Doublecross More or Less
By Julie Gray
January 30, 2008 - 17:36
Top Shelf Productions
Writer(s): Tony Consiglio
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| Double Cross More or Less cover. |
I enjoy humorous comics especially when I can relate to the situation on the most basic level. I think this is the crux of what makes Doublecross More or Less by Tony Consiglio entertaining and appealing.
The main character in this comic is a cartoonist (the cartoon is based on Tony’s real life) who manages to show varying degrees of emotional intelligence ranging from the extremely basic and almost primitive:
“Is he still going out with that crazy whore?”
To the reflective:
“I don’t want these people to catch me staring at them, but I can’t help it. It’s like a car accident except no cars, just plenty of maimed and disfigured passengers”.
Either way you look at it, the character Tony is more than a mere cartoon extension of the man behind the comic book. When you read Doublecross More or Less, you believe the character Tony is real.
As for the other characters in the book, they’re like cornerstones of the same reality except just not as prominent. Perhaps more like condiments that sit on the table ready to be added to the main meal which will eventually taste wonderful once it’s all blended in.
The target audience for this comic would probably be 18+ considering some of the content is aimed at a more mature audience so definitely not a comic for the kiddies. When you read comic dialogue, sometimes you wonder if certain words or phrases work well, if it flows well with the rest of the story. Tony Consiglio has this down pat. Although some of the language and references in his book may seem a little extreme, I think this works exceptionally well and only helps to emphasise the characteristics of each individual in the book.
The art work reminds me a lot of Charlie Brown. I can’t really put my finger on why exactly but there is something very familiar about it. There are a lot of blackened areas in the panels and the lines used appear thick and deliberate. It comes together to give the comic a certain intensity, especially with the big, black and bold capital letters and exclamation marks throughout.
I think what Tony Consiglio has created is a ‘WYSIWYG’ type of comic here. Nothing is hidden, all is stripped bare for the world to see and it works. It’s funny, it’s brash and it’s entertaining.
You can visit the official website for Doublecross More or Less here.
You can also preview the comic here.
Artwork: 7/10
Story: 9/10
Overall Rating: 8/10
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Doublecross More or Less