Written by Joe Kelly
Illustrated by Diego Greco“CREAM OF THE CROP,” Part One
Yes, we’re late… but we still love you, baby! We’re going to prove our love with drugs, violence and dysfunction — all hand crafted just for you! Lou calls for a road trip to Vegas — the most dangerous place on Earth for a werewolf in an existential crisis, not to mention the home turf of his mysterious shadow… BAKER.
It’s almost been 6 months since we last saw Lou and Wendell. Lou, having recently fought off a group of vicious non-sparkling vampires, had all but disappeared as Kelly’s time became too filled up with other projects – but now he and his angry evangelist friend are back, and more drunk than ever! Victory!
So grab a cold one and let’s tear in to the return of Bad Dog after the cut.
Joe Kelly is a great writer. I feel like this is the only way that this review should start, because this is something has to be known. When Kelly’s writing is on, it is on, and the man has managed to write a wide variety of tales in his career all hitting at different genres. With Bad Dog, Kelly along with Diego Greco essentially created something that’s a cross between the Goon and Sam And Max with it’s dark humor and love of the insane. This issue more than any issue before it really exemplifies that aspect, and despite six months passing between issues in an unplanned but heavy delay, the book is still just as fresh as it has ever been.
Bad Dog is a very simple premise. Lou is a man who is a werewolf, and he refuses to leave his werewolf form. He and his diminutive ex-preacher friend are bounty hunters, and the two of them love to drink. As Bad Dog #4 begins, one of the mysteries that had been weaved into the original three issues (all of which were essentially one-shots) begins to take hold of Lou as the excessive amount of missing people on the side of milk cartons finally pushes him over the edge. And what’s the only cure for a mind pushed beyond what it can realistically take? A trip to Las Vegas, baby! So Lou and Wendell take off for Vegas in a Hangover meets Fear and Loathing story which revels in the hilarity of drunken insanity as Baker makes his first appearance and we get into our first actual arc of the story.
I suppose on one hand, Bad Dog is a “better late than never” scenario. On the one hand, the delay between issues is rather disheartening for fans of the title (and, to be perfectly frank, I did read issues #1-3 right before diving into the fourth). As much as Kelly writes that he loves the characters and the book, one would hope that – especially after this issue ends as clearly part one of a longer story – that there would be some foreseeable future of the title. Unfortunately, a quick Google search will reveal that there is no solicit to Bad Dog #5, which makes reading this title in singles fairly difficult as a fan. On the other hand, the issue is accessible. The last three issues were all one-shots, and this is pretty much the perfect jumping on point for new fans as well who don’t mind a drunken rampage through the streets of Las Vegas. The earlier allusion to Sam And Max rings rather true for this issue in particular, because the drunker the characters become the more the writing reflects this and in turn becomes rather irreverent. The issue is laugh out loud on many occasions, and with this being the first issue that takes a solid stance and direction for the title (as opposed to having the characters exist within single stories) it’s a rather bold step in the right direction for the title – even if we don’t see a pay-off for another six months.
Suffice it to say, Kelly and Greco are back 100% for the issue. You can really feel the love the creators have for these characters with the title, as it’s a very sharply assembled piece. Vegas stories usually become fairly stagnant to particular cliches in this day and age, but the dark and twisted humor of Bad Dog instead reviles in that absurd element. This isn’t the same dark introspective piece as #3 was, but rather closer to #2 (which featured Nazi killin’!). It also begins to really elaborate on Bad Dog’s universe, as Kelly writes in a few new characters to the piece as well as rather coyly takes a stab at Lou’s werewolf nature. Wendell is particularly belligerent through the issue, and it’s rather amusing to see Kelly – the man behind meaningful and moving comics like I Kill Giants, Spider-Man’s Grim Hunt, and the ever so famous Action Comics #775 – take such a dirty, dirty turn as a writer, with TONS of swears and even the aftermath of an orgy. Meanwhile, Greco’s art is just as sharp as it ever was with the series. Greco manages to really invoke that Tarentino-esque style of grit to the title in it’s faux-grindhouse sensibilities, with this issue being much more lighthearted than previous ones. Greco really outdoes himself with this issue though, and it shows that the six months in between installments of Bad Dog has paid off for Greco artistically. The issue is sharper, smoother, and much more fluid visually, with plenty of sight gags to behold, which only goes to up the bar that this title sets for itself.
I have no idea when Bad Dog #5 is coming out, as it hasn’t been solicited yet and Kelly even promises in the opening book that no issue will be solicited until it’s fully ready to come out. However, whenever it does it’ll certainly be welcome with very open arms. I can’t help but sigh a tad, seeing as this is the first issue of an arc that will see resolution… well, who knows when, but overwhelming faith in the creative team does allow for dalliances. Here is hoping that the next issue will be as easy to hop back into as this one was.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – Buy
