If you’re looking for more drama than you can shake a stick at, Public Domain #8 has it in droves. A comic about two old-timer collaborators rushing to get their legacy superhero comic off the ground, the melodrama in their inner circles is high. Still, it’s shockingly dangerous by the end of this week’s issue! Witness Chip Zdarsky’s ongoing commentary on comics and creativity explode with drama.
Public Domain #8 opens with Syd continuing his sour attitude from the last issue, and his coworkers notice. Something is up with him, which seems related to not going home during the last issue. His unease is clearly a subplot that’s building towards something. However, they have work to do, and a colorist and letterer need to be hired.
The opening sequence involves interviews with different creators, and each is as eclectic and weird as you might hope for a comedy comic. It begs the question while reading, “Has Zdarsky encountered similar weirdos in the comics industry?”
The story switches to other characters from there, including Jerry, who is not happy at all with the British co-writer hired for him and the super masculine dumb artist. They may be big names, but their ideas, as we see in one scene, are way more meta than he would like. The plot thickens nicely as news breaks at his publisher that Syd’s got three diverse The Domain heroes in the works.
The interviews are hilarious.
Credit: Image
This issue delves into San Diego Comic-Con, called San Diego Comic Expo here, and the rush for Syd’s crew to get something out to the masses in time. This dovetails well with Jerry’s ploy to get the attention of the very same masses.
The utter joy in this series continues to be the eclectic group of characters, and it’s nice to see new and younger ones enter this story. Syd’s kids are a riot in different ways and feel very realized. While Jerry’s collaborators are more caricatures, they juxtapose nicely with the “good guy” characters in Syd’s crew.
Adding drama to a pile of tinders is the final few pages you may not see coming. For a series about the melodrama of making comics, things are getting dangerous and should amp up the tension.
Public Domain #8 is another good issue exploring the making of art and the crazy range of personalities involved in making comics. Zdarsky uses the ensemble cast superbly to create a compelling and always exciting comedy drama.
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