COMIC BOOK REVIEW: PAPERCUTS AND INKSTAINS #1 / WRITER: ROB JONES / ARTIST: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: MADIUS COMICS / RELEASE DATE: MARCH (TBC DATE)
Madius Comics unleash their first anthology issue Papercuts and Inkstains, which is a sci-fi, horror and comedy mish-mash. While it sounds like it might be a recipe for disaster, the folks at Madius, including writer of all three stories Rob Jones and artists Nick Gonzo, Mike Smith, Kevin Pospisil and Dan Butcher, all deliver and makes the first issue of the whacky Inkstains and Papercuts a breath of fresh air in British comics.
The debut issue of the title features three tales, the first of which is titled simply No and is a straightforward manifesto short story for Madius Comics and what is to come if ever there was one. No is a tale of the soul-destroying world of work; no matter what job it is that you do, it will always be mundane, as is the case with the protagonist of the story who says “Thank God it’s Friday” while working as a time adjudicator of wars in the future. It’s an absurd start to the issue, and Gonzo’s art balances the frantic and the mundane wonderfully, though there are some panels where it is hard to tell what is happening.
The second story, By’ ‘eck on Earth, features the zombie apocalypse but focused in Yorkshire. All three stories have a rather zany British humour to them, but this one especially, as Harold recounts the zombie apocalypse in such a British matter-of-fact way. Kevin Pospisil’s art on this is perhaps the most stunning of the issue, looking like it was drawn and shaded in pencil, and his characters and backgrounds are exquisitely drawn.
The final chapter, Profits of Doo, is the most humorous; featuring a brotherhood of bumbling druids who find that they aren’t really as equipped as they thought they were to bring an end to the world. It is the longest story of the issue and it probably deserves to be. Jones and artist Smith have done an amazing job characterising these faceless druids as bumbling idiots. It’s just a really funny story.
Papercuts and Inkstains #1 is a fantastic debut issue from the folks at Madius Comics. It’s a very funny title with a very unique style and it manages to sets itself apart from other humour books with a very British sense of humour and some bloody great art.
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