A very engaging collection of strips that are based on true stories of gangsters and mafia dons.
The range of the stories is wonderful, they range from bank robbers claiming they rushed to the crime scene from the bakery next door to a shooting victim spitting out a bloody bullet by way of the worst coffee ever served to law enforcement.
There is nothing inherently funny about the stories, they are rather horrifying and disturbing in fact, Bret Juliano has very nicely found a way to acknowledge the facts and be funny at the same time. The true story is printed below the strip. One of the striking aspects to these stories are the nickname of the gangsters. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal responded very violently to be addressed by his nickname, it is not noted if other nicknames were spoken only when the gangster was not present or if the worse them as badges of honour.
The cast are all various birds, lizard, shellfish and animals. This gives Bret Juliano an opportunity to clearly differentiate among the cast. The strips do not directly replicate the story they neatly illustrate is usually at an oblique angle. This allows the strip and the story to play off each other and it works well.
The art is friendly and inviting, it draws the reader in and is very expressive. The mobimals are funny and never cute. They have a strength and force that is needed for the action, they are clearly deadly serious in their intent and happily ridiculous in the execution. This is a hard matter to deliver successfully and Bret Juliano clearly is a serious talent.
The colouring is a treat, it is bright and vivid, it gives the cast a force and definition that they need.
Based on a Ture Story is full of surprising stories wonderfully told, a first-rate comic.
