3 out of 5

I gave some thoughts about this already in within the scope of all the minis (except Stocking Stuffer), but it’s worth some thoughts on its lonesome.

That that rating of 3 is allotted purely for the book’s enthusiasm.  Because it is, at points, annoying to read.  Issue 1 and 4 bookend the series phenomenally well because they actually have plots for half the book.  I accept that part of A. Bug’s appeal is his 4th-wall breakingness, but there are ways to do this without it also breaking the reading experience, and that’s where issue 1’s Cheeks intro is excitingly dumb nonsense and issue 4’s Argh!yle! sock takeover inspired stupid genius.  Giffen or Fleming (the former does ‘plot’ and ‘pencils’, the latter ‘dialogue’) write puns and wink at the reader and make Marvel Universe references while staying leashed to something like a story, and the cramped panels, separated by only a nigh-discernible thin black line (no gutter space), similarly revolve around ‘plot’ points or gags, adding to the incensed glee.  But the flip of this is issue 2’s mutated koala bit, which interrupts itself every other page for a fake ad or fake something or other and just drags the reading experience down.  Issue 3 is a good example of what could work for a standalone – a tour of forgotten characters – but as worked into whatever was supposed to tie these issues together (Darkseid appearances…?) it feels like the odd book out.

The rest of the series are filled with Mad Magazine style riffing, and it’s just not the book I want.  It’s really gorgeously unhinged when it finds its pace, but as part of the humor, Giffen and Fleming want to pretend like there’s no effort put into things and so they endlessly diverge, becoming especially questionable when the books don’t even involve  A.Bug and instead make “real world” jokes about editor Julius Schwartz.  Funny?  Yeah, sure, it’s worth a chuckle.  But it was a lot funnier when they were telling something resembling a story.

I will addendum that Giffen’s art becomes an acquired, pleasant taste.  (Tasting like old paper.)  It’s unique but unlike other artists in the similar ‘busy’ vein – modern day Damion Scott comes to mind – the madness surpasses its ‘style’ to become functional.  So the books look good, even though at first it ALL seems like a mess.