5 out of 5

It’s impossible to make insanity this hilarious and fun to read for ten issues straight.  WHEN WILL THE DAM BREAK, RYAN?  I mean – we understand that random humor has limits, right?  So books / shows that fly too close to this principle for too long (*cough* Adventure Time) are best in bite sizes.  It is when some comedic mastermind is able to strike the balance between plotting and WTF left-field humor that side-splitting, non-stop laughter can ensue.  And I must say: I’ve witnessed this in television, but I’m not sure I’ve seen it sustained for as long as Ryan Browne has with GHA.

Let’s be clear about something: there was nothing to improve on from the first story arc.  The art, the lettering, the coloring, the writing, the packaging – all of it was spot-on, and sold Browne’s wacky story through-and-through.  And yet, he’s improved on it anyway: there’s a dash of restraint with the funny sound effects, and I feel like the storyline in this arc – with its million moving pieces, including a back-up which again ties into the main plot – feels less like the full throttle MakeShitUp method of arc 1, without sacrificing any of the random sensibility.  It’s… logical randomness, benefiting, I’d say, from having a few issues that’ve established some ground rules for the GHA world as well as given us a good sense of our leads.  Meaning Browne can push things to a breaking point but be leashed from going too far by the confines of his own world.  It’s an arrangement that’s working brilliantly.

In this arc, it’s the Crab Army versus Earth.  A whole bunch of other shit happens, and it’s all completely genius hilarity.  If you’re already reading this, you don’t need me to encourage you, I’m sure.  And if you’re new to GHA, pick up an issue, flip to any page and start reading.  If you’ve turned the page, you’re hooked, and you might as well go back and buy the first two trades already.