An explosion of visual inventiveness and storytelling confidence that delivers charm, absurdity and humour without any apparent effort, hugely engaging and enjoyable. Jimmy, a very happy young boy becomes the object of romantic interest from two girls which leads to a fanatically absurd and horrible day for Jimmy and a extraordinary comic.
Absurdity is very difficult to do successfully, there is a subtle limit that has to be found that allows the ridiculous ideas to flourish and D.C. Johnson has established that limit with wonderful, assured confidence. The storytelling framework is taken from animation with abrupt cuts and jumps, the time compression that panels provide is exploited to the full to give the story a coherence that it needs. Jimmy’s adventurous day is told at a full tilt, the narrative moves at amazing speed with the unexpected always waiting to be sprung on the reader and Jimmy. Jimmy solid happy nature is the anchor of the story, he rolls with the punches and changes and gets on with it. This allows the rest of the action to spiral off in whatever direction D.C. Johnson wants, backed by the steely discipline used to ensure that every idea serves a direct dramatic purpose.
The art is perfect for the story, it is cartoony and animated, in both senses, the cast are busting with life and energy. The cast are astoundingly expressive, so full of personality and determination that the pages struggle to contain them. They are matched by the context which shifts and changes as required to follow the rush of ideas and changing circumstances.
Chris Allen’s dazzling colours are exactly what is needed, no subtlety is wanted , it would get in the way, the action and the cast want to be amplified to the greatest possible extent to express the ferocious energy and creative force of the writing and the art. The lettering is the quietest part of the comic, it never draws attention away from the action, the sound effects are as dramatic as they should be.
Dustin Evans special panels are fantastic, they give the story a extra dimension that is very welcome.
The World Hates Jimmy is as close to having an animated short between covers as it is likely to get, a brilliant use of the possibilities of comics, absurdly funny and charming.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent by Kim Roberts. To purchase a copy, good comics are a proven method to extend your life by increasing your happiness, you can get it here http://www.wpcomicsltd.com/
