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Apr 26, 2018 Issue #63 - Courtney Barnett By Jeremy Nisen

I can always use a giant helping of Mike Allred’s whimsical, poppy art, and this collection—with writing help from brother Lee and coloring help from wife Laura—is no exception. As part of the Young Animal line, you know there’s going to be some weirdness or headiness, but the pleasant surprise is that this not only a romp through a ton of Jack Kirby’s creations (Bug himself, Fourth World characters, two flavors of Sandman, and a ton more), but it’s more philosophical and deeper than I expected. And wittier. Puns and pop references galore (“Vile things, I think I love you,” “Same thing we do every night, stinky,” “Your lungs—I’ll rip ‘em out, Jim,” etc.).

Now, reality check—the story itself suffers from a large bit of nonsensical logic—perhaps appropriate, but not exactly a compelling selling point. But at least in terms of characterization, and a bit of growth for Forager himself, there’s a clear through-line and it’s rewarding. All in all, we’d call this a must for Allred or Kirby fans; a strong “yes” for fans of weird, à la Young Animal and early ‘90s Vertigo; and a solid “yeah, maybe,” for the general comics fan. (www.dccomics.com)

Author rating: 7/10