The Good
If insanity were a book, it would be PUNKS. In this newest, coming of age tale, the book opens up on Lincoln, Dog, Skull, and Fist a completing their adventure. They try to end the issue of the comic, but they simply cannot. Aside from trying to laugh it all away until the credits roll, the team develops other ways to try and end the comic, like by traveling to the future or drowning themselves in pee. Then the book loses it and it cuts to a phone conversation between Kody Chamberlain and Joshua Fialkov because... why not?
Is this book funny even though some folks consider the humor to be low brow? Short answer, yes. Long answer, the book hits comedic notes like referencing classic action films or putting adds for other Joshua Fialkov books in the background. Sure, there's punches to the crotch and some humor some uppity people might consider "blue," but PUNKS hits home with moments of nostalgia, like a group of people laughing at the end of a sitcom, which is how this all starts.
Shall we move on to the artwork of Kody Chamberlain? It's my favorite part of the book. This cut and paste art is awesome and I'm glad to see it make a comeback. The last time I saw it was on a flyer for a punk rock show back in 1999. Seriously though, I really do appreciate this type of art. It's way out there and different, but it really speaks to a different audience and more than the aging punk rockers who love comic books now.
The thing with PUNKS is you know what you're getting with every issue and every issue delivers exactly that. There's no long-form story telling or heavy character development. PUNKS is a 90s television sitcom that has no FCC restrictions and constantly breaks the 5th wall. It's Clarissa Explains it All, on HBO, in a leather jacket with studs. That comparison may be a bit much, but this comic really does grasp the attention of a generation now in their 30s and early 40s. Maybe I'm looking way too into it.
The Bad
I have no complaints. This is exactly what I needed to read today. I read this digitally on my computer screen, so I had to turn my head to read a few pages.
The Verdict
PUNKS is everything you've been told a comic shouldn't be, but rules were meant to be triumphantly broken. That's what this series does and it does it well. This particular issue, like the others is outright insanity, but that's what I love about it. If you like to laugh and really want to read something that's fun, but fun in more of an adult way, this is the route to go. Also, any book that puts their creators in the issue is alright by me.
