Almost a full year on from the last issue of the previous volume, My Bad is back with creators Mark Russell, Bryce Ingman and Peter Krause all returning. Back in March we couldn’t praise the book enough for how funny it was. The characters of the Important New Superhero Universe are all back. As before, My Bad is a complete comic with multiple stories and extras all set within the same universe, there’s nothing much like it on store shelves.
The Good
When it comes to superhero satire, especially as we close out 2022, it feels a little like every other superhero property is at least a little tongue in cheek. Call it whatever brand of “fatigue” you’d like – it’s a sensible way of handling a market that’s losing interest. So as a superhero satire comic, how do you stand out when so many big budget characters are openly mocking themselves? Russell, Ingman and Krause suggest being incredibly funny.
My Bad responds to the need for universes (cinematic or otherwise) with an irreverent chuckle that reminds readers that comics used to be about superheroes who just so happened to share a publisher. From start to finish, this opening issue of volume 2 brings back all the laughs of the previous volume. But it’s not necessarily superheroes as a genre that’s being satirized.
What My Bad does so well is it tells jokes that the audience are in on. We’re laughing with them. It’s a humor book for people who like superhero comics. The opening story sees a pizza delivery man go around killing superheroes but he keeps getting the wrong targets, murdering regular people with unluckily heroic surnames, like “Spidderman”. This plot is then carried through the other chapters in the book. It’s not just jokes for jokes sake, there is a story here too.
Another thing the book does well that makes it stand out amongst AHOY Comics’ lineup, let alone every other comic, is that its extras are all within the universe. Building diagrams or character bios, these extras add to the series while keeping the same tone.
The ‘Bad’
It’s an ongoing problem I have, trying to find some flaw with AHOY books. The biggest takeaway with My Bad is that it breathes life into the comic market with humor stories that don’t call into question the genre itself. You don’t come away from this issue thinking, “gee, that book’s right superheroes are silly” while laughing. It captures what made us comic readers in the first place while delivering those laughs. Sorry to signpost this as the negative section and fill it with another positive.
The Verdict
My Bad: Volume 2 #1 is both what you want and need from a humor comic. It’s silly, funny, and irreverent, all while delivering comic book capers that speak to the heart of any comics fan.
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