“Punks” is a comic with a history. A collaboration between Joshua Hale Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain, the first “Punks” stories came out ten years ago; but, as Fialkov notes in this issue, almost nobody read them. Now that the series has been picked up by Image Comics, the old stories are being reprinted alongside all-new “Punks” adventures. And, like a mosh pit where you lose your shoes, it’s a disorienting experience you won’t soon forget.
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Illustrated by Kody ChamberlainThe true story of four strangers, picked to live in a house, work together, and have their lives taped to find out what happens when people stop being polite, and start punching each other in the junk. From Eisner and Harvey nominees JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV (The Bunker, I, Vampire) and KODY CHAMBERLAIN (Sweets, The Ride).
What is punk? Or, more to the point, what are punks? It was a question that plagued me at the very punk rock age of 12, when I would steal my sister’s burned CDs and listen to a blend of The Ramones, Bad Religion and NOFX. The music was diverse enough. So what was the unifying factor? The attitude? The aesthetic?
With its ziney, decoupage look, “Punks: The Comic” definitely evokes this contentious scene. But it’s the general chaos of the plot that makes it memorable; that, combined with the motley grouping of its central characters. Of the four roommates, one has a bulldog’s head; another, just a skull; a third sports Abe’s Lincoln’s noggin. There there’s the guy with a fist for a head, who holds up a sign on a stick if he wants to voice an opinion. To fit with their appearances, they’ve got fairly distinct personalities; and try as they might to get a hold on their world, their adventures follow a decidedly non-linear course.
In this issue, the roommates are celebrating some kind of holiday. What is is, I don’t know. They don’t know. But there are laughs to be had, despite or because almost every line is a non-sequitur. The situation quickly spirals into chaos; but even when we’ve got almost no context for what’s going on – even when matters get subversive and a bit meta – Fialkov keeps the laughs coming. It’s the fast-paced, ultra-polished, yet someone down-to-earth dialogue between these bros that does it. Plus, a surprise visit from Alec Baldwin keeps us on our toes.
All the while, Chamberlain’s cut-and-Xerox work manages to be both fluid and versatile, all without sacrificing its low-budget appeal. The posing of the bodies gets across quite a bit of expression despite the static heads, and the backgrounds are well-thought-out and surprisingly consistent, adding a touch of three-dimensionality to the madness. Different angles on the heads allow the characters to turn away from us and wander the space a little; and the little touches of scene-setting detail, no doubt highly diverse in origin, make for new things to discover on subsequent rereads. Keeping up with the overall madness, unexpected pops of colour break up the cardboard-coloured world.
The old comic reprinted in the back of this issue is, like the other archival offerings in this series, harder to follow than the new stuff. There’s definitely more of an experimental feel, as evidenced by the impromptu interview with Rick-Remender-as-a-goldfish that pops up in the middle. (Didja know old school Rick Remender was v. passionate about Morrissey?) And while it’s fun to have a look at Fialkov and Chamberlain’s older work, it’s obvious they’ve both grown as creators in the intervening time. Including the old material, as an idea, fits the aesthetic very well; it’s scrappy, it’s messy. But if we’re talking about overall quality, there’s no comparison to be made.
I’d be remiss not to mention the extras, which provide a bonus laugh or two. (In particular: I defy any cross-stitch-savvy person to attempt the pattern provided. It looks like hell distilled.)
But to get back to my opening question: it’s clear after three issues that punk – for “Punks” – is all about the chaos, the energy, the restlessness. It’s about plotlines spiraling out of control and the well-meaning but rather impulsive bros who are along for the ride, railing against inexplicable powers-that-be. If you’re not expecting a lucid, novelistic read – and if you’ve got a rebellious spark somewhere in you – you’ll find “Punks” plenty palatable.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – Buy
