Todd: The Ugliest Kid on Earth returned this week and I for one was grateful to have it back. The thing that’s great about this series is that it’s bound to be offensive, but then also make you laugh. I can’t tell you what you’ll find offensive or funny just that there is something within this issue that will make you feel one of two ways and that’s awesome. It’s like a mystery box of emotions is just waiting to jump out at you. Let’s start with that cover huh? That’s something someone’s grandmother probably believes and yet would be offended by, I personally couldn’t stop laughing. The issue starts off with a song and a check up with the series. In a way it shows the status quo of the title, but also introduces characters I don’t think we’ve met or really dealt with a lot yet. The real story begins with two-gun shots. Todd’s family is enjoying the riches of taking care of a movie stars bastard child and his father is gearing up for Comic Con by shooting two holes in the jacket of his The Albanian costume.
Huge side note; The Albanian’s story is fucking awesome. He wears the jacket his brother was killed in as a reminder of his death! Fuck yes that’s awesome. Spin-off please!
Sandy (the adopted child with a bag on her head) and the mother come out hoping that the old man has shot himself, but no such luck. This entire interaction is hilarious and a great reminder of why this comic is so much fun. Todd and dad head to Comic Con and you should just brace yourself for tons of jokes at the expense of Marvel and even a few Image titles. The bully kid of the series is wearing a “Fuck Rick Grimes” shirt which I hope becomes a real thing… otherwise CafePress here I come!
There is too much happening in this issue to sum up everything, but the bits with PBS and Charlie Rose being a devil worshiper were fucking awesome. The pot-shots on the Marvel and its creators cut deep. I mean DEEP! I don’t know if it was in jest or not, but I actually hope that it wasn’t because I agreed with all of it.
The writing is sharp and witty. Sure there is a ton of dialogue, but when you laugh twice within one word bubble you know that it’s worth it to read so much. The set up to this issue is interesting and now that the series is an ongoing it’s not as easy to see where the story is going in the grand scheme of things. For instance in the first four issues we knew the story had to resolve Todd being imprisoned for multiple murders he didn’t commit, but here… it’s a mystery. Could this story arc be resolved in the next issue or in seven? I don’t know but I’m looking forward to finding out even if it’s just in another three issues.
The artwork has maintained the same impressive amount of detail as the first series. There didn’t seem to be as much shadowing on this issue which gave it a slightly different look, but I still liked it. Also that could just be my opinion, but it didn’t look as dark. The convention stuff was my favorite part as a MAD magazine style was used for the comic creators; it was pretty spot on with some comedic liberties of course. Now I said that there was a lot of dialog, but the crazy thing is that there is a lot of art as well. It’s equal parts and that’s pretty damn impressive. It’s really as if the creators are pouring all their creative energies into this series and I can see and appreciate that.
This is one of those books that you can never do justice with a review because capturing what makes this title special would require reading it or a page by page recap… well since I didn’t do that last bit I guess you’re just going to have to read it. Hands down though this is my favorite offensively funny comic book on the market so check it out for yourself.
Score: 4/5
Story: Perker & Kristen Writer: Ken Kristensen Artist: M. K. Perker Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 9/25/13