Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Miniature Jesus #1
Image Comics
McKeever
The Ted McKeever written and drawn comic book about an alcoholic and his travels with an angel on one shoulder and the devil on another kicks off this week with a very odd comic book. The book's illustrations are in fantastic black and white while printed in the golden age format. However, the story is presented in a very slow and ordinary fashion as McKeever appears to go for character building over plot almost exclusively. For a first issue it's not bad but certainly didn't stand out from the crowd either.
The issue is really very simple. We are introduced to the main character. He spends some time talking to a dead cat, has a run in with a store clerk, moves around a town that appears to be a wasteland and we learn about his recovery from alcohol. Much of what we learn about him is creepy and his existence seems to be close to homeless, but he has money. It's really strange. Yet, there is something I like about the character.
The companion piece to this is the devil and angel angles. The pieces seem in line with the character but it's not clear if it he believes they are hallucinations or not. For all the reader knows they could be real. It isn't until the end when we get the perspective of another character do we, as the reader, get a sense of what's real and not.
The book is very strange. I can't say it's good or bad. It's clear the comic book is just a small piece of a larger chunk so the expectation is that you will have the patience to sit through the character building. However, if you can't sit through a lot of issues of following this guy around in then you probably aren't going to enjoy this book.
The artwork is stunning. This could be a big reason to return for more even if you don't care for the story. McKeever has detailed lines and the black and white only makes the entire experience all the more enjoyable. The details are fine and very direct but extremely effective. This is a great visual to look at.
Miniature Jesus is a comic book that is dancing around a lot of themes but isn't revealing much in the opening issue. The components are there: alcoholism, religion, conscience, sub-conscience but the topics are lightly hit. This is a good read but not enough to reach the "great" category. I liked the comic but I do think it is an acquired taste. If you are looking for something that is very out of the ordinary then you should give this a try.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
