Mudman #1 is one of the more unique superhero concepts I’ve run into. Paul Grist has been a creator I’ve been wanting to check out, I’ve heard a lot about his Kane and Jack Staff comics so Mudman seemed like it would be a good introduction to his work. Mudman is something that sounds strange yet as I kept reading, it just got that much more interesting. At the beginning of the comic you get a wonderfully dramatic first page. You wonder just how this first page will impact the series as it goes along. This first page sets the scene that sucks you into the world that is Mudman.
As the story begins you follow two teens, Jack Newton and Owen Craig running loose through the town. Owen ends up wandering into an old house, while his friend Jack is spray painting somewhere Owen stumbles upon something that’s going to alter his world dramatically. I like how Grist sets up this scene as Owen finds the Mudman costume. This is where the Silver Age influence kicks in as the costume lies within a room out of 1960′s. Bill Crabtree’s colors on these pages I have to highlight since they set this scene off with nice muted browns and oranges. Then after those two pages Owen has managed to be found, running out of that house at full speed until he appears back in his own home, supposedly in a dream.
Now we’re hitting the point where things start getting weird but in a good way. Owen feels he’s gotten out of a dream until he realizes something else has happened. He finds his hands becoming mud as he’s cleaning up. As he’s trying to talk to his Dad about the old house as Grist calls it the Scooby Doo house, there’s a nice framing throughout talking about something going on in the area. Nicely similar sequence to how Grist does at the beginning of the comic. When he’s at school he starts to learn that’s there more to his dream that meets the eye. When you see Mud popping out at random intervals you know something weird is going on. I love his dream sequence in school, the splash page in which his body is surrounded by mud circles is such an effective scene. Crabtree’s coloring with this part makes Grist’s work on this page shine.
The last pages are a great setup for the next issue, Owen takes some interesting turns as he heads back towards the Scooby Doo house. Grist stages this sequence nicely, giving it a cinematic feel as everything is coming together. There’s a slow build as Owen is trying to figure out what to do as he enters the house. I don’t want to spoil the last three pages but needless to say they’re excellent work and I can’t imagine what the next issue is going to be like.
Paul Grist’s Mudman is off to a good start. Owen is a likable character and overall the setup for it works. Grist’s art is dynamic and fits the sort of hybrid modern and retro take that the book has going on. I’ve also made a point to mention the coloring on this issue. I’ve always liked Bill Crabtree’s colors but they’re one of the driving forces on Mudman. The muted colors do a nice job in showing off Grist’s world. A truly unique take on superheroes that deserves a chance to find an audience. If you’re in your shop and looking for something different grab Mudman off the shelf. You’ll be as engaged as I am in Mudman’s world and wanting to read more of Paul Grist’s work.
