HAHA #1
Image Comics
Written by: W Maxwell Prince
Art by: Vanesa Del Rey
Colors by: Chris O’Halloran
Letters by: Good Old Neon
A clown on a downward spiral will find a new outlook on the world.
Bart is a clown at the local amusement park who has a wife who doesn’t respect him and kids who adore him. He generally has a positive outlook on life even when life throws him multiple curveballs including his work shutting down and getting mugged by his best friend facing the same financial problems. Bart still sees the positive in his life and even plans for the future. Unfortunately, a group of bank robbers change his perspective on a lot of things as he tries to deposit his last check.
In the wake of a brutal attack, Bart the Clown is going to see things from a different perspective. A perspective that will give him insight and abilities that he hadn’t dreamed of before. With his new lease on life and new outlook on everything, Bart will find a new way to laugh in the face of the negative and nothing in his life will ever be the same again.
Prince presents an interesting portrait of a modern every-man. The character is engaging both in his attitude and outlook and that is what makes the things that happen to him so compelling to the reader. You feel for Bart as he tries to maintain his positive outlook and connect with him because he isn’t a two dimensional caricature. He is aware of the trajectory of his life and the need for change and that is refreshing to see as the circumstances of a world he cannot control invade that trajectory. The dialogue is great and the narration is both insightful and emotional. A really interesting and dynamic first issue that hooked me with both its premise and its characters.
Vanesa Del Rey does some brilliant work with the art in this issue. Not only does the colorful nature of Bart in his clown garb contrast with the gritty reality of the rest of the world, but there are some great visual moments added after the bank robbery that reflect the new physical and psychological changes the character is experiencing.