Billy the Dunce

By Jason Week
www.duncepress.com

I really love it when a comic or zine I don't have high expectations for is really awesome. And Billy the Dunce is one such comic! (I wasn't going for a fake out with that opening line.)

This comic features an all to brief look at the world that Week has created. Billy is a not so bright guy who ended up at an incredibly prestigious school after he aced an IQ test entirely by luck. He's stuck hanging out with a few super geniuses, a magic user, a baby succubus, and a surprisingly friendly zombie.

In the few brief strips in here the characters that appear seem to be fairly one-dimensional (the idiot, the genius, the stuck up guy), but I think it's important to note that there isn't very much space to explore each of the characters.

Also (and more importantly), the comic is funny. While Billy may be a dunce, it's only compared to the other people he hangs around. He even seems slightly brighter than your average little kid, as he's capable of cooking pancakes by himself (and even manages to clean up afterwards). It's just that he isn't going to be curing cancer any time soon. The situations Billy ends up in, and the reactions of himself and the other characters, manage to be both amusing, and, in one case, kind of sweet. Awwwww.

The art is clear and manages to capture the emotions and traits of the characters who appear. Looking at Week's website it seems as though his art has gotten even better since this comic was printed. If you go and check it out you can see the sheer size of some of original art for this comic. It's huge! I certainly wouldn't want to draw that much.

The humour and talent involved in these strips has led me bookmarking Week's website. I'll definitely be back sometime soon to read this comic from the beginning. I can't wait!