First things first: I love Jim Mahfood!
There. I said it. I first discovered this unique artist with Marvel's Peter Parker: Spider-Man # 44-45, Spider-Man: Tangled Web # 19 (hilarious meeting between The Rhino and The Grizzly) and Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #9 wich was hilarious! Favourite quote: ''The artist is not paid by the Skrull!'' I was surprised to see that these were written with Bendis, wich i HATE.
His styled toned down for the mainstream, not as close as his notoriously over-pacted and energetic panels and close attention to irrevelant but hilarious details. I know he has more independent comics published, but you'll have to do your own research since i'm lazy. I'll give you this to help, though: Grrl Scout and Zombie Kid, wich i didn't read yet.
Here are the covers, can't seem to make 'em work like pictures:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/beurpool/mahfoodspidey2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/beurpool/mahfoodspidey.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/beurpool/mahfoodff.jpg
So, that was the first reason i picked up the One Page Filler Man book at the shop. The cover caught the corner of my eye and I instantly recognised his nefarious drawing style.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/beurpool/opfm.jpg
I immediatly bought the book, without even peering inside. At my friend's place, after a little bit of pot and a little bit of beer, i proceeded to shamelessly read the book from beginning to end. Hilarity ensued! I wasn't familiar with Mahfood's previous small body of work with the characters, but it doesn't take long to adopt them. A little kid who constantly eats ice cream, and has t-shirts that change names every panel. A superhero thirsty for adventures who tries to be the exemple as much as he can, but he is clearly demented. Think Deadpool without the evil. Think old-school Spider-Man, without the intelligence. Random ramblings and spectacularly imprevisible affirmations abound. There seems to be no plot at all, but i don't even care, it's so freakin' good.
Mahfood's tried, tested and true ''Botched'' style of drawing is indeed, stylish. Overly dynamic poses seem to bring the already larger-than life character to unprecedented dramatic mountaintops. And if you pay attention to every little detail, you will see some stuff other people would not have seen. Read it a second time, you'll notice even more stuff. Kind of like Birdman!
My best exemple would be the changing t-shirts i mentioned earlier. One Page Filler Man's sidekick (can't remember his name) sports them throughout the tale, and it's basically a different slogan every time you can read one. Except when the duo comes back home, he sports a t-shirt he first wore earlier in the book, symbol of his return home, i would guess. I bet if i were to write every word of his t-shirts on Google i would discover a pletora of underground artists. Another example is the t-shirt Danger Doom. Most fans would think he wanted to make a reference to X-Men's classic Danger Room while dodging copyrights. But avid beats amateurs would already know it's in fact a reference to rap artist Metal-Finger Doom, a man obsessed with Marvel comics and Dr. Doom in particular, sporting the metal mask as he works the turntables.
In conclusion, i strongly suggest this book if you like geeky jokes and simple storylines, as well as slightly abstract humour and dynamic nonsense!
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