Let’s kick the jam….DA DA DA DA DA…DO DO DO DO DO …DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE…DOW DOW DOW DOW DOW… The Punks are here!!! Actually the Punks are back. Originally, Punks was a small yet delightfully cultalicious little yarn following the exploits of four angry young roommates with quite the interesting heads on their bodies…Dog (dog head), Skull (duh), Fist (duh, duh), and Abraham Lincoln (Yes, that Abraham Lincoln, and you just thought he was a vampire hunter). The comic followed the quad’s mighty misadventures of life. Along the way, the guys get lots of shots to the nuts, flaming fireballs (courtesy of Skull) and as with any anti establishment piece, lots of middle fingers. It was pure anarchist fun that built a strong following of like minded misfits and featured the early writing talents of one Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Kody Chamberlin.
We are now several years later and the guys have gotten back together for a revamp of the Punks…Well, it’s not really a revamp at all. It is the same old Punks several years later getting into their same shenanigans with some added enhancements here and there. What I am trying say is that there had been some fear that this title might have sold out, breaking from their “Fuck You” roots and hitting the mainstream, courtesy of Image Comics who are independent in nature, but can also be looked at as one of the big guys.
If you happen to be one of those people that believed in the sellout, I am happy to offer you a friendly one fingered salute. Fialkov and Chamberlin have not missed a beat in capturing the essence of that bold, brash, and bad ass attitude that was prevalent from the beginning and continues on today kind of like a concussion from a kick to the head. It has lasting effects. I had one hella good time reading this issue of “mostly new” writing with its fun loving extras.
Within these pages of mirth and mayhem, we get scantily clad raptor headed women, a gnome massacre, really strong (and sexy) pairs of Wunderpants that are good with the ladies, fun with depression, card games, crossword puzzles, and a look back to the original Punks from so many years ago with killer carrots, Morrisey hate, and poorly placed Indian cigar holders . We also get those fireballs, nut shots and more attititude that one can handle. In short, we get Punks, the Comic.
Joshua Hale Fialkov is a good writer and has written some interesting titles in his history. With Punks, he has thrown out all the conventions and rules of writing a comic and has filled a well planned, conceived, and solid issue of pure nut punching satisfaction. Like the Punks themselves, Fialkov’s writing style is jamming. He plays it loud and hard and gives not a shit of what others might think. And it is in that attitude that lies Punks the Comic’s essence as well as its entertainment. It’s fun just because it is. It doesn’t have to apologize to anybody and it won’t which makes it nice because it feels so free. It’s Anarchy at its finest. Roar!!!
And the greatness of this issue doesn’t stop with Fialkov’s wordly musings. Kody Chamberlin’s literal cut and paste art style is perfectly rendered capturing those most excellent punk posters during times of old back in the days of The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, The Vandals, and others. Punk rock was all about the attitude. It didn’t care what you think. Chamberlin has shown great care in portraying that uncare. He kicks it hard.
Now I don’t think everybody will dig on this comic as much as I did. It has nothing super heroic about it. Well Skull can shoot fireballs and Dog can kill gnomes with the best, but their powers are not about saving others. They could give two shits about it and that is fine by me. These Punks are super and entertaining in a way that I have not been entertained by a comic in some while. I thoroughly applaud Image for taking it on and I thoroughly applaud Fialkov and Chamberlin for continuing something magical and sick, terrific and twisted, as well as something demented and divine. This may be the most fun you can have this month without being arrested for it.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov Artist: Kody Chamberlin Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 10/8/14 Format: Print/Digital