RETRO Funnyman #1

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• 7.0

  Major Spoilers - Matthew Peterson

  Aug 04, 2013

  This issue doesn't really posit any romantic entanglements between Larry and June, which I appreciate, and there isn't a whole lot of what modern comics readers would call "depth" to the stories, but this issue is a very solid package of comics. I expected more of an anthology feel, but it's all Funnyman throughout the issue, save for a couple of text pieces, and those are passably written. I've only really seen Funnyman referenced as a sad little trombone character that shows how far the mighty Siegel and Shuster had fallen, but this issue didn't strike me that way at all. Funnyman #1 is not unique in its clown-as-hero premise, nor is it the phenomenon that Superman became, but it's a solid piece of comics storytelling, clever and well-drawn (especially by comparison to some of its contemporaries) and earns a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. I also wonder if Larry is supposed to be an analogue of a real comedian. Perhaps Red Skelton? Read Full Review