Indie Spotlight: Man Vs. Rock Vol. 1 Review

Written by: Victor DeTroy and Kevin Bieber
Art by: Jared Lamp
Where to Buy: Official Website, Amazon, Comixology, Ecrater
Release Date: Out Now!

Rock of Ages

This review will hopefully be the start of something beautiful.  Sometimes being an all-DC website and podcast can get me down in the dumps.  Sure, I love Batman and Superman, but nowadays, everything at the major companies seems to be getting more watered down in an attempt to appeal to the masses. While DC claims to have a book for anyone, what about a guy who wants a laugh out loud satire with lots of F-Bombs, dick jokes and sex?  Where's that book DC?   That book is out there and it's called Man Vs. Rock and it is the subject of this weeks Indie Spotlight review.

Whether you know it or not, Man and Rock have been involved in an age old conflict that is about to explode in our faces.  Writers Victor DeTroy and Kevin Bieber use this opening volume to show us the origins of the conflict and it's hilarious.  Since the Dawn of Time, the rocks have been there and Mankind has not been good to them.  Man has enslaved them, killed them, tortured them and worse.  However, this book is not a sympathetic look at the plight of the rocks...nope, DeTroy and Bieber want to tell us, "Fuck You Rocks"!  As an American and a patriot, I have to agree with them.  I don't have a choice, right?

This book is why there will always be demand for indie comics.  It's clever, fearless and pretty damn great.  It reminds me of the Mad magazines I read as a kid, only with more curse words and nudity.  When I wasn't laughing, I was smiling and when I wasn't smiling, I was shaking my head.

Of course, for this book to continue as a series, there has to be a protagonist and DeTroy and Bieber introduce Buck Stone.  He's a Professor of Geology and the only human who realizes that those damn, dirty rocks are about to cause Armageddon.  He's awesome and I'm sure sometime in his past, he refused to work with a new partner and turned in his badge because he can't play by the rules. Geologists do that, right?  He's got a plan to deal with the Rocks and it just might be crazy enough to work.  The way the book ends, he better be ready to do it.

This book has humor to burn and if you like pop culture reference as much as I do, then you'll be in heaven.  It's pure satire and pokes fun at everything from music to politics to religion to much more.  It's an equal opportunity offender and almost everything hits it's target square on.  I love the premise, but it's Buck Stone I want to keep reading about.  He is just plain awesome and is the most badass Geologist since Sir Douglas Mawson.

Jared Lamp's black and white art starts off okay, but by the end is really good.  I'm not sure if that was part of the development process, but by the end, it really impressed me.  It is reminiscent of Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder's work which is perfect for a humorous satire of this type.

Bits and Pieces:

If you love laughing and hate all those damn Rocks who think they're so special, this book is for you. Victor DeTroy and Kevin Bieber take a clever premise and run with it while Jared Lamp's art gets stronger as the book goes on.  If you are tired of the "safe" books of the major companies, give this a shot.  The battle of Man Vs. Rock is just beginning and I plan on being on the front lines. Recommended.

8.8/10