|
'Joe Loves Crappy Movies,' and
I love Joe for it
By Steve Shinney
November 14, 2006 | "I'm sorry. I just don't think
we're right for each other anymore," I said as his big
round eyes welled with tears. "It's not you, Garfield,
it's me." And with that, I broke up with the funny pages
and have not looked back.
I don't mean to say none of the comics in the newspaper
are funny anymore, but when new talent gets turned down
so that strips that haven't had new punch since the
'50s can keep boring the masses, it's time to look elsewhere
for comical goodness.
Like so many other aspects in life, that else where
is the Internet. The Net hosts literally thousands of
comics you can't get anywhere else. Web comics have
gained a lot of popularity for their ability to cater
to certain audiences be the religious, social or just
people who enjoy certain hobbies. From complex math
to collecting action figures, if you're into something,
chances are there's a Web comic already out there dedicated
to it.
Leading the way in the movie category is Joe Love
Crappy Movies by Joe Dunn. The strip is a large
full-color comic in which Dunn makes jokes about the
major Hollywood releases. The strips are a quasi-autobiographical
look at Dunn's life and how the movies affect him. The
main characters are Joe himself, his wife Yeo and various
friends. Like after seeing The Grudge 2, he refuses
to go to Japan because of all the scary things that
happen there. Other times the strip will feature characters
from the movie acting it out in the way that Joe would
have it done, such as the boat in Poseidon being
sunk just cause God hates the Black Eyed Peas.
The full-color strip is well drawn, being one of Dunn's
many comic projects. He has a very recognizable style.
He's very good at drawing faces putting a great deal
of emotion into them. Since every strip deals with a
new movie he has plenty of chances to demonstrate his
skill act characterizing different celebrities. The
writing in the strips is always clever and often laugh-out-load
funny. Readers will want to avoid the temptation of
jumping straight to the end for the punch line because
often the funniest lines are buried in the set up.
Dunn is the quintessential modern movie fan. He's
far from the stereotypical movie critic who takes film
seriously, rather he enjoys movies for what they're
intended to be. If it's supposed to be a sappy love
story, he makes syrup from the sap. If it's supposed
to a brain-dead action movie, he turns off his mind
except for the part that appreciates explosions.
Along with the strip, Dunn offers a written review
of each movie so people can know what he really thinks.
These reviews include and rating and whether or not
it would make a good addition to your DVD collection.
The strip really benefits from being on the web because
it'll occasionally stretch beyond its normal size to
offer a longer -- more drawn out -- story (or James
Earl Jones rapping Mama Said Knock You Out)
if the situation calls for it, something printed comics
can't do.
About the only down side to the strip is that it has
no regular schedule. Dunn updates after seeing a movie
and drawing a strip for it so it can vary from once,
twice or occasionally three times a week.
The comic can be found at www.digitalpimponline.com
and clicking the button labeled "Joe Loves Crappy Movies."
There is occasional harsh language but nothing beyond
what would pop up in a PG-13 movie.
NW
MS
|
