BUTCHER BAKER RIGHTEOUS MAKER #1

Review by: ctrosejr

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

189
Pulls
Avg Rating: 3.8
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Users who reviewed this comic:
story JOE CASEY
art & cover MIKE HUDDLESTON

Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99

I am pretty sure I know what this book is trying to do. It’s like the Watchmen meets Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Butcher Baker is a more up-to-date version of the Comedian. (With his star-spangled costume, he even kind of looks like him.) He’s jaded, cynical, self-centered and likes to blow shit up. So, it seems to me, this is again a commentary on what superheroes would be like if they existed in the “real” world, just amped up “to eleven” for modern readers. The coloring, storytelling and art style give it the Fear and Loathing vibe.

I did not have a problem with the profanity or nudity in this book. In fact, I kind of enjoyed those elements of the book. Butcher is a guy who has retired from crime-fighting and is instead enjoying the excesses of life. He’s over the top and larger than life. Therefore, the profanity and nudity makes sense to me.

The book contains a cameo from two very recognizable “real-world” celebrities (if you can call them that), which added an element of humor. Their role in the story, how they are portrayed, and how they convince Butcher to help them all made me laugh. The art was above average and fit the tone of the book. The decision to selectively color some panels and loosely color others also fit the tone.

My problem with this comic was the storytelling. The story jumps around from the past to further in the past to the near future to slightly further in the future and back again. In addition, there are a lot of thought boxes, which is fine in theory, but they are spread out over different panels, pages and time periods, as the book jumps back and forth through time. It never got to the point where I was confused. I could follow the plot, which is rather straightforward. But, I think the narrative suffered due to all the time-hopping. It prevented me from connecting with the character, and I got a little bored waiting for the story to catch up to the plot. To be honest, I skipped over the flashback where he saves the “Reality President” because by that point I had lost my patience with all the flashbacks and exposition. (Did somebody read this section? Was it worth reading?)

Between the poor storytelling, and the fact that I feel like I have already seen this movie, I will not be picking up the second issue of this comic unless someone tells me that the storytelling got dramatically better.

Story: 2 - Average
Art: 4 - Very Good

Comments

  1. I agree completely. But I think what’s going on here is a commentary on the medium of comics itself and the state of the industry. There’s a point near the end where Butcher says something to the effect about being unfinished. Up until then all the art was sketchy, and then we have the fully painted last page. Great concept, but I think it falls into an area of pretentiousness that may or may not be saved by further issues. 

  2. @nudebuddha  Good call.  Didn’t notice the last page, but you’re definitely right.  I might read through it once more to see if I pick up more comics allusions.  However, I don’t think realizing this makes me like Rightous Maker any more.

  3. @ctrosejr  Yeah, I’m not sure it saves it either.

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