4 out of 5

Okay, I’m cheating because I only have two issues of Stickboy, but since those two took forever to track down and they’re awesome enough to make me keep checking the “S” section of every comic store I hit up, I’ma gonna’ weigh in on this here book all the same.

So Mr. Worden writes and draws as a nice cross-section of several other indie-ers I dig, but based on where his work has been published and whom alongside, we can put him into the “sick” artist category of Johnny Ryan, Ivan Brunetti, and etc.  Stickboy, over 8 issues and various sizes (the first issue I have is magazine sized, issue 4 regular, 2 different publishers, and it looks like the book has had a couple different titles on the cover as well) – and based on the snippets of unowned issues I’ve seen – swoops up and down from sick humor to tirade to psychological wandering, to self-deprecating, to puns, to etc.  The penmanship has the nice, confident inking style of Mr. Johnny Ryan but – despite our lead being a circle and sticks – an extra level of detail spotted here and there that looks like the more intensive artists like Jim Woodring.  But this doesn’t abound across all backgrounds and figures, for sure, adding to that swooping feeling – some panels go all out with backgrounds and extra little flying things with tiny words scribbled on the side, some are just a figure talking against a blank background.  But it doesn’t feel rushed, or sloppy, or even “crazy,” it feels very paced and purposeful.  And Worden actually allows us into his (Stickboy’s?) mind via the general “what the fuck is life about” theme that percolates through the issues, but keeps it toned down with the generally surrealistic bent feel so that it never gets too whiny or too preachy.  A character trapped in a cell of his own design wearing a straight-jacket with the word “Fear” on it is dealt with fully knowing how dumb the symbolism could be and just playing off of that – admitting to it, but then asking why that image still exists.

Which is, for better or worse, what keeps me from tearing into these issues again and again, is that Worden seems sort of wishy-washy on what to do with his thoughts.  But that seems to be part of the point – art as outlet, which is nice that it’s not either totally stripped of a connection to reality or forced down a path that requires a conclusion.  If you’re comfortable with the sick humor from the scene I’m talking about but sometimes wished it moved forward with its thoughts instead of stalling on a gag, perhaps you should be hunting down Stickboy as well.  Only, not really, because you might buy the issues I need.