Junior Baker: The Righteous Faker #1 Review
Junior Baker: The Righteous Faker #1 Review
Writer: Joe Casey
Pencil & Color: Ryan Quackenbush
Design: Sonia Harris
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
The Junior Baker: The Righteous Faker #1 is alluring enough to mislead you into reading this, but I promise you that the color trap provided by this hypnotic Crayola job is a good thing. I’m a big supporter of evocative stories that make you think because critical thinking is a dying concept but one that still fuels comics.
Joey Casey‘s writing style seems unique to me because of how it juxtaposes against the imagery, but it sounds like it doubles as breaking the fourth wall. The art and coloring are so special that some would probably mistake it for hypnotic or something in between conscious surrealism or hyperabstract. Whatever the style, Quakenbush is one-of-a-kind, and it’s engaging. Quackenbush, what an epic name!
Dizzy is an eclectic reporter, a damn good one, and very thorough. He is so thorough when investigating his beats that he even chases the unconventional ones in hopes of manifesting the truth. This truth lies at the heart of burned rubble and faith-paned glass. The whispers that fly on lonely winds, peaking the exotic interests of Dizzy, are known as the Immuno Cult of the Clergymen. Who they are and what they do is the beat Dizzy wants his readers to know about on the “Dizzy Baker Byline” because he feels they deserve to know.
Unfortunately, his editor Leo believes in the tangible story, putting him in the path of a survivor who might just unravel his own state of nihilism surrounding the mysterious church fire. But I guess the real story is not that of a survivor, but of a mystery gift-giver who seems to want their story to be told
“It infects us like a virus, doesn’t it? We carry on … but we have to know.”
I’d be doing you a disservice by ruining the plot, but I can promise this book is an out-of-body experience that will change the way you think about mysteries. I can’t stop glimmering over Ryan Quackenbush’s use of color. Image did a great job greenlighting this for publication. It’s not going to blow up stands, but those who discover this gem in the previews will surely value this meaningful story. As always, stay geeky, share the network, and don’t forget to catch the latest on Fueled By Weird.
Michael J. Florio
A true storyteller who sharpened his wit proudly at Full Sail University, holding a bachelor’s & master’s in creative writing for entertainment. After Michael became a Comics Experience alumni, he created his first independent creator-owned titles, Wild Oni & Iron Jaguar.
A member of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Writers Guild, where he lives & works tirelessly on his future published works. Michael is a father of four, three boys & one girl, whom he loves very much.
