Comic Book Review: Pork n' Beans #1

Pork n’ Beans (or Pork N’ Beans or Pork & Beans? I get a little confused about that…) is a fun humor comic about a pig named Norman that acts as caretaker for a household of hapless humans. Darcy, Leila, and Mike exist in this odd sort of age between 12 and 24. They act like young kids and they are referred to as kids, but Darcy and Leila have huge cleavage and Mike exhibits the kind of detachment that’s perfected only in the years following two decades of life.

But I guess that’s irrelevant, isn’t it? The point of Pork n’ Beans is to showcase the artistic talent of Matt Ryan, a kinetic and charismatic artist that’s an indie blend of Chris Bachalo and Jeff Matsuda. With that said, anything that blends the clever layouts of Bachalo and the expressive forms of Matsuda is bound to be enjoyable. The only drawback to the art is that it also has Bachalo's occasionally confusing compositions and Matsuda’s drastically angular tendencies. But more than anything else, the art is fun.

The writing by Darcy Naylor and Steve Kanaras is a mixed bag. The majority of the characterization is manic. That’s not bad. It’s just what it is. Some of the humor flows smoothly, while other gags are a bit jarring. Whenever something switches into a parody, it often becomes difficult to keep up with the joke. But when the gags all exist within the forward movement of the plot (and as opposed to diverging from the storyline) the humor is successfully passed from the writers to the readers.

The character personalities are fluid but I think I have a good idea of what we've got going on. I know that Darcy is goofy, Leila is the “straight man,” and Mike is the outlier (the Larry to his Three Stooges, if you will). Norman the Pig is like ALF but with responsibility and a bit of a grudge. All in all, I enjoyed this first issue. This comic book is a fun read with a lot of promise for even better stories in future issues.

6.5 / 10

Comic Book Review: Only in Whispers #1

This issue is a superb introduction to the Indie stylings of Free Lunch Comics. Only in Whispers #1 is an anthology book with tales of the supernatural. These stories take place in the past and the present, following characters both mundane and intriguing. Variety of tone is truly an asset of this issue. We experience freakish stories that carry their own individual flavors of eeriness. As a pleasant surprise, the different art styles contrast well with each other to produce a wonderful first issue.

To start off this collection of spooky tales, we witness a feud between a struggling writer and a potential Devil herself. Although the character context is somewhat open to interpretation, the strength of this particular story is that it sets the tone of this issue with excellence. Writer / editor / publisher Steve Kanaras works with artist / president Matt Ryan to tell this spooky story full of spiders. Hey, I love spiders so you know this sold me. I got a damn arachnid tattooed onto my shoulder so I better be down with this tale.

Next up is a somewhat confusing prose piece. Although I appreciate the attempt to mix in a bit of pulpy supernatural storytelling, this particular take didn’t do it for me. I feel like the momentum would have been best preserved by cutting straight to the next illustrated tale (which just happens to be the best of the book).

One Nibble at a Time, by Kanaras and artist Stephanie O’Donnell, is the best thing this book has to offer. The story follows a broken man who made a dark magic deal with a demon. It’s a hilarious interpretation of the “deal with the devil” concept. Makes me with that these two handled One More Day because at least I would have laughed my ass off. Imp, the hell spawn that helps take our protagonist to riches, is funny in an ALF-meets-Satan sort of way. My favorite moment of the story was watching the demon give the protagonist a high five on their way to glory. It was smart, irreverent, and smooth.

The next story is by Kanaras and artist Anthony Summey. The art is extremely strong in this tale, and so is the story’s concept. Rich with history, religion, and intrigue, these two creators immerse readers into a world of magic. It’s fascinating to see the way the story unfolds, especially if you’re a history buff.

The final illustrated piece is by writer / artist Andrew Pollock. His art style is like a fusion of Mike Mignola, Paco Medina, and Chris Bachalo. His visuals are cast in stark black and white images that emote with wonderful effect. His story deals with a haunting Banshee and a hunter determined to end the Banshee’s legacy of terror. The action was well choreographed, really expressing the violence of the battle. Artistically, this is the issue’s pinnacle.

At the end, we are treated to some prose tales of the supernatural, straight out of real life. I thought this was a terrific twist to the issue’s concept. I implore you – if you have a spooky real-life story to tell, share it with this comic book. All in all, this issue was a strong start for this Free Lunch Comics series.

7 / 10