Posted in: Comics | Tagged: arjuna susini, crime, fantasy, frankenstein, made men, oni press, paul tobin, sci-fi

Made Men #4: Frankenstein by Way of the Shield and Zooey Deschanel

The Made Men are under attack from a sniper, interrupting their interrogation. While this is going down, we get a history of the Frankenstein family from Jutte Frankenstein. Leo kills their police chief suspect.

Jutte contacts her police officer contact/bedfellow to reach out about her cases while the rest of the Made Men look for another suspect.

There is a lot to like about Made Men, from its unique premise to its cast of likable and quirky characters. The gore and obscenity adds a nice edge, creating a balance of the occasional bout of childish sarcasm with harsh scenes of death and brutality.

However, it does get a little too cute too often. It tries too many jokes; those jokes get a little too immature. Plus, and I'm not one to often point this out, it uses too much obscenity. I didn't honestly know that was possible, but it drops the f-bomb so much that it is no longer provides an edge or humor. It just looks like it's trying too hard to seem edgy.

That being said, a lot of the jokes do work. There is one scene where Hadry, a woman who lived the early 20^th Century before being killed then resurrected, is finishing up with a sensuous encounter with another woman. She goes down to the nearest male police officer to tell him that she just finished having sex with another woman and plans to vote in the next election. She then returns to her partner to celebrate this "new world." That works, and it's very funny.

The plot is certainly unique and interesting, if a little too elaborate at times. On the whole, Jutte, Hadry, Leo, and the rest are likable. The comic just takes the jokes farther than their inherent humor can follow.

Arjuna Susini's artwork is quite good. It's very expressive and a little gritty. The characters have solid designs, and the world feels alive. Gonzalo Duarte's color work is balanced well, even if it leans a little heavy on the browns at times. Overall, it is a good-looking book though.

Made Men is a unique and quirky comic, but the quirkiness can get old at times. Not all the jokes hit, and enough of them miss that it becomes a burden on the story. However, the characters are often likable enough and the story is out there enough to carry the comic through those problems. I can recommend it, and you should give it a try.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!