3 out of 5

Interpreting Auteur theory (on which I’m a pro, after having read the first paragraph of the wiki page), we can judge Rick Spears based on the work he’s presenting here.

I read ‘The Auteur’ (the… first arc… or the mini-series…?) twice, in a row.  That’s a rare claim for a comic and me.  My first time through, the sudden transition in tone that happens between beginning and end made me wonder whether or not I’d missed something.  My second time through, I tried to be open to ‘other things’ Spears might be trying to accomplish with the series: that it’s a commentary on art, that it’s a love letter to a girl, that it’s an off-the-rails attempt to distill the relationship between observer and observed.  There are repeated visual themes throughout, and casual film nods, and then some rants on the Meaning of the main character’s medium – film – that sound heartfelt.  The back cover of the final issue is the ‘Fin’ title card of a silent movie.  How deep, or how meta does this series go?

Ultimately, I don’t think it goes that deep.  I do think some of the symbols I’ve sussed out are purposeful, and the very fact that I asked myself the above questions – that I wanted to read this thing twice to double-check my thoughts – means that the series is worth reading, undoubtedly.  However, layered meaning or not, ‘The Auteur’ doesn’t end up making me… actually consider what’s being proposed, just whether or not it actually is being proposed.  This means, to me, that it can’t be considered successful in achieving its goals, beyond, perhaps, to entertain, which, sure, is another meta interpretation of What’s Going On as well.  But the diversions in the plot – and an impassioned note from editor Charlie Chu in issue #1 – suggest we are supposed to get more than just a chuckles worth from what we’re reading.  So ‘The Auteur’ chooses this particular bed to fuck in, and then just sorta straightens the sheets out afterward.  (Weee)

The gist: producer Nathan T. Rex – known for his gloriously successful flicks of overkill – has just made his first bomb.  He seeks the advice of a production partner, Zaul Pear, who leads him to a ‘Doctor’ who will provide him drugs for some zany, hopefully inspirational, trips.  On one such trip, Nathan realizes what his next movie needs: serial killer Darwin as a ‘murder consultant,’ to give it that extra nudge of, uh, believability.  Nathan is indulgence to a, eh, ‘T’,’ and the next three issues run us through an over-the-top satire of media – sex, drugs, blood, etc. – with the Looney Tunes-via-Geof Darrow stylings of artist James Callahan and the bright and poppy colors of Luigi Anderson.  Spears sneaks in a sudden love interest for Rex in issue one (he falls in love with her ass)… annnnd a love story is what ‘Auteur’ ends up morphing into in its latter half, as Rex tries to pay for his sins by turning his post-bomb flick (‘Presidents Day’) into a tribute to his gloriful-assed love, Coconut.  But the satire, by this point, seems to fall to the wayside, as do some other elements: Callahan’s art, in issues 4 and 5, falls back quite constantly on flat, one-color backgrounds with two characters talking face-to-face, with maybe one mid-ground prop for some type of reference; several side characters cease to matter, most noticeably Darwin, the serial killer; and the ‘sleazy’ aspect of Rex’s personality is all but forgotten in his quest to be liked and /or loved.  Now again, some of this does feel purposeful.  Some of it feels rushed.  Darwin says ‘in for a penny…’ after a murder, and it could be saying that this murderous, foul aspect of Rex / Spears will always be there, even if its not ‘noticeable’ in the now – which would explain Darwin lurking in the shadows in issue 5.  But again, even assuming this was the intention, the unevenness with which it comes across is questionable…

I could go on in this fashion.  I sorta hope ‘Auteur’ continues, even if it is only to see it crumple under its own intentions.  Charlie Chu’s ‘this comic will blow you away’ letter in issue one only adds to the feeling like ‘Presidents Day’ might not’ve turned out like we expected, but his enthusiasm is understandable.  Spears accomplished something legitimate with the series, something that made me hit pause and think about what I was reading, and my average rating aside, that’s always a commendable thing.