4 crampons out of 5

It takes about five minutes to read most Scott Morse collections.  He has such a streamlined style that extends even to the word balloons / lettering that you can zip through a story and get the gist without time wasted on pesky things like enjoyment.  I wouldn’t even suggest that you’re missing out on some deep thinking via a more patient panel-by-panel review, as Scott’s stories are generally pretty straight forward, but ‘Ancient Joe’ is a perfect example of Mr. Morse at his compressed best – it can be everything and nothing depending on how you read it.

Ancient Joe is an ex-boxer who I think always wears a mask and stole some gold from the devil El Diablo, who now needs to travel to Hell to get his wife released.  Sound wacky?  You won’t be able to tell.  Part of Morse’s skill is in bringing all this in to play very naturally.

He liberates the reader from the confines of reality by his loose style.  Inspired by classic animation plus an interest in the way film can tell a “story” without saying a word, Morse’s panels would seem to be very particular despite the quick feel, slopping everything to the forefront for natural storytelling, much the same way that cartoons make the insane seem normal within their animated world.  Ancient Joe’s tale of forgiveness and choices is nothing new, but the simplicity with which the concepts are presented is refreshing, and a testament to what can be achieved when a specific medium is chosen as a method of expression.

When focused strictly on visuals, Morse’s work leans toward fans or collectors.  When focused on story, it tends to highlight how simple most of his concepts are.  When Morse just pursues an idea – such as in Ancient Joe – it seems to nip at all of his best attributes.