Have you ever wondered about the secret origin of Springfield’s wildest party animal? All questions are answered in this issue!
Written by Matt Groening
Illustrated by Mike RoteGet ready to be blown away by the book you never thought you’d see! We asked which character you wanted us to feature in our next One-Shot Wonder and the answer was a resounding “Duffman!” The masses have spoken! Now the big question is, can Bongo deliver an awesome issue devoted to Springfield’s most one-dimensional and underdeveloped character? We’ve got two words for you: Oh Yeah!
32 pages / $3.99
Bongo’s One-Shot Wonders have been great. If you haven’t been paying attention, each one focuses on a supporting character in the Simpsons universe. Like the main books, each one is entirely self contained, so you can pick and choose which ones you want to read. (Spoiler alert: They’re all quality books.)
This issue contains two stories. The first, from writer Max Davison and penciller John Delaney, reveals just how ordinary beer drinker Kyle McKagen became the astonishing Duffman, aka Duffman of Sector 2814. It turns out there’s an entire DUffman Corps, headquartered on the planet Oyah. Led by the Guardians of the Party, the Duffman Corps exist to spread good times across the universe.
There have been lots of superhero parodies through the years. Most of them have been terrible, for a variety of reasons. “Duffman” #1 is a great example of how to do it right. The story make sense independent of its source material, so you don’t have to be a Green Lantern fan to get the jokes (mostly puns and quips). It also features lots of background cameos from Futurama races (Duff-Zoidberg!). The action really heats up when Kyle has to face off against the former Duffman he replaced.
The second story is written by Ian Boothby with art by Jacob Chabot. The premise here is simple: a Duff agent is trying to sell some cable executives on the idea of a Duff channel, with every show featuring Duffman as the star. We get 2-3 page ‘clips’ of various show ideas, like CSI: DUFF and Duffton Abbey. Like before, the humor remains accessible and punny.
For both stories, the art styles lean heavily toward the Simpsons standard. Delaney mixes in some line-based effects that are reminiscent of manga, granting the extra life to the images neccesary to evoke a true superhero feel. Chabot does a great job of marrying the varied looks of genre television with the yellow characatures you’ve come to expect from the Simpsons. The different parts all look unique, but also look like they belong together.
Usually, colorists try to enhance the 3D quality of the art through shading and blending. Nathan Hamill, who colored the whole issue, goes the other way and fully embraces the 2D images and style. His use of rich, bold colors keeps all the objects on the page distinct while still maintaining the flat look of the TV show. He does get to cut loose in a few cosmic panels of the Duffman Corps story, with backgrounds that would look right at home in a Doctor Strange book (or a Plasmo book. I’d buy that!). Karen Bates handled the lettering chores, and did a great job reproducing logos for the television spoofs.
Bongo books are usually just $2.99, and the extra dollar for this issue went toward a special insert. Each issue comes with a punchout, cardstock Duffman mask. It’s a fun addition, but it’s hard to understand why it was done for this particular character. Masks like that are usually more fun for the younger crowd, but who’s going to dress their child up like a fictional beer mascot?
Even if you’re not a Simpsons fan, this is a book worth checking out. The nice thing about the One-Shot Wonders is their more universal appeal. Aside from Duffman, not a single member of the Simpsons cast appears in this issue. If you’re looking for a fun book to read after you finish weightier, more serious comics, this is definitely for you.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Oh Yeah!
