If you follow the podcast then you probably remember us having a few conversations about Knuckleheads from Monkey Brian Inc. It’s a series that we all enjoyed, but admittedly I was underwhelmed by the second issue. It delivered on the funny, but the story felt as if the pause button had been hit. This time however the story and comedy are skipping hand-in-hand and that made for a great read. This really is a hilarious series so if you enjoyed things like Dark Horse’s Buddy Cops or Gamma, then you should definitely check this series out. I’m going to sum up the book as quickly as possible because there isn’t a lot that I can say without ruining the read for you and that would be shitty. The lizard monster is still really pissed off even after throwing Trev through a building. Lance, Trev’s friend and roommate, is still up on the roof with the pizza dude (who might be my favorite character) and is now throwing bricks at the monster to avenge his friend’s “death”. The English woman that’s still being “King Kong’d” tells him that the thought is great, but that the results are more likely to hurt her than the monster. Around this time Trev wakes up… and comedic antics plus bad-assery go into full effect.
The first issue made me laugh-out-loud a few times, while the second issue mostly delivered smiles. This third issue… had me smiling, laughing and smacking my leg. It was some seriously funny shit. I like the humor because its stuff that I would say or can relate to, the creators will have to decide for themselves if that’s good or not; but I liked it.
The writing is very good and even though the page count is slightly shorter than a print comic and the plot doesn’t progress very much, it still hits all the right beats. The pacing worked perfectly this issue and the conclusion of the arc leaves the series in a great spot. It’s nice when the writer leaves the reader wanting more of the series, but with a full resolution so that they’re coming back for something other than just an answer to a cliffhanger. The series has had strong dialogue throughout, but none stronger than this issue.
When there’s comedy in the story, the right art is important. Even if the jokes aren’t physical, the body language is. They’re body should support the joke and can easily make it fail if it isn’t. It’s why so many books that try to be funny or even sexy, fail miserably. Knuckleheads has the right look to it. I laugh looking at the page as much as I do reading it and that’s how it should be. There’s also a lot of action to follow in this issue and it’s very easy to do so, which is important considering there’s a big fucking monster. Also anyone that can draw puke in a comic book and have it actually look funny should win an award.
I’ve enjoyed this series and was very happy to see that it was returning. If you missed out on any of the issues then pick them all up for just a buck each. For three bucks you’ll get a hell of a lot more content to the average print comic, which seems to be Monkey Brain’s winning formula. Hilarious stuff that I’m sure we’ll be talking about on the podcast in the near future, but in the meantime check it out.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Brian Winkeler
Artist: Robert Wilson IV
Colors: Jordan Boyd
Publisher: Monkey Brain Comics
Price: $.99
Release Date: 8/28/13