Our Mad Ass Childhood
Storytellers: Lee Allred & Michael Allred
Colorist: Laura Allred
Letterer: Nate Peikos of Blambot®
Cover: Michael & Laura Allred
Cover Price: $3.99
On Sale Date: November 15, 2017
**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE
BOTTOM**
Oh hey! I didn’t see you there. I was just hanging
out in my study, sitting in a plush, wingback chair, staring into nothingness. What’s
that you say? A new issue of Bug! The
Adventures of Forager is out? Don’t play with me, buddy, I’ve been around
the block a few times. I know that the likelihood of another issue of this
comic coming out is worse than…what the…?! Well my stars and garters! There is
an issue of Bug! The Adventures of
Forager out, and it’s the fifth one! Check out my review of the issue,
while I’m at the store buying a lottery ticket!
Explain
It!
Our frustrating trip through the Allred brothers’
dusty comic book continues, and it is as unintelligible as ever. Being slightly
more familiar with Jack Kirby’s OMAC
than early 70s Deadman back-ups or
Atlas, I understood more of the concepts presented in this issue. But that only
highlighted the mean trick that is asking someone to pay four bucks for the
privilege of watching two guys trade inside jokes and Bronze Age arcana.
There’s even a scene where the characters discuss whether or not their sojourn
through dimensions will have lasting repercussions, just as they pass by a
billboard for an ostensible company called “Retcon” with the motto: “That’ll
Fix It!”
The story of this issue takes place during an early
conflict for Buddy Blank aka One Man Army Corps aka OMAC, and Brother Eye,
against the evil scientist Skuba who seeks to dry up the world’s oceans. And
when Bug and his pals arrive, he’s fairly well done it! Bug suspects Chagra
will be showing up to get some tips n’ tricks from Skuba, so of course his
purposes intersect with OMAC neatly. After milling about in some Kirbiania and
learning that Skuba has taken out the satellite known as Brother Eye, they all
step through a convenience portal to confront Skuba, who shoves them in two
compressing bars since that is sort of his main gimmick.
The stuffed bear talks in riddles for a little while and zips
in between the two chambers, the Bug realizes the cages can be breached by
light or sound. So Buddy Blank allows a shimmering OMAC to step into the cage,
and Bug turns up his chittering and…look, they escape, okay? You knew they
would escape and they escaped. Before they can take out Skuba, however, Chagra
shows up and sucks the life out of him, thereby fulfilling the last thing he
needs to reshape the universe in his image! And so there must now be an epic
showdown on New Genesis!
There’s also a great-looking back-up that’s a bit of
a pain to read. Which could go for the entire issue, actually: there are some
awesome-looking scenes, of monsters and crazy stunned poses and all of the
stuff that Mike and Laura Allred do so well. But this story is nigh
impenetrable and I have ceased trying to figure it out. It pains me to say that
this series is not really worth your time. Perhaps a collected Artist’s Edition
down the line would be something to appreciate.
Bits and
Pieces:
You will love this book if you grew up with Mike or Lee Allred, or are Mike or Lee Allred. For everyone else, it's like watching someone else's home movies. Great looking book, though.
5/10
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