From
the Longbox – Bizarro (2015)
Heath
Corson
Gustavo
Duarte
Synopsis:
Jimmy Olsen takes Bizarro on a roadtrip to Canada. It
all starts with a comment in jest…
…and
it just goes downhill from there…
If
you’re interested you can download the sneak peek 11-page issue for free at DC’s
website:
Who
would like it:
Fans
of cartoon style absurdism and one-liners. DC’s own description of the book starts with “Hate
HARLEY QUINN? Then you will super hate BIZARRO!” But I think Harley is more
like DC’s version of Deadpool. I’d say Squirrel Girl is a better comparison,
but of course DC can’t make that plug. This book is more of a fun loving, family
friendly genre than the edgy, antihero, “sticking it to the man” type.
On
top of that you need to like Bizarro’s backward way of talking. It happens a
lot (obviously) so if that really aggravates you then don’t even bother. I’m
not a huge fan of Bizarro speak, but it did make for some really funny moments
throughout the book, either directly tied to the plot or just myself trying to
figure out what Bizarro really meant. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it
throughout the book.
My
Opinion:
I’m
a huge fan of light hearted Superhero stories that poke fun at themselves. Although
Bizarro is the title character, this is really more of a Jimmy Olsen style
comic – a slightly believable story that quickly gets more absurd with each passing
panel. The whole story becomes more about what awesomely weird thing will happen
next while having no focus on the main story arc objective until it’s time to
wrap up the series. It’s a great diversion that’s absolutely delicious in short
doses, but like too much ice cream, I can see how you can start to feel a little
sick of it after a while. Fortunately, DC wisely limits these stories to 6
issues. It was just the right amount to keep you wanting more without dragging
on too long.
Reason
to read (SPOILERS):
As
with The New Frontier,
this book has a roadtrip’s worth of guest stars. We have brief cameos from big
names like Batman and Flash.
While
having fun story arcs with the likes of Zantanna.
Throw
in some new characters such as bounty hunter Chastity Hex, following in the
footsteps of her ancestor of Jonah Hex…
…and
the lovable chupacabra Colin even though he likes to eat brains.
It’s
packed with connections to the DC universe both visual and verbal.
But
the thing I liked most was the running gags that continued throughout the
issues. For an example, Bizarro would make a random comment...
Then a few pages later -- WHAMMY!
Sure, some of them were lame, but that’s not a surprise.
My
favorite running gag was the unexpected joy of pockets! This topic is near and dear to my
heart because for some reason, it’s one of my 3-year-old daughter’s favorite
things. If she’s got pockets, everything will be okay.
In
the first issue, there’s a seemingly throwaway one-liner about Bizarro not
having any pockets.
But
then in issue 2, Jimmy and Bizarro go on a shopping spree and what does Bizarro
buy?
We
completely forget about it until it popups up out of nowhere in issue 6.
It was hilariously fun to see how all of the pieces of the story tied together. As I was putting this together, I seemed like I added a lot of the best moments, but I did a quick flip back through the book and I was surprised that I skipped so many great parts. And that's what makes this book great. There's a smile on every page.
Reflecting
on the Hero's Crossroad:
The core
idea of this book is that Bizarro feels alone and friendless, but along the way
he finds out he actually has lots of friends that will drop everything to help.
“Friends” can be a generic term ranging from acquaintance to BFF, so I like to
ponder who my closest friends are based on a more specific question:
If you
were getting married today, who would be in your bridal party and why?