The Escapists is a curious example of comic-book influences finding their way back into comics. 

It's a miniseries by Brian Vaughan and Philip Bond, inspired by Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.  The novel is about the careers of the titular comic creators, and their superhero the Escapist (a sort of escapologist hero).  This story is a sort of thematic sequel, as hardcore fan Max Roth buys out the rights to the obscure Golden Age hero and tries to bring him back into print, with the help of a sceptical indie-oriented artist and a friend who might be useful for publicity stunts.

Now, there's a big, big problem with this comic, and it's worth getting out of the way now.  This story originally appeared in Michael Chabon Presents: Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #8, an anthology title devoted to vaguely Escapist-inspired stories.  In other words, it's a reprint.  Strangely enough, Dark Horse somehow managed to avoid mentioning this rather crucial point anywhere in their solicitations.  To be fair, it's priced at one dollar, but that's not the point.  It's a fundamentally misleading way to promote the issue, and the sort of thing that really ought to be beneath Dark Horse.

Still, it's not as though anyone was actually buying Michael Chabon Presents: Amazing Adventures of the Escapist - I've never even heard of it, and I only bought this issue on the strength of recognising the creative team on the shelf, which says something about the effectiveness of Dark Horse's promotional team. 

But it's a very good comic.  I'm generally rather sceptical when comics do stories about comics, since it frequently degenerates into a lovefest.  The same theme in prose wouldn't have that element.  But it's a strong concept - a man trying to bring back his childhood obsession in the face of overwhelming commercial odds and general pointlessness - and it works as an underdog story. 

Philip Bond is an inspired choice of artist, since not only is he a million miles away from the style of the Escapist strip itself, but he's one of the best artists in the business for comedy-drama.  Unfortunately, he's not doing the rest of the series, but the replacement is Steve Rolston, who should be fine.

It's still a little jokey at times - a Golden Age comic called Amazing Midget Radio Comics really doesn't fit with the tone of the story, for example.  But it's got strong, compelling characters, and I genuinely want to know where this story is heading.  It should be fun. 

Rating: A-

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