A Comic A Day in May – Day 12: Knock Off Wars

Creators Luke Toywalker & Lukasz Kowalczuk combine to bring Knock Off Wars to life which proves to have much more to it than first expected.

Spinning out from the world of 5.5″ custom figures we see our hero Primor take off on a quest to defeat the evil that’s taken over his world.  Joined by a band of similar-minded folks the journey to find the source of the evil brings them face to face with more monsters than you can shake a MotU DVD at but their resolve remains true with each challenge that comes their way.

A quest like this brings with it casualties but while it seems almost child-like at first there’s a stronger message being played out in Luke’s story which ties in directly with the vibe they are aiming for.  It’s an homage/parody of all the action figures and Saturday morning cartoons from the 80’s that captured the imagination far more than any modern digital device can and while there’s a definite vein of nostalgia weaved through the entire issue it still feels like a fresh release.  The story is suitably epic and it’s captured perfectly by the art from Lukasz which has the neon bright colours of the 80’s era poured onto the underground art style of R.Crumb and it ends up being a fully charged ride.

Crazy in places but with enough direction & pace to make sure that it keeps this from being overpowering in it’s execution but far more engaging.  Visuals to melt the eyes with a story to soothe them is a fairly unique blend but it’s one that definitely pays off.  The page breaks between sections of the story are a great touch too as they catalogue the progression of pop cultures through the decades while this story unfolds…..proving that a good story is timeless.  Great fun and I hope there’s more to come.

You can get hold of Knock Off Wars and the latest figures over on the Underworld Muscle online store.  You can also catch-up with them over on Facebook & Twitter.

8/10

G-Man