Decoy
Penny-Farthing Press
Buddy Scalers, writer
Courtney Huddleston, artist
www.pfpress.com

"Alternative" companies have published a large number of above- average and even excellent comic books in the last year. Alternative simply means readers wont find these titles sold on newsstands. Decoy has just increased that number.

This beautifully drawn and well written cosmic story set on Earth is about a cuddly little alien that is a raging monster, raging monsters that are cuddly little aliens, and a naïve, confused cop named Luck. On top of that, this comic looks and reads like a quality animation series for young readers (like the brilliant comic Bone) and will, therefore, be ignored by older readers who like superheroes who clench their fists and teeth, and angst a lot. (Yes, yes, yes, I know angst isn't a verb).

I also know that if older readers ignore this review and Decoy, it will be their loss.
Tessa is Luck's partner and girl-friend (although neither of them know it), and becomes a pawn in a web of deception laid by a professor who looks like a mad scientist, but isn't. "He" wants Decoy, the cuddly little alien, bad enough to murder anyone who gets in his way.

If you detect a pattern of role reversals that play against stereotypes in Decoy, then I have done my job as a reviewer. It is almost time for me to ride off into the sunset. That, combined with a series of minor, unanswered questions that add an element of curiosity and intrigue to this series, leaves me with one unalterable conclusion:

Decoy is highly recommended for young readers (parental discretion is required; some monsters are visually quite disturbing) and for readers who are young at heart. MV

Shudder at Vance's Light's End horror short stories narrated by actor William Windom at www.plan9.org.
Questions? Comment? E-Mail Suspended Animation at vance@digitalwebbing.com

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