About that tiger…
There were only two copies of this at the shop on Wednesday and when I bought it the clerk said, “I thought you might buy one of these.” In retrospect I’m not sure how to think about that.
The maiden voyage of THE SCIENCE FAIR, “The Madcowboy”, is not something you so much read, as experience. Artistically it’s splendid. Trust me when I tell you that you’ll be thumbing through the pages of this book off and on for a long time, it’s that engaging. The writer and artist is Jason Lex and the book is published by Antarctic Press. I wasn't familiar with either the artist or publisher, which isn't necessarily surprising - I don't get around much.
Lex’s note at the end of the issue tells us the four issue run of THE SCIENCE FAIR is to be a visual mixture, with each issue looking, “Completely different than the last. Everything will be self-contained...I want Science Fair to be the equivalent of finding something interesting on TV for twenty minutes or so while eating dinner.” And that very aptly captures my feelings about it. I’d have no interest in a monthly “Madcowboy” series but it makes a very good, if a little odd, one-shot.
The story is a western of sorts, although not your standard western, as you might already have gathered from looking at the cover. Think of it as an Adult Swim western. (Unless he’s some sort of symbolic representation of fire or death, the tiger is no where to be seen in the book. I think Lex just likes to draw tigers.) I don't feel a broad theme or message at play here – although there are some subtle undercurrents – but Lex’s limited dialog and expansive imagery is flexible enough to support a variety of interpretations.
Buy this book and enjoy it. I’ll be buying all four.
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