Retro Review

In a rare moment of boredom and extravagance back in the late nineties when I was living in Poland, I bought an issue of an American magazine, despite such things being very expensive and my salary being rather low. I’d run out of things to read, I’d gone through most of the interesting part of the local English-language library’s collection, and I just wanted something new. The magazine was called Wizard, and was about my favorite medium, comic books. The only thing that I remember about the issue now was the article praising a comic book called Box Office Poison, which was created by Alex Robinson, and was about a group of ordinary people in New York. I was intrigued, especially because I’d been looking for some non-mainstream super-hero books to try, but I didn’t reckon on being able to find any issues anytime soon. It was very nice to be proven wrong: on my very next trip to Dublin, I found Box Office Poison Kolor Karnival on the new releases shelf of Sub City Comics. I bought it without even looking through it, just on the strength of the article, and I was not disappointed.

BOP Kolor Karnival was a one-shot starring the three main characters from the early issues of the main comic: Jane, Stephen and Sherman. All the other major characters make cameo appearances. There are two stories, one more serious one about Jane and Stephen’s relationship, and the other about Sherman’s job, played for laughs. Self-contained and never referred to in the main comic, the stories in this issue served as an introduction to Alex Robinson’s work for those who weren’t already reading BOP, and as a bonus for those who were.

This is a good comic book, from the super-hero parody cover to the running joke back cover. Alex Robinson’s ear for dialog is as superb as always, and the comedy is well timed. The relationship story is a familiar one that rings true, especially because neither character’s point of view is favored. The art is as expressive and rich as always, using the same variations on the style as the main comic. While some black & white comics look flat and awkward when they have a color issue, the color works well here, adding depth rather than taking it away. The color is also used to great effect in Sherman’s storyline, meaning it’s more than just a gimmick issue.

I especially love the cover, an eye-catching super-hero cover parody. Against the backdrop of a smoking ruin of a house, a levitating blonde woman in ordinary clothes strikes a triumphant super-villain pose, clearly having defeated the other two characters: one is held aloft, unconcious, while the other is being dragged up by the hair. Captions loudly announce this is “Action! The Antarctic Way!” and ask “Who is Darlene Kaiser?” in the style of a seventies Marvel comic. It even has a character head-shot box under the issue number. When I get back to Dusseldorf next week, I will scan in a copy of the cover to share.

If BOP Kolor Karnival has a flaw, it is that it feels a little inconsequential: it’s a good comic, and an essential part of my collection, but it’s not an essential part of the story. That said, there’s no rule that everything in life has to have repercussions, and things can happen without changing the status quo. Besides, it was written to be a bonus, not an integral part of the overall story, and judging it on that basis, it is a great one-shot.

Besides being my introduction to Alex Robinson’s work, BOP Kolor Karnival has one other special place in my heart, but that’s a story I’ll share another day. For now, let me just say that if I hadn’t bought it, I wouldn’t be writing either of my blogs now.

Box Office Poison Kolor Karnival, from Antarctic Press. A for story, A for art, A for good use of color, for a solid A overall. The individual issue can be hard to find, but it’s worth the hunt for the color. The only reprint is in black and white in the collection of BOP-related short stories, BOP!, which retails for around $10. Alex Robinson’s home page is here, and his blog is here.

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