Jack and Lucky #1

Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2003
By: Darren Schroeder

Cover of Jack and Lucky #1 Creator(s): Anthony Hon
Publishers: Motenai Comics(Self Published)
From: USA
Price: $2 (US)

Being a bachelor myself there is much to identify with in the amusing take on the live of a single guy. Jack's a computer programmer/character designer but spends most of this issue hanging out in book shops looking at the art section, watching porn and hanging out at home with his giant talking cat, Lucky.

Anthony has produced a c=very well drawn comic. From the fantasy elements of a giant talking cat to the physical reality of the architecture of a border store, everything is flawlessly presented in a clean and straightforward style. Anthony exceles in his character illustrations, depicting a range of characters. Fans of pin up girl art will drool over this book, as Anthony goes overboard populating the pages with gorgeous women wearing crop-tops, cut off jeans etc. It gets a bit much by the end of the book, but the penmanship can't be faulted.

Plot wise, Jack is single but wishes he wasn't. He can't help but notice all the pretty girls, but he always gets tongue tied when actually face to face with any of them. There's a lot of humour here, with Lucky's actions always amusing, but then a giant talking cat can't help but be funny. Jacks awkwardness around women is another running gag. By the end of the issue a chance meeting with one of the pin up girls turns from bad to worse as Jack and lucky actually fall down a cliff for the cliff-hanger.

This book seems to be aiming for a ladish audience with all the sexy women and porn on display, which is a shame 'cause the impressive artwork and humour make for a good read. Hopefully Jack will start meeting some more realistic female characters soon.

In a Word: Cleavage

Plus: Montenai Comics Sampler

In which Anthony tells us about himself in an amusing monologue. There is also a nice introduction to Jack in the form of a 12-step guide to happiness that tells us a lot about the characters. There is also a short preview of issue 2, which gives us a resolution to the cliff-hanger, some wet t-shirts and jokes about Microsoft. As with issue 1, this is well drawn and pretty much an essential buy for those who enjoy issue one.

In a Word: Amusing.



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