precisely the same: powerless, weasel-like, cowardly, and way, way over his head. He wants no part of the action, but gets thrown into it all the same thanks to the machinations of an evil sorcerer, Demon Empty.
Suriano’s art is just wacky, and that’s a good thing-Jack Kirby-cum-Loony Tunes, maybe. Casey’s story is a send-up of mostly Marvel Comics conventions, with amusing riffs on Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, and more. The two combine to really capture the spirit of fun in comics, with a decidedly adult homage to Silver Age excitement and goofiness.
But there’s a fine line between chaotic and just plain unfocused. Charlatan Ball comes a little too close to that line to be considered on par with Casey’s excellent prior works (such as Nixon’s Pals, The Intimates, Wildcats). The ideas per page are high, but Chuck’s less fleshed out-and less funny-than both Caesar and Demon Empty. The cartoon sensibilities are compelling, but that doesn’t mean Chuck should be so 2-D. Conceived as only the first part of many, Casey may have anticipated more story arcs to slowly build Chuck Amok’s character. As it stands, Charlatan Ball is enjoyable casual fare, but hardly a must-read. (www.imagecomics.com)
Author rating: 5/10
Average reader rating: 4/10
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