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Comic Review: Fiction Squad #1 – Knick-Knack Paddywhack, Can You Give the Dog a Bone?
I’ve completely fallen in love with BOOM! Studio’s Fiction Squad, written by Paul Jenkins. It is so unbelievably clever.
FICTION SQUAD #1
WRITER: Paul Jenkins
ARTIST: Ramon Bachs
COLORIST: Leonardo Paciarotti
LETTERER: Jim Campbell
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2014
Pick up Fiction Squad #1 (of 6) and gain a whole new perspective on your favorite childhood tales.
In a land far, far away, there is a forest called Fablewood. This magical place made up of all the stories ever told is broken up into territories bordered by genres: Fantasy Realm, Fairy Tales, Scary Stories, and most importantly, Children’s Stories. Rimes, a city in Children’s Stories, is made up of nursery rhymes and is a wonderful place, except for one thing: the founders of Rimes forgot to tell everyone that “every nursery rhyme is a crime scene.”
Thus the scene for Fiction Squad is set. There’s a war brewing between the witches and the queens, at least that’s what Frankie Mack, who defected from the Crime Realm, found out from Noke – a little wooden boy whose nose grows when he lies.
Right from the first page of this comic, I was in love. It is unbelievably clever and full of one-liners and what feels like inside jokes for nursery rhyme and story lovers. One of my favorites is when a dog is waiting to speak to a police officer and is told he has to wait. When he asks what he’ll do with himself for six hours, the secretary yells to someone, “Yo! Knick-Knack Paddywhack! Can you give the dog a bone?” And yes, the dog’s name is Bingo and he even has to spell out his name-o. Basically, I didn’t stop grinning the entire time I read this comic.
The art is just perfect for this world too. Whimsical, colorful, bright, and fun. Ramon Bachs and Leonardo Paciarotti have perfectly captured a world of children’s stories. The art plus the story make for a fun ride through your childhood.
I think I especially liked it because these are your favorite stories from your childhood but with a decidedly edgy, adult feel. Parents are a little nervous to tell their children that Goldilocks broke into the bear’s home or that the Big Bad Wolf was a murderer. But Jenkins and Bachs have centered their whole story around this point. These stories, while entertaining and silly, are dark underneath.
This is a truly, truly enjoyable comic, and I’ll continue to read the whole limited mini-series. I honestly wish it was longer than 6 issues because I can see myself not wanting it to end.
