Et Review, Brute?

Here's a review that cropped up in the just-released Redeye #5, courtesy of Adam York:

If you're one of those people that skipped through the text in Alan Moore's Watchmen because it looked boring alongside Dave Gibbons' fabulous artwork, I have two things to say to you. The first is this: go back and read those pages, they're fantastic and thought provoking and add so much to the story, you really missed out there. The second is: whatever you do, don't do the same with Pony School, because if you do, what you will find is a strange comic with an odd visual style and a seemingly inappropriate storyline. But that would be missing the point...
Pony School is a little piece of postmodern satire, wrapped up neatly in a comic. The passages of text that punctuate the story itself tell of the (fictional) history of the comic itself, from its initial incarnation in 'Fairytale Princess' where the story centred around 'Jenny's attempts to come to grips with the minutiae of pony riding', through successive buy-outs and mergers, ending up in a violent boys comic where Jenny is 'a government spy'.
The absurdity of both stories is handled brilliantly with a dead-pan, faux documentary approach and you feel that rather than reading a comic, you are reading a history of the mainstream British comics industry. One moment you are reading about the tragic life of the publisher P.T. Dunbar, the next you are following Jenny towards an explosive climax of violence and gymkhana. It is an odd mix that works surprisingly well. There are some nice touches too: there's a glossary of terms including entries such as 'bridal', 'dressage' and 'The Intelligence and Security Committee'. There's also a letters page, taken to be an excerpt from one of the many incarnations of the comic, which made me laugh out loud several times before I managed to finish it.
As I mentioned, the artwork is a little strange though suitably uses a mangaesque style to depict both the espionage action and the pony riding with some competance and wit. The shading is a bit patchy and seems to be a mix of hand-drawn and CGI, whilst the lettering is a little ugly, but perfectly readable. In a way this adds to the back-story that Pony School fought long and hard to appear in comics for the general public, despite a rough edge and some questionable content. I don't think I have ever read anything that manages to address the moral issues involved in pumping our children full of commercial comics in such an elegant way. It makes a serious attempt at witty satire and I think it pulls it off perfectly.
If you are of a naturally cynical disposition, this will make you laugh from start to finish.

Penny Ryder's Pal Tobermory

Presenting the latest comic from DCJ - Tranny the Power Horse. The story is unique in its ballistic simplicity - Tobermory, the loyal equine companion of Pony School's Penny Ryder, is granted mystical superhuman powers when he is visited by the ghost of King Arthur whilst visiting Stonehenge as part of a history excursion-cun-riding lesson. Imbued with the amphropomorphic trans-gender powers of speach, cognitive reasoning and the ability to fly, like his owner Penny he is dedicated to just one thing - protecting Great Britain. Under the tutilage and guidance of Arthur's deceased spirit, Toby will begin a journey round the globe to prevent an occult catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions that has been millennia in the planning...

The first issue in the 'Golden Warriors of Troy' story arc sees Toby travelling to San-Francisco, and setting up a front as transexual private investigator Paris DuCraine, in a deadly war of nerves with the local drug-pushers who are headed by the sinister shaggy form of Bigfoot Bill, the Yeti-Czar of Old Frisco Bay. PLUS, exclusive to this issue, the tragic and never told before origin story of Tobermory...believe me readers, this will be a story that you MUST NOT MISS! Just make sure you have plenty of kleenex on standby...there won't be a dry eye left in the house...!

Expect explosive action, street-bound justice and hot female impersonator hi-jinx in a comicbook near you soon...and we promise that ONE CHARACTER WILL DIE IN THIS ISSUE!! Would we lie to you...?

Excelsior to you gentle reader, and 'till next time...'nuff said!

Entertaining Ed
Beguiling Bryan

The Way of the Warrior...

A sneak preview of Shido, our long-planned Manga digest. It finally actually seems to be happening after various troughs and peaks, and from the bits I've seen so far, looks like it could be pretty good. More as it happens.

In other news, I'm currently inking the next page for the blog, so try to avoid that one if you can.