Written and Illustrated by Chip Zdarsky
Published by Substack
A few years back, I transcribed someone else’s interview with Chip Zdarsky.
I had never heard of him at the time but he seemed a nice guy with a good understanding of comics and a good attitude about the industry.
The next time I saw his name on a comic, I made a point to read it and I was impressed there, as well.
Since then, Chip Zdarsky’s name has become much more widely known and has been heard quite a bit at various awards ceremonies, more often than not amongst the winners. I was somewhat stunned to find out recently that “Chip Zdarsky” is actually a pseudonym for Canadian writer/illustrator Steve Murray!
Whatever you want to call him or he wants to call himself, his brilliance in both categories has been demonstrated numerous times at this point and the first issue of his new series, Public Domain, allows him ample opportunity to write and draw us into a whole new world.
It’s a familiar world, actually, sorta-kinda almost.
More like a Twilight Zone version of our world. You see, there’s this huge new blockbuster superhero movie, the latest in a billion-dollar big-screen franchise. It’s based on the original comic books of decades ago created by two men.
The original writer is now rich and arrogant, the original artist a trivia question. Both men are invited to the new film’s premiere, though, even though the latter is largely ignored by all except one woman…who happens to be his ex-partner’s assistant.
It’s NOT Lee and Kirby, and there are enough unique differences to prove that, and yet it’s clearly reminiscent of their controversial history. In this case, though, the artist has two sons, and one of them is actually the main POV character of this story.
Zdarsky’s art and storytelling are simple but flawless, giving the story everything it requires without ever going overtly flashy. Where he really shines, however, is in the dialogue! Novice writers can unintentionally make every character sound alike—an extension of themselves. A good writer makes them sound different from each other. A GREAT comics writer, however, can take familiar archetypes and create characters genuinely interesting and original using both the art and the dialogue.
And that’s what I’ve decided Chip Zdarsky is—a great comics writer. Issue one of Public Domain is not, in and of itself, a great comic book, but it’s an exceptionally good start to what looks to be, from this issue’s surprise ending, a fascinating “what if?” storyline to come.
Booksteve recommends.
