Review: Hollywood Trash #1
There’s a lot to like about Hollywood Trash #1. It’s a debut issue that’s full of potential and some entertaining moments. But, it also feels like a story I’ve come into about a quarter of the way. The series follows to garbage men who have picked up something that an evil cabal of Hollywood celebrities want and need. We don’t know what that is. We don’t know how they did it. We’re just thrown into the story with “go get them” and then the attempt to kill these two sanitation workers. It also leaves a lot to question like why someone doesn’t just tell them they grabbed something they shouldn’t have and ask for it back.
Stephen Sonneveld delivers a story that could use a bit more setup to start but as the issue gets rolling it turns into a Looney Tunes fight. While the details are a bit scant, Sonneveld focuses on the attempt to retrieve the MacGuffin and kill these two workers. The how just gets crazier and crazier as the story rolls on. By the end, it feels like this is a spin on Wile E. Coyote attempting to capture or kill the Road Runner. The garbage men are blissfully unaware and their pursuer might as well have credit at acme.
That over the top nature feels like it’s the draw of the series. The villains are rather thin. It’s a cabal of celebrities and we don’t know what their deal is other than being famous in their spaces. What they do and why doesn’t really seem to matter. They’re just the setup for the explosions and plots to get whatever was taken back in over the top ways.
That over the top nature is driven by the art of Pablo Verdugo. Verdugo is joined by Jose Expósito on color and Justin Birch on lettering. Like those Looney Tune cartoons, there’s a calm about the story up until there’s not. It’s almost a build-up to the insanity just like those classic cartoons. And that’s what works the most of the comic. It’s driven by the crazy nature of it all and the draw will be to see what crazy plan is concocted next.
There’s definitely potential for the series after reading Hollywood Trash #1. The entertainment feels like it’ll mostly be derived from the situations and attempts to get back whatever it is that needs to be returned. It’s a debut where you just need to go with the flow of it all and get lost in the absurdity of it all. Think too much, and it falls a bit short.
Story: Stephen Sonneveld Art: Pablo Verdugo
Color: Jose Expósito Letterer: Justin Birch
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.0 Overall: 6.8 Recommendation: Read
Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Mad Cave
