Review: Paradox Girl #5
As someone who loves comedies, some of the best ones are parodies. As these movies both challenge the perception of the material’s audience and makes them aware of the common devices writers use in such a genre. These stories become even more resonant, when it can both make the audience laugh and appreciate the subtleties of the type of story. Some of the best parodies ever made, were movies about spies, as they sully are taken so seriously but rarely if not successfully made fun of.
One movie that usually never gets brought up is Undercover Brother, the hilarious feature which showcases Eddie Griffin as the apropos named titular character. It used just about every trope used in these movies and then some, introducing some absurdist elements. This movie though not loved by some, still is an example of the perfect parody of a genre. In the fifth issue of Paradox Girl, our favorite character dips her feet and then some into he genre in a “Bond-esque” story.
We catch up with Paradox Girl, as she deep into a story where she a spy, the evil genius and the damsel in distress, and just about everyone onboard a train leading to Somewhere. Paradox as Agent Double O Clock starts a conversation with Paradox as Minuet Waltz fighting Paradox as Aunt Agonist who has created time bomb in front of the train they are on to erase the whole timeline. What follows is battle of wits and brawn between Agonist and Double O Clock. By issue’s end, Double O’Clock and Minuet embrace their situation in more ways than one.
Overall, another fun installment in this brilliantly comedic story that pushes boundaries and now genres. The story by Cayti Elle Bourquin is hilarious front to back and shows that Bourquin is a master storyteller. The art by Yishan Li is equally brilliant and gorgeous as sequential art should always be. Altogether, a great storyline which will have laugh at each panel while witnessing one of the best books ever written.
Story: Cayti Elle Bourquin Art: Yishan Li
Story: 9.6 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy
Undoing mistakes or correcting them, can be a difficult task depending on how much damage said blunder may have caused. Understanding that you have created an error, sometimes may be akin to the stages of grief. First, you must acknowledge that you were the main cause of the mistake, which includes a lot of face-palming. Then you may or may not fess up to the crime, and who you tell it to, determines if you will be punished for it.
There is nothing better than comedy-based comics when it is done right. This is exactly what made Mad Magazine and Cracked, so popular to read for my kids in my generation. As it poked fun at everything, no holds barred, leaving everyone a victim, pointing out some of the most absurd elements of popular culture. Any child who grew up when I did, could remember Mad’s popular parody of Rocky IV and Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, two movies that some audiences find iconic now, but were critically panned by the critics and these comic magazines. The humor in these magazines shaped what my humor for years to come and I would find this absurdist sense of humor in other comics growing up.
One of my favorite actors of all time is Michael Keaton. Growing up he acted in a more than a few movies that pretty much formed my sense of humor. He primarily acted in comedies until the two Batman movies he did, but then he moved to more dramas and other serious fare. One of his best movies after Gung Ho, is Multiplicity, one where his character gets himself cloned so he can do other things.