Obscure Comic of the Month
takes a detailed look at a little known entry from my personal comic
book collection. Some will be from major publishers, others self
published projects, Original Graphic Novels, issues and Manga. What
they'll all have in common though, is that I've rarely, if ever, seen
anybody talk about them.
Professor Elemental Issue
Two by Chris Mole, Paul Alborough and various – 2013
Have you seen this ape?
Missing since last Tuesday one Ape mostly orange haired with hat,
ill-fitting suit and ill-mannered disposition. Answers to the name
Geoffrey, particularly when shouted at a hysterical pitch and high
volume.
Way back
when I reviewed issue one I noted that a lot of the original weaknesses were resolved
in the following volume. Indeed, issue #2 is a much more robust book,
with a full spine suggesting it has the ambitions of a full blown
graphic novel. Professor Elemental Issue Two for all intents and
purposes feels more like the real start to the series, with issue one
being little more than a taster.
But how does this new batch
of stories measure up? The new crop of stories are an improvement
upon those in the first issue, all feeling stronger and more
confident in what made them great. Large Animal Legislation and
Steampunk Superheroes both take advantage of the Steampunk genre
trappings to tell familiar stories through the batty lens of the
Professor's character, the artwork itself is lovely and each story
has a charm of its own. Especially Metadimentional Voyage, where each
dimension is depicted by a different artist.
The variety on display is
also very imaginative. Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderly Again,
easily the highlight of the book, is pretty much a straight up horror
story, and genuinely creepy at that. Belvedere Bully and Young
Geoffrey a both children's book-esque stories that tell softer tales
about the character's respective childhoods.
Really, if one kind of story
doesn't work for you then you're right on to another that probably
will, and there are enough stories in the book that you won't feel
short changed. That being said, the order the stories are placed
isn't structured to play to their strengths, Tempestuous Teapot and
Large Animal Legislation, both covering very similar themes, are
positioned back to back, giving the reader a sense of deja-vu.
Similarly Last Night I
Dreamt I went to Manderly Again is immediately followed by The Case
of Aunt Fanny's Horn, another story with creepy horror elements.
These two stories could have done with being separated by a lighter
hearted one. The last two stories also both end on cliffhangers. It
may be a minor quibble, but some many similar stories being clumped
together can give an unfair impression of a lack of originality.
My main complaint from issue
one, that the stories don't draw enough from the character's chap-hop
roots, is also repeated here. While there are nods to various songs
like Fighting Trousers, the book again feels more interested in
Professor Elemental the character, over Professor Elemental the
musician.
This is fine, but Elemental
the character only has a limited shelf-life against the many other
steampunk comedies on the shelves, while Elemental the musician is
something the world of comics doesn't have anywhere else.
Capitalising upon the chap-hop connection seems like a wise direction
to take, but the comic itself seems resistant to go beyond
steampunk-comedy trappings.
Even so, Professor Elemental
Issue Two is still a good time with great artwork and fun stories.
You could do worse for picking up a small-press anthology.
Jack
Harvey 2017. Professor Elemental (c) Paul Alborough. Images used
under Fair Use.
