Well, my first review after having no real internet connection for a whole month. What do I have for you guys? How about a review of a comic from Mexico City called Mighty Mau? Okay, Arturo Rubio and Miguel Garcia have fashioned a superhero story about a not particularly super heroic character who seems to be on the skids. There doesn't seem to be a real update schedule from what I could gather, so I'll just say it's updated a few times per week. For my first comic back will this one give me the boost I need to get back into the game? Let's see....
When I think superhero comic I tend to think Jim Lee era X-Men, or Erik Larsen's time on Spiderman(loved that run). The bold, dynamic art is primarily what held my interest in comic books at the time. Mighty Mau has a totally different style than those comics, but on a good chunk of the later updates, I actually did enjoy the artwork. The earlier comics were very tiny and a little more straightforward with the cartoony art, which I didn't care for. Luckily, if you can make it through the first few, you'll be rewarded with a sketchy, watercolor-esque style that works well. Some of the action panels are stilted and could use a better flow, but as a whole the art evolves to a decent level. Does the writing do the same? Keep reading...
I know I said earlier that I loved certain runs on comic books because of the art, but of course the writing and storylines played a pretty important part as well. A twenty-two page comic with nothing but punches and kicks wouldn't be much of a comic, now would it? Art and writing go hand in hand, much like a hot dog and relish. I love me some relish. Ahem. To begin, let me take you to a few lines of dialogue from a fight scene from the storyline, "Mau vs. the Shopping Cart Transformer". "We've got the eggs up to the throat!" and "You thought I was frucked, but November, I survipers!" I.....that is to say....you....what? That was what I felt when I read this comic. Being from Mexico City, and from reading an email from the creators, I assume their first language is Spanish, so that explains a lot. But to write a comic in English, you really should have a decent grasp on the language, or it's just going to sound a bit silly and most likely not going to make a lot of sense. Don't get me wrong, I do get what's going on, but it's hard to want to follow a comic written this way. I'm sure with time they will get a better handle on things, but for now it just reads awkward.
Another problem I had with the writing was the gratuitous use of foul language. It just seems out of place, like they are attempting to sound all grown up but failing at it. I like my superhero comics a bit more, I dunno, super heroey. Of course, Mau is a drunk who has a lot of violence in his past, so I don't know how super heroey he is, exactly. I do give the writer credit for attempting a pretty deep backstory for the character, and I have to say it's not half bad. Not the best writing, but not the worst by any means.
In closing, Mighty Mau has a few things going for it, such as the ever improving art and deeper character building direction the comic is going in. It had some wobbly legs at the beginning, enough so that I would recommend dropping some of the early strips since they really have no bearing on the new style. But even with some improvements, I don't see where this comic is going. I hope that the current origin story is a glimpse of what's to come, as what came before it was pretty bad. Let's just hope that Mau can find some solid footing and it's own voice so I can recommend it.
I give this comic...
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