Speaking Of Shotgun Weddings

(The New Number Ones is a new weekly segment on The Comic Roast Podcast. Each week, we take a look at either an issue #1 of a new comic book series or a trade paperback as a group. Each having differing tastes in comics & stories, we aim to give a multi-tiered view of each book we discuss. These expressed here are solely my own.)

Big Trouble In Little China by BOOM Studios
Written by John Carpenter & Eric Powell

...for years, many friends have extolled the virtues of any films starring Kurt Russell. From his alleged heyday to even the recent past, his face chiseled from a gravel pit and throwback macho aura made Kurt Russell a favorite of mine and many people that I know. In a sea of waxed abs and faux-hawks, Kurt Russell stands alone in today's cinema as the type of man women wanted to sit on a motorcycle with as it flies over a pit of fire.

Though it can be contended that none of his films or roles were Oscar-worthy (I wouldn't agree, but others might), Kurt Russell could always be counted on to make a good film. No matter what one thinks about the poor CGI shark in Escape From L.A., I have never met a person who wouldn't happily bare knuckle box a gang of mutants with Snake Plisken. For people like me who have an affinity for a certain era of film and male lead, Kurt Russell has a library of titles that can be referred to as classic.

Big Trouble In Little China is one of the films in the Kurt Russell canon that is held in high regard as being a "must see". For years, person after person informed me that I could never bare my shirtless chest with pride until having seen it. Drop the names of Escape From New York, The Thing and Tombstone all you like. You do not graduate into the Kurt Russell fan club until you have pumped your fist to the sight of Big Trouble In Little China.

Here is where I am forced to sheepishly leave me shirt on - I thought Big Trouble In Little China was decent, but not quite the mega-flick that I was told. It could very well be the simple hype fatigue factor at work here. Or maybe the movie just didn't have the same level of memorable ass-kickery as one starring Snake Plisken punching a flying jet liner from the sky (I know that this never actually happened, but I can dream...). When it comes to the director John Carpenter's filmography, it is fairly hit or miss. Known mostly for horror thanks to Halloween, John Carpenter has made an equal amount of classics and middle-of-the-pack films.

Never mind that I would not rank Big Trouble In Little China as a must-see (I could change my mind upon another viewing). The good people at Boom Studios (I assume that they are good. They could very well be cannibals.) have determined that there could never be enough of Jack Burton. With the release of the continuation of his adventures in comic form, they are throwing the hammer down and declaring that his story is not done being told.

First, before touching on the comic itself, I would first like to send mountains of praise to Boom for this product and others in their arsenal. While I am not the biggest fan of the $3.99 cover price for a single issue, this book is top quality matte finish paper where the colors just leap off of the page. Rather than shoehorn sandwich ads into the middle of the story every 5-6 pages, they give you the entire issue before advertising a few other Boom titles in the back. In this sense, this would be a comic worth the cover price for the ultimate fan.

Inside, I can attest to this being a complete labor of love. Having John Carpenter on board helps, but a lot of love and fandom fuels this series. The creative team involved wanted to make something that picks up at the very end of the film and keep going with it. As a result, the mash-up of creature feature and crazed kung fu action is in abundance. If you are a fan that would have like a sequel, you will find nothing here to dislike.

For me, I thought the art was well done and appropriate. It was as exaggerated and cartoony as the film, represented by sketches that look akin to Johnny Bravo with oversized figures and wacky expressions. Where it fell apart for me were the consecutive panels that felt as if they were a cavalcade of flying fists. Again, this will do nothing to deter the die hard fans. This series is 100% fan service and created with the fan in mind. At the present, I am not in the target demographic.

That said, some of the story parts were rife with humor that I could apply a sincere laugh. I wish I were a bigger fan of the movie because I know I would get more out of it. When I think of Kurt Russell battling sea monsters with nothing more than a plugged-in toaster, I want to be right there with him wielding the rolling pin of doom. But when I think of Big Trouble In Little China, I feel like I am left out of the club.

Rating: 3 out of 5