The Chili
The Chili, by Christian Rodriguez, Chris Campanozzi, Marcelo Salaza & Kal J Moon, Markosia
MIKE ALVAREZ wants to draw comics professionally, that’s why he’s at a comic book convention. Mike could be you or a large percentage of the guys and gals who go to conventions these days, and the fact that you and I know that’s true means we can share in the jokes played out throughout this collection, because we know the cruel jibes are too often true...
Mike is at the show with his friend Skip, portrayed as a big buffoon, but the one who’s able to supply a healthy dose of realuty to the proceedings while also acting as Greek chorus from time to time. Mike gets hold of a book, sketches in it, and is automatically transplanted to somewhere on either the south side of Dormammu’s realm or the outer skirts of the Negative Zone (Weirdsville in space basically) where he’s set upon by a dastardly oddball villain who wants to destroy him.. Not least because Mike’s turned into a steroid-bloated superhero with a bean-shaped head known as The Chili, with an irresistible desire to talk like a 60s Captain America or Superman do-gooder to boot.
Somewhere along the way, Mike, as The Chili, escapes, makes it back to Skip and tries to make out with a comic booth cosplayer called Amanda, only for her to get kidnapped by Taco Bravo (the villain of the piece). Well, from thereon it’s backwards and forwards between the oddball infra-space realm and the comic book convention with Amanda’s rescue sought, heroic adventure and explosions aplenty played out, the reason for Mike’s alter-ego change discovered and a search for lost creators, a magic lost drawing book and some more villains heading out into the fold, plus bad babes in need of some shopping therapy!
A fun all-ages comic book with zany modern cartooning adventurism from Spanish and South American creators, with colouring and lettering handled by Britain’s very own Nigel Dobbyn. The Chili can be read on a number of levels, from corny humour to a well intended pastiche of heroes gone by ranging from Green Lantern to Captain Marvel, you can also layer it with a coat of post modernism ala Marvelman done humorously or actually more akin to Martin L Greim/Brian Buniak’s Thunderbunny. Worth a return bout if Rodriguez can think up a worthy plot, I say.
For more on The Chili visit Markosia.
Sponsored by Target Media.
