Nakedfella Comics #7

Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
By: Darren Schroeder

Cover of Nakedfella Comics #7 Creator(s): David Blumenstein
Publishers: Self Published
From: Australia
Price: $4 (AU)

Sometimes a comic creator comes up with an idea that great it sticks in the brain, staying without as you imagine the ways it could be developed. A t-shirt? TV show? Three movie deal? Beanies? Theme parks? The idea that David has here is a dozy: Herman the Legal Labrador. A super smart dog who goes to law school and becomes one of the city's finest young lawyer, a success while his owner becomes a drop out and failed writer. In this issue Herman has to think over an offer that he perhaps can't refuse.

The deadpan way David puts the story across sucked me right into this world where everyone knows just what woof, woof means. This central conceit is as funny as it is useful. The underpay between Herman and his owner is well staged as a very realistic relationship. There's an underlying tension between the friends, one that is bound to boil over at some stage.

Not content with the main story, David includes a few of cartoons and short strips. They show a range of drawing styles and a keen sense of the absurd. The editorial suggests that his earlier comics have been more of a mix of strips than longer stories, but the Herman story here suggests he is more than capable of handling either.

The art style David uses on the Herman story is very polished, with effective use of cross hatching and well delineated characters. The copy I received indicates that it is a B/W preview. I'm not sure if this means the interior will be coloured, but either way you won't feel hard done by cause it looks fine as is. In all this is a fun read, well thought out and illustrated. I'm looking forward to more legal action from Herman.

In a Word: Judicious.



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