Yan, Stan – The Wang: The Big One

April 21, 2010

Website

The Wang: The Big One Now Available! $9.95

Well, I’ve been looking for something meatier from Stan, and this certainly qualifies. It’s broken up into four different chapters, all about the same size (individual issues of a comic maybe?). The first one deals with Eugene trying to juggle college, his mother and his girlfriend, and has one of the more disturbing endings that I’ve seen, although done in a humorous way. The second chapter is about Eugene entering the workforce and trying to get by as a telemarketer. The third and fourth are both about Eugene dealing with his mother and ex-girlfriend, trying to start a little romance with a crazy person and having an open mind about some self-help charlatans. It’s a funny book, no doubt about that. One thing that really sticks out for me is the lettering. I know, how often do you hear that, but it’s true. His letters bounce all over the place, while still being perfectly legible, so it adds tons to the impression of constant chaos that his bouncy artwork also conveys. Not sure if it’s intentional or if he’s just a spaz, but kudos. I think every single male in the book has a name that’s a pun about a penis, which gets old after a little bit, but the rest of the book is funny enough to make up for it. It’s a world that’s easy to get sucked into, and I could see this guy going far if he can get any publicity for this book, as this is something that could be enjoyed by just about anyone who reads comics. It’s only $9.95, click on the title to go to Stan’s page on Squidworks (scroll down a bit to get to this comic).