Johnny Raygun Quarterly #1

Posted: Tuesday, April 5, 2005
By: Steve Saville

Creators: Rich Woodall and Matt Talbot
Publisher: Jetpack PressAddress: 4 Green St, East Rochester, NH, 03868, USA.
Price: $2.95(US)

As a recent convert to the world of Johnny Raygun I felt I was destined to enjoy this tale of Mighty Moog, a walking volcano wreaking havoc in Vegas. Nor was I disappointed. Once again we have a comic jam packed with visual and verbal mirth. Mullets, looting grandmas, a show called Stargate on Ice, a chapter titled Fear and Lava in Las Vegas, got the idea yet? Mind you the best laugh is reserved for the end and the fate of Nathan, Doctor Oog’s overly intelligent son.

There is a wonderful array of frame angle and size in this edition. Extreme high angles juxtaposed with low angle views. Big frames, small frames, frames within frames. They are all here and they all combine to create a real energy, which is just as well really because when all is said and done we are dealing with a deranged lava creature from Venus here.
The artwork is strong and confident. The creators aren’t afraid to lay it on thick and black when they feel the need arises. As a result the frames have a real sense of depth about them. This is fortuitous as the visual elements need to be powerful if they are to match the fast paced and often hilarious dialogue. The sight of H2Olga in his best dinner suit waiting for Johnny to arrive with the hover car is wonderful; especially when the previous frame has shown us what has just happened to this same hover car.

Johnny himself is a likeable character. Hardly original, in that he epitomises the modern characteristic of self -belief and seems unable to from any genuine self -awareness but still likeable in a naive sort of way. Who else would set off for Vegas to battle a huge lava monster but take the time to ensure that he had enough slot machine tokens to see him right.

The story ends with a delightful piece of dramatic irony, which seems to indicate that Moog is set for a return in some future issue. I guess the fact that this edition is called Chapter One is further evidence that Moog will be back. If you enjoyed the original Tick comics then this is right up your alley. Good honest fun, as Johnny himself would say "this one's for Olaf."

In a Word: Witty

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