Restorf’s Rocking Rudes #1

Posted: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
By: Steve Saville

Cover of Restorf’s Rocking Rudes #1 Creator(s): Oliver Restorf-Thomsen
Publishers: Comix Press
From: Germany
Price: US $2.50 [plus postage]

All small press comic creators can learn some important lessons from Mr Restorf -Thomson. Those lessons revolve around the issue of creative pride.

Everything about the way this creator presents his work screams to the reader that he is proud of his creation. The comic is produced on high quality paper so that it looks good and there is a total awareness of the sense of presenting a ‘package.’ The review copy arrived with a covering letter and in a sealed plastic bag. This may sound like a trivial or minor detail but if you want to be taken seriously then take your work seriously, even if it is, as in this case, a rather lightweight gag fuelled comic.

As a reviewer it does not matter whether I like the comic or not so much as I am being told to take it seriously and that it has been created by someone who takes a genuine pride over what they are doing.

For those reasons I take my reviewer's hat off to you Oliver and as a creator myself I acknowledge what I can learn from you in this area.

Now on to the content. Well there is not much of it for a start, only 12 pages of actual comic, so that means it can hardly present much in the way of a comprehensive storyline. In fact if I had one main criticism [and yes I realise that this does slightly contradict what I have said above] then I would say that there is more style than substance on offer here.
As I have said when reviewing another of Oliver’s comics, I just don’t find that the gags always work. They just don’t seem to be that funny, which in a gag driven comic that is heavily influenced by the British comic world of ‘Buster’ and ‘Beano’ is a fairly significant issue.

The comic itself follows the semi factual story of a very unique rock band. The allusions to the Beatles and the second best Sparks album [now there was a great band] are effective and place the comic in context but ultimately it is but a mere taster. I look forward to the fully fledged comic that covers the escapades of a band that consists of a 'Ramboesque' lead singer, a deranged green monster on drums and the grim reaper on scythe/bass because only then will I feel that the title can be truly judged.

In a Word: Thin..



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