Story by
Joe Casey
Art by
Mike Huddleston
Colors by
Mike Huddleston
Letters by
Rus Wooton
Cover by
Mike Huddleston
Publisher
Image Comics
THE STORY SO FAR:
Dick and Jay convince Butcher Baker, America’s greatest superhero, to come out of retirement for one final job. Americans are tired of paying for rogues to rot in their maximum security prison, THE CRAZY KEEP, and want to end the burden of their existence once and for all. Butcher dons his gear and hops in his star spangled big rig for one last job: blow up the maximum security prison and all the bad guys in it. In hubris, Butcher leaves the scene before making sure the job was done. It wasn’t A host of baddies survived the explosion and are now free. Led by Jihad Jones, the villains are sure to cause no end of trouble for our hero down the road.
When opportunity knocks, I kick the Goddamn door in. That’s how I roll, Motherfuckers.
I should kick this show off by saying, I haven’t been this excited to talk about a comic book in a long time. Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker lives up to its hype in every sense of the word. It’s a crass, dirty good time; an unapologetic and relevant grindhouse of a book that feels familiar, but warps our perceptions so far outside our comfort zone that it made me feel violated – and I asked for seconds.
In case the description above is unclear – this book is not for kids. It revels in its own vulgarity and pushes the envelope at every turn. I mean c’mon. The first issue starts out with Dick Cheney and Jay Leno going to an orgy bar to make a deal with a has been superhero. But crass jokes aside, I love Joe Casey’s writing. His inner monologue for Butcher Baker, while sometimes hilarious, says a lot about the character and the way he sees himself and the world around him. Baker has lived a great life, and done great things. But he’s obviously unfulfilled. What’s it all for, if the world is still as screwed up as it was when he was fighting crime, right? I guess that’s why we see him tangled up with half a dozen sweaty, naked women in his introduction. Is he an addict? Hell yes, probably an addict of every kind. Even this one last job of his, which he thinks is going to be the culmination of everything he’s worked for his whole life doesn’t sit as well with him as he thought it might.
I also loved the way Casey handled Jihad Jones in issue #2, who is surprisingly level-headed. His reaction to the attempted assassination is not as hostile as his fellow villains. He can almost understand it and sympathize in a way. That doesn’t mean that he can let it stand, but his reaction to the attempt is not one of blind hatred, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition with the fanatical archetype he is outwardly intended to embody.
The art of Butcher Baker is as integral to the storytelling as the writing and I’m in love with Mike Huddleston’s artistic decisions in this book. For the majority of the first issue he adheres to a halftone pop-art style that celebrates the comic book medium, and his use of colors to evoke emotions and symbolism are just gorgeous. Seriously, I would decorate my whole house with stuff similar to what he demonstrates in this book. What makes it so good, however, is how he is able to change gears and switch color palettes and styles fluidly reflecting the tone and mood of each page and scene.
Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker is a whole lot of fun on the surface, but Huddleston and Casey work so well together that the book is so much more than just one dirty joke after another. It’s not for kids or adults with sensitive constitutions, but the book has a lot more to offer than just the sex and violence it advertises. Though, those are much appreciated.
I give Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker issues #1 and #2 Four out of Five Stars.
