Writer: Skipper Martin
Artists: Christopher Provencher (p), Wes Dzioba (colors & lettering)
Publisher: Ape Entertainment
Plot: Imagine if you could actually fly! What would you do?
Comments: Some surprises are bad, some are nice, but rarely are they excellent. Well, Bizarre New World is a wonderful surprise.
I haven’t read many books from Ape Entertainment, but if this new title is representative of all their publications, I will definitely jump on board on some of their other titles.
Bizarre New World is one of the most enthusiastic comic books I have ever read. There is so much positive energy in this book that it will put a smile on your face for the rest of the day.
The main character in this story is Paul Krutcher, an average guy with a boring job who discovers that he can fly. Just like that. He isn’t Superman or any other muscular hero who can fly at the speed of light. No, he's just a guy who can fly at a modest pace. He is more into donuts than the South Beach diet, and his personality isn’t heroic at all. Paul is a sweet guy and a loving father. And when he is playing with his son, you wonder who the grown up is supposed to be.
So does Paul have a super power? Just imagine if you could really fly. Would you consider yourself as having powers? Well, Paul doesn’t seems to think that he has a power. He has something unique, that’s true, but it comes with many quirks that super hero comics are keeping secret. Did you know that when you fly high into the air that your ears will pop and hurt like hell? Or that, yes, as you are getting closer to the sun, it’s actually freezing up there.
Paul doesn’t have the mind of a brain surgeon. There is a wonderful and heart warming scene where Paul talks to his son, Sean, about what he would do when he could fly. The dialogue between them is realistic and enthusiastic, making this a memorable scene.
Talking about good scenes, they aren’t hard to spot in Bizarre New World. The creative team shows us that they understand the medium. The sequential art would have made Will Eisner proud.
Christopher Provencher has a keen eye for composition. His lay outs are well constructed, so they gain maximum effect on us readers. Actually, I was overwhelmed by the numerous panels presenting lovely story moments. Provencher must also love to draw facial expression because he brings the characters to life with them. I like the pencilling without the hard ink lines; it’s got the same quality as Mike Ploog's style.
Wes Dzioba uses a good pallet of colors. It feels natural, and he keeps it basic but without being boring. He understands what it takes to make a night scene work and has no problem creating the right mood when the sun sets. There are a lot of colorists working at major comic companies who have don't have the first clue in translating a real sunset into a two dimensional medium.
Skipper Martin has written several scenes in this comic book that are funnier than most TV sitcoms. It’s not often that I really laugh out loud while reading a comic book. With a title like Bizarre New World anything goes. Trust me, this book is hilarious.
All three issues are well paced and the plot twist in issue #3 is more than nice. This is the sitcom version of Heroes.
Issue #1 costs $3.50 for a double sized issue, which is a bargain! I give high praise to Ape Entertainment for this mini series. So order your copy, buy this one and for once make this a hype that is really worth it.
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