Saturday, March 12, 2016

Saturday Revue March 12: Diebold

Make Way! Make Way!

Here Comes Something Wonderful!

Here's a comic that can really speak for itself! When this is the first page, you just know you're in for something good.
This is 'Diebold', a comic created by the triumvirate of John Holland, Brian Clifton and Javi Laparra, residing here and being hilarious. It's the tale of the mysterious Ed the disembodied head, his quest for good beer and sarcasm, and everyone else's quest to find his body, find out how he really lost it, and find a way to get him to stop being so crude. That third part of the quest is probably doomed to failure...

The Rating

A Golden Age Comic with bite. A treat.

The Raves

Stylistically, this comic is beautiful. Reminiscent in cartooning style of 'Andy Capp', 'Mother Goose And Grimm' and a range of classic late fifties and early sixties comics, it's charming. The weird and wonderful animal designs, the exaggerated colors and the whimsy combine nicely into a world that is at once vibrant and dreamy. The artist has a deft grasp of style, and color is a perfect mode of conveyance for its humor.
And the humor is also great. Not quite gag-a-day but close, 'Diebold' loves dirty tricks and goofy wisecracks, but gets away with some of the most direct and lucid storytelling you'll see around while performing its shenanigans. The strip loves its running jokes, and they're good ones; nobody really knows how Ed lost his body, but everybody has a story. Ed has nothing nice to say for anyone, and everyone pretends he's not as rude as he patently is. As the reader you're in on the joke and snicker up your sleeve the whole way through. 

The Razzes

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Due to the death of the artist we may not get any more Diebold, which is a real shame. This comic is in print and I may buy a copy just for the crazy animal designs, but it's sad to realize we'll never know where Ed's body is. The site for the comic is kept up in tribute to Mr. Clifton.
I would like to see a better archive button on the site; if you're trying to pick up your place in the comic, it's annoying clicking through every page. But other than that, there is nothing to improve here. This work is a gem.

The Revue

The perfect world to escape into. I only wish there were more. 

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