Moo
Moo © Ben Hardacre
| Moo Ben Hardacre |
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Done in glorious make it up as you go along-o-vision. From a creator's perspective it has a lot going for it - unblocks creative constipation & frees up the creative process to be spontaneous & care free. From a readers perspective - well lets have a look...
The immediate reaction is a, "Ooh - is this Nigel Auchterlounie comic?
I haven't seen him in years!" This mistake was made because Ben Hardacre has a similar cartooning style & wackiness; similar, but not quite.
The cover & the inside cover blurb all set this up as being a lightweight, but fun read, so that's OK - as this is what it delivers... you wouldn't surely be expecting gravitas would you? You can read into it too deeply if you like - touching on such issues of factory farming, slave wagery in fast food production & the intransigence of multinationals... but that would be preaching to the converted somewhat. These are all issues with which someone willing buy, let alone pick up a small press comic are probably more than familiar with. It skips along with these themes using them to background for the fun & gags. The gags themselves are not new, but they are playfully used & amuse. The story rattles along at a fair old pace & then... hits the brick wall at the end. The denouement is there before you realise it.
I like the cartooning used It's basic & blocky. There's a confidently fluid edge to it with a hint of generic graffiti styling in the ticks & flourishes. It's easy on the eye & communicates adequately. However, it does not seem to take risks as such & you wonder whether its creator is really bothered about stretching himself (this also could be said of the story). Background & setting are kept to a minimum. While this avoids clutter it also lets you off the hook in having to create over detailed scenes. It also would be nice if the pace of the comic changed every so often, instead of a relentless 4 tier page; a splash page, or just a 2 tier page... but these things take planing, & as mentioned, this was done on the hoof, so planning does not really enter into the equation - it was made for fun & should really be read in that manner.
mooncat
| Moo: 16 A5 pages, colour copy covers & inside covers |
Recieved at ZUM! HQ: Dec 02 |
£1 +P+P? |
Ben Hardacre, 62 Rochdale Road, Greetland, Halifax, HX4 8HE |