I recently read Kyle Baker's Plastic Man series. It's slapstick, innuendo and parody delivered in a wacky cartoon art style. It was coincidentally mentioned on a post a few weeks before I purchased it regarding the out-of-context excerpt where it lampooned the gritty crossover of the time; Identity Crisis.
Overall it was fun (all of it canonically dubious) and managed to get some audible chuckles from me, but only a few more than the average comic relief in any standard story. Pure comedy books are hard. Consistently maintaining gags for an audience you get no reaction from until, after the fact, is not an enviable task. It made me think of comedy titles I had enjoyed less as a comparison, and soon wondered which comedy titles I had enjoyed the most. Two came to mind.
The first being Superman and Batman: World's Funnest. A chaotic comic of cosmic carnage as Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite battle across the multiverse, destroying everything in their wake. It's a one-shot special I bought early on when is started collecting solely because Lobo and Hitman made appearances (albeit cameo ones) but it remains one of the surprise gems in my library that I have read multiple times. There are gags that make me laugh every time despite knowing they're coming. Despite the ridiculous nature of the story, there is a lot of effort put into the book, especially regarding the multitude of artists that worked on the many continuities presented, including Alex Ross. If you haven't read this, give it a shot if you are a big multiversity nerd or, better yet, someone who loathes it.
The second, and possibly the most memorably funny title I've read, in the sense that I will occasionally recall jokes in my mind and smile to myself, is the limited series Lobo Unbound. I have mentioned in the past that Keith Giffen is very hit-and-miss for me, especially with comedy books, but this one goes beyond his standard screwball hijinks and elevates the comedy by punching lower and darker. This one really straddles the fine line between what's politically correct and in good taste, exactly what a Lobo story should deliver. The low punches really make an impact with the truly appropriate and visceral artistic flair of Alex Horley that brings this twisted world to life... Before blowing it up in glorious conflagration. I'm not even going to list the boldly stereotypical array of characters that make up the supporting cast, but Lobo is in fine form in his delightfully amoral pinnacle with the surprise supporting company of Ambush Bug who is out of his depth even more than usual. If I am ever required to vouch for the prolifically eclectic Mr. Giffen, this is the title I choose to celebrate the evolution his two most notorious co-creations and is fearlessness at taking a big swing, in which it lands hard on the funny bone.
So now I want to know what comedy titles other people have enjoyed the most, as well as the ones you think tragically failed to make you guffaw. What are your recommendations and rejects?
