This week’s main review is The Schlub #1. Plus, the Wednesday Comics Team has its usual rundown of the new #1s, finales and other notable issues from non-Big 2 publishers, all of which you can find below … enjoy!
The Schlub #1
Story: Ryan Stegman and Kenny Porter
Art: Tyrell Cannon
Colors: Mike Spicer
Letters/Design: John J. Hill
Publisher: Image Comics
Google defines a schlub as a talentless, unattractive, or boorish person. The Schlub #1 imagines if the worst guy you knew stumbled into super powers, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Not bitten by a radioactive spider, or given a super soldier serum, but through unwitting body swapping.
The book opens with two caption boxes, shining light on the protagonist, “This is Roger Dalton. He sucks.” Those two introductory sentences set the pace for what kind of guy writers Ryan Stegman and Kenny Porter are giving great power and great entitlement.
Roger Dalton feels like he deserves a better life than the one he has, almost that he’s owed something. He starts the story as a dentist, and not doing that particularly well as he calls his ex-wife, attempting to take her out to dinner (this also doesn’t go particularly well). Chance encounters of the intergalactic superhero variety occur as the hero Cirrus crashes into the dental office, embattled with the villain Wyrm.
Artist Tyrell Cannon brings such a dynamism to the action; exaggerated movement and excellent eye for camera placement make the set piece feel big. Wyrm and the body swapped Roger Dalton barrel through buildings and trade blow after blow as Cirrus can do nothing but attempt to coach Roger from Roger’s body. There’s a distinct visual contrast between Roger and Cirrus and while everyone is small in comparison to larger than life heroes, Cannon emphasizes it through height and body type though it skirts the line on being a fat joke.
Cannon’s linework is complemented by the colors of Mike Spicer. Spicer’s palette is vibrant and bright, almost reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon. This lends itself well to the action and expressiveness of the characters, really pushing a sense of tone. The letters are done by John J. Hill whose font choice and onomatopoeia are perfectly paired with the art and colors.
The Schlub #1 feels cartoonish and not self serious, which is welcome as hijinks are sure to ensue with our body swapped protagonists.
Verdict: BUY
Wednesday Comics Reviews
Addams Family: The Bodies Issue #1: Wednesday’s not perky, nor does she want to be. But exactly who she’ll become, as an Addams and as an individual, are under examination in this offering from writer Zoë Quinn. Firmly on a psycho path her feet may be, yet in the opening chapter, Wednesday finds the horror-laced ways of her unconventional family have turned, for her, disturbingly conventional. Predictable. Worse, familiar. For an aspiring maestro working in the medium of fear, it’s anathema. Her restless spirit finds inspiration in the library of the Addams’ manse but applying it to her own dark purposes brings dread beyond imagining for Morticia and Gomez. Quinn manages their story elements to include many portions of Addams Family vehicles here, most noticeably the Tim Burton movies and the computer-animated Conrad Vernon and Greg Tierman feature film. There’s mirthfully twisted and punny wordplay in a manner reminiscent of Elvira’s best, less suggestive, patter. Artist Philip Murphy channels the aesthetic of the mentioned 2019 film treatment into these pages. His work even recalls Charles Addams’ style of composition and spacing beyond what the animated movie achieved.
This issue’s narrative echoes the Wednesday TV series, with the slightly younger protagonist working at defining an identity all her own but balanced against the traditions and expectations of her family. Or in spite of them. In that way, this issue reads like a prequel to the Netflix show, and since Addams Family: The Bodies Issue #1 was a digital comic release in 2019, one ponders if it served as a keystone for crafting the hit 2022 series. For those needing a late summer infusion of mysterious and spoopy, with just a little ooky, this IDW release has you covered like a form-fitted shroud. –Clyde Hall
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Scorpius Run #1: In this opening issue by Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, Angel Hernandez, Nick Filardi, and Clayton Cowles, after answering a distress call, the crew of the Enterprise is forced to take part in a spaceship race. Since something as complex as a ship race would be difficult to afford onscreen, it’s a nice use of the “comics budget.” However, I would have preferred a little bit more science fiction in this issue – with an antagonist who is just a floating head in a jar and an alien species we’ve never before met, this could have easily been a Star Wars story (and we all know Star Wars is a whole different genre than Star Trek). This SW concern is also flagged through Pike’s serious case of “main character syndrome.” Considering how much of an experimental ensemble show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has become in its sophomore season, with a heavy emphasis on the women who make up the majority of its bridge crew, it’s a shame to see this between-seasons miniseries stray so far from its source material. – Avery Kaplan
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Scorpius Run #1: In this opening issue by Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, Angel Hernandez, Nick Filardi, and Clayton Cowles, after answering a distress call, the crew of the Enterprise is forced to take part in a spaceship race. Since something as complex as a ship race would be difficult to afford onscreen, it’s a nice use of the “comics budget.” However, I would have preferred a little bit more science fiction in this issue – with an antagonist who is just a floating head in a jar and an alien species we’ve never before met, this could have easily been a Star Wars story (and we all know Star Wars is a whole different genre than Star Trek). This SW concern is also flagged through Pike’s serious case of “main character syndrome.” Considering how much of an experimental ensemble show Read more entries in the Wednesday Comics reviews series!
The Schlub is a webcomic series since 2013. https://theschlub.com
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