Before I talk about the title I chose for this week, I feel like this would be a good time to refresh memories as to why we have the weekly Small Press Spotlight feature. While some of the books may verge on the older side (my pick last week was over a decade old), I do feel like they are books that have tended to be overlooked by mainstream comic readers. There is a lot of quality out there outside the main world of superheroes if you know where to look…we’re trying to give you a nice road map with this feature.
With that said, this week’s featured title is a Viper Comics release from one of my favorite creators – Kazu Kibuishi. The book I’m looking at is 2004’s Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, a sneaky amazing book that creates a world where the old west is combined with steampunk creations. This world is inhabited by a lot of rich characters, including the very loveable titular lead, Daisy Kutter herself.
Find out more about this title after the jump.
To many, Kazu Kibuishi is mostly well known for his work as the curator/editor/grand poobah of the anthology series Flight. Ever since I randomly purchased the first volume of that series when a local bookstore was going out of business, I’ve been a big fan of his work, whether it’s his webcomic Copper (which was recently collected in print), his young adult series Amulet, or the series I’m writing about today.
The reasons why I’m such a huge fan of this book are the same as the reasons why I’m a fan of the rest of it: beautiful design work, incredible visual storytelling, inviting high concepts, and characters that draw you in with their rich personalities.
Daisy Kutter herself is well drawn, a fully three dimensional character with her flaws (stubbornness, willfully criminal) and her qualities (fast wit, oddly loyal, best shooter in the west) completely evident throughout. One of the simplest things writers get wrong is developing characters that lean too far towards perfection or unlikeable. The way Kazu writes Kutter is as a real woman, and a woman whom we quickly learn to love.
The world he creates is easy to love as well, as it is an old west town in which train robberies and general stores coexist with robots and crazy mech suits. Whether it’s a showdown between Kutter and one of the aforementioned mechs or a classic heads up poker match, it all feels natural and like it belongs.
The naturalistic storytelling Kibuishi embraces throughout is a very welcome thing indeed. It grounds this alternate world in reality, making relationships like the one between Kutter and her once partner (and now opposite number) Tom feel much more relatable. It also helps him from an artistic standpoint, as we get a good gauge for scenes and their design whenever they come up. This allows the action sequences to play out in our heads and on the page in matching fashion.
That is demonstrated especially well in the heist sequence aboard the titular train. While Kutter’s hilariously simple plan is ultimately realized (not explicitly, but mostly), the way Kibuishi lays it out is all the more exciting and fun to watch unfold. Some artists have issues making sure sequences make sense from a storytelling standpoint, and that is something Kibuishi excels at.
My absolute favorite thing Kibuishi does, however, is his amazing ability at infusing everything with so much personality. It’s hard not to read this book and fall a little in love with his characters and this world. It’s a lived in world with a lot of charm, and I’m a little bummed that we’ve never gotten a follow up to this book. Perhaps if everyone here buys it, we’ll get another one. Or not, but still, a boy can dream.
