Body Bags (Dark Horse – Pearson)
If you didn’t pick it up just for Jason Pearson’s art, you’re nuts. You should stop reading this, march down to your local store get the BODY BAGS One-Shot. It’ll speak for itself.
And if realize you’ve been depriving yourself after reading it, you’ll want to grab the previous stories, which will be easier in trade paper back. In all, I think, there have been 7 issues of the comics,
The original 1996 Dark Horse BODY BAGS (4 issues), BODY BAGS; FATHER’S DAY (2 issues), BODY BAGS; 3 THE HARD WAY (1 shot, reprinting 3 Dark Horse Presents), and the current BODY BAGS: ONE SHOT.
So, there is some controversy surrounding these books based on the age of the PANDA, the female ‘protagonist’ and the amount of violence. I’m pretty tame in my likes and these books didn’t offend me. I don’t particularly care for books that are ‘Intense’ and ‘Realistic’, because that usually means ‘contrived and pretentious’. BODY BAGS needs to be read as a comedy not as social commentary. Mind you a dark comedy in a manga sort of way. The violence is so over the top it’s cartoony, the situations so outrageous there’s no connection with reality at all. And as I said the art is superb.
That said the most recent one shot is probably the weakest of the lot, but still fun. The banter seems a little forced, but the over the topness fun is still definitely represented. And the art is a little less tight than earlier issues, but still heads and tails above a lot of what is out there.
So, if you’re looking for a fast-paced, slightly irreverent, over the top, thrill ride this might be the book for you.
(and if you liked it check out fellow Gaijin Studio partner and current Art Director of Image’s 12-Gauge Imprint, Brian Stelfreeze’s “Gun Candy” and check out their site at http://www.12gaugecomics.com)
B+. Not perfect, but a lot of fun.
