I don't generally review many small press books, but it's a quiet week, so why not?

Joony Tuff is a self-published series by cartoonist David Bloodsaw.  He's hedging his bets by billing this as a four-issue miniseries which forms the first volume of an ongoing title - which is probably the most realistic way to approach a small press launch these days.

It's a comedy superhero book, although that leans more to comedy than to superhero.  Joony is a complete idiot who stumbles upon superhuman powers after a toxic waste accident.  He thinks that his new power will bring fame, fortune and women.  Unfortunately, he's overestimated, because he's only gained very minor superhuman powers, and he's still supremely unqualified for any sort of crimefighting whatsoever.  Not that he can actually be bothered doing any crimefighting, mind you.

There was a time when indie superhero satires featured an awful lot of whinging about the state of the industry, bemoaning the fact that such a silly genre dominated North American comics.  That seems to be dying out, perhaps because it's difficult to blame everything on the superheroes when the manga publishers have so plainly been outflanking them for the last few years.  Instead, we're getting books like this, where the superheroes are certainly ridiculous, but it's treated more affectionately.  The main joke here is Joony's obvious conviction that his trivial new powers somehow leap him up the social ladder.

Bloodsaw's art is sparse and decidedly minimal, but it's a very talky book, and he's got sound enough narrative instincts for that sort of thing.  Of course, the most important thing with this sort of book is that it actually has to be funny, and there are enough good gags in here to raise several laughs.

Still, it's rough around the edges.  It's very static, and the art struggles somewhat when it moves beyond the talking heads.  There's a love interest who is incredibly underdeveloped.  There are a couple of very questionable pacing decisions, though to be fair, they stand out largely because the book generally reads so smoothly.  And like so many small press books, it's sorely in need of a proofreader - I really do wonder about letterers who can't tell the difference between "your" and "you're."  Spelling and punctuation matter - after all, it's a degree of professionalism that can be achieved on any budget.

So it's a work in progress, but that's only to be expected from the small press.  For all its flaws, it made me laugh out loud, which is the important thing. 

Rating: B

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