Written by: Elliot Rahal and Daniel KibblesmithArt by: Kendal Goode
Cover Price: $3.50
Release Date: June 16, 2016
Publisher: Heavy Metal
With so many comics on the shelf today, one of the hardest things to do is create something new AND get noticed. While fans cry that everything is the same, they just keep buying the same and we all get stuck in a never ending self fulfilling prophecy of comic book titles. The truth is out there, people and it is found in books like The Doorman. If you don't already know, the Doorman is a four parter from Heavy Metal that is a mix of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Stargate, Rick & Morty, Lethal Weapon, Doctor Who, Discworld, Neverwhere...seriously, if I haven't sold you on it yet, you have no soul! Luckily for you, I'm only here to judge issue #3 of the The Doorman, and awaaaayyyyyy we go...
To get everyone up to speed, every civilized planet in the Universe has a Door and each has a Doorman working it. A Doorman never leaves his post, but someone (if you've been reading, you know exactly who) has killed all of them, but one...Henry Clay Waters. Now, Henry and Flower, an alien cop, are trying to end the madness, but more importantly, stay alive. Got it? Good!
Last issue ended on a pretty crazy cliffhanger and the somewhat introduction of a new character and after a beginning scene that makes me glad that Colonel Tom Parker wasn't a four-eyed alien with multiple hearts, we get back to it and meet...Joe the Janitor. Actually, Joe is a Custodian and that means something. The Custodians are a "covert agency dedicated to cleaning up the messes that enemies of civil society leave behind. Kind of makes you think higher of Carl from the Breakfast Club, huh? Joe isn't just there to clean up, though, he has a plan...he needs Henry and Flower to kidnap Carlisle Moongale! If you have been reading the series, you know damn well why that exclamation point is there. First off, Moongale is the richest, most popular guy in the Universe (think Richard Branson meets Zaphod Beeblebrox meets meets Eric Shea meets Satan), secondly, he's the one who is responsible for the deaths of all the other Doorman. They are so going to die!
The plan gets going with Flower and Henry heading to the Zookepedia (it's hilarious, trust me) and after a couple of awesome Paybacks and Animal Man easter eggs, we get a little Ocean's Three action. Everything is going smoothly...until it isn't and they are on the run with an alien Koala Bear genetically encoded with all of the Universe's knowledge. You know, a Koalmanac! He's so cute and so annoying...in a know-it-all sort of way.
They door back to Joe's apartment (hey Eliot and Daniel, I have a VHS copy you can borrow) and we find out the Koalmanac is actually a "she" and then see how much of a piece of shit Moongale really is. I guess we already knew that, but really...WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT!!! We also find out that he can find Henry, Flower and Joe and that cute little Koalmanac that is a "she" very easily.
The issue comes to a close by revealing Joe's plan and it is so Weird Science that I actually laughed out loud! It all ends with a cliffhanger that should be dismal, but I was too busy thinking how I love each and every character in this book and can't wait for the next issue.
That's the thing about this series, in just a couple of issues, Elliot Rahal and Daniel Kibblesmith have created such a hilarious and diverse set of characters that you can't help but fall in love with them. The story is great, but it's the character work that sells it and will make you keep coming back for more. I haven't had this much fun since I first read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a young lad and really, that's the greatest compliment I can ever give anyone or anything.
Kendal Goode's art is just as good. It has the humor of a Rick and Morty episode and by that, I mean everything that is going on around the characters. Easter eggs and crazy characters abound and it all is there to make you smile. Then , when it gets dark and gruesome...it gets Dark and Gruesome! Plus, the guy does it all by himself (don't let him tell you otherwise) which is awesome!!!
Bits and Pieces:
I could go on and on about how you should buy this book if you like this or that, but really, you should buy it because it kicks total ass! It's Sci-Fi Adventure hilarity with characters that are so fleshed out that you will think of them as friends. The story and art are beyond good and while I hate to recommend things for fear of retaliation, I give this entire series a huge thumbs up. If you like cute little animals and babies, you should buy it. If not, you are a monster!
10/10
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