< comics/x >
WILQ: SUPERBOHATER #1,
by Bartosz and Tomasz Minkiewicz
(about $3.00 US,
www.wilq.pl)
Review by Matt Dembicki
Wilq: Superbohater (translated: "Wolf: Superhero") is a satirical Polish comic about a cynical superhero and his misfit friends who go on, well, fairly unsuperhero-like exploits. The cover — a wink toward the classic
Action Comics #1 — might lead you to think it’s a funny, family-oriented book. Nope. It’s doused with adult humor, showing lackadaisical heroes in a modern world. Rendered in a cartoon-like manner reminiscent of Sergio Aragonés, Wilq and his colleagues (Alc-Man, short for Alcoholic Man, and the pentagram-wearing Entombed) goof around at work during their day jobs playing video games, listen to metal music, and guzzle beer. In one particularly hysterical scene, Wilq and Alc-Man, who always has a pleasant buzz going, cruise the streets with a pair of ditzy girls in the backseat. They come across a couple of youths who are just hanging out. Wilq comments on how the hip-hop kids wear their pants so low, with the crotch at the knees. Alc-Man replies that it’s because they don’t appreciate the body and try to cover it as much as possible. Wilq then turns to the women: “Show these boys a body they can appreciate!” One of them flashes a beautiful pair of breasts, which leaves the boys gawking. Yeah, it’s lowbrow, but it’s funny.
It’s unfortunate that this magazine-size comic isn’t available in English, but there’s hope. I e-mailed the creators and they said they’re trying to get it translated. The problem, of course, will be capturing the humor, which often gets lost in translation.
[ Link to this review ]
