The comic tries it's best to set you up for disappointment - with proclamations on the cover such as "Contains no redeemable features!!", "A lot of Stuff & Nonsense" and "May not be suitable for children or people with high standards!" - but - but - those drawings - they look so appealing - sorta scrungy & energetic - you just know that there's gonna be fun within it's pages!
It's just that old self defence mechanism so prevalent with insecure Brits - knock yourself down before anyone has a chance to do it - life feels safer that way.
So is this self depreciation on the part of Jim McGee just a load of crock? On the whole - yes, but it does allow him a 'get out clause' for the occasional slipshod page.
What you most get from this comic is the sense of manic energy it emanates. The strips feel, for the most part, unplanned & it is this that gives the comic an edge of happy unpredictability. Even if the gag s sometimes fall somewhat empty or flat, this just the rough with the smooth & the rough has the sandpaper of infectious inane grinning to remove the splinters of doubt.
Hmm - an allegory too far, methinks, but you get the idea... maybe - there's an infectious charm that pervade the book & I feel that it can get away with a lot more than I would forgive other more mundane comics.
The cartooning seems to have an underlying assurance underlying the frenetic finish. This gives it a casual & almost effortless air - which may not be the case, but is a good thing to pull off if you can manage it; something I've seen some cartoonists strive for years to achieve. This asset also lends the cartooning some maturity - even thought the themes are occasionally rather silly & a couple of strips may go nowhere - the thing is - they wilfully go nowhere.
This comic seems to have been created for amusement & this is primarily what it manages to convey as you read it.
mooncat