REVIEW: Prat #1

This is the kind of book that annoys me.Â Before we get to the why, recap time.

Pike Prat is a bit of a yob.Â Think Lobo without any charm.Â Now I know what you are thinking, “Lobo has charm?”.Â Well compared to Prat he most certainly does.Â So Prat has his Saturday of drinking, insulting women and punching landlords interrupted by a call from his stateside Aunt asking him to pick up his cousin Peter up from the airport.Â From there its more drinking, poker and hookers, before the big climax leading to more questions, if you can be bothered to ask.

Written by Buddy Beaudoin, this script is full of vulgarity.Â There is nothing redeeming about any of the characters and the jokes that are in there are so over played that they are just not funny.Â Now it could be that Beaudoin is going for some sort of caricature of English culture, sort of Prat by name Prat by nature, but for me, I just find it insulting.

The art is by Brennan FreemantleÂ whose style fits the book well, although it does take a little getting used to.Â Looking at the book, I couldn’t help think of Thunderbirds or Stingray, the way that the heads are so much bigger than the bodies.Â Still, the art manages to help convey the vulgarities of Prats life without falling into the same sortÂ over the topÂ attitude as the script.Â Â The best thing about the book is the colors by Joel Earley, who pulls double duties with inks.Â The colors help with the overall look of the book, and hide some of the more non descript panels in play.

So, why does this book annoy me?Â It’s the apparent way that us Brits are shown in comics.Â ThisÂ complaint may not be as controversial or as sexy as the “women in comics” debate, but honestly, this book is hugely offensive.Â Even the airport scene, Prat is in Gillingham, which is over one hour away from Heathrow (thank you google maps), so you can bet it will take longer to get there on a Saturday, but with no reference as to what time Peter gets picked up, the scene falls flat, insulting the reader by the lack of any sort of commitment to the plot.Â However, if a vulgar, beer drinking yob, living a caricature of English life is your bag, feel free to check it out.Â For me, I will be passing on future installments.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Look for them on social media:Â Facebook.com/gentlemenpickle,Â Twitter:Â @BuddyorDie&Â @LordBregatron

And buy copies at theirÂ store Squareup.com/market/Gentlemen-Pickle

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network