Tales from the Long Box… “Truth, Justin, and the American Way”

I decided when I started cleaning out a bit that I should go back and reread some of those comics that I decided to keep. So as I go back a reconnect with some of the “good stuff” or at least weird, strange, stuff that I decided I needed regardless of it’s value.  I know I still have a few boxes that I’m cataloging in hopes that they will find a good home.  Ben (when will I get another comic to him to color?) took a full long box of stuff.  For those not in the know a long box is the large cardboard box specifically designed to hold comics (around 200).   My hope is that every once in a while I will go back and review some titles or story arcs.  This week it’ll be…

Title: Truth Justin & the American Way

Published: 2006 by Image Comics

Writer: Aaron Williams & Scott Kurtz

Art: Guiseppe Ferrario

Why I picked it up originally: I was reading PVP and was hearing about this comic project… decided to give it a try.

Why I kept reading it: It tugged at my nostalgic side… for the dopey TV of my childhood.

The story (spoilers included, though I’ve tried to keep them to a minimum): Basically it starts off as a take off of “The Greatest American Hero” one of my favorite TV shows growing up.  If you look at the basic storyline guy finds alien suit that gives him great powers if he can figure out how it works… general hilarity ensues.  What the comic does is not only twist that basic story, but also infuse it with enough TV references that it not only brings you back to that time, but also makes you try to hunt through the dialogue and art for easter eggs. I won’t give any away here, but some are as simple as the cover being a homage to a movie from that period.

Character wise they seem to be stereotypes (just like when I was a kid)- Justin is your typical nice guy, loser, klutz just trying to get through life and be happy. The plot moves from mishap to mishap with everything being tied up in a nice little box at the end.  A simple story about simpler times, when good guys were good guys and bad guys were either the government or communists.  If I wanted to be all scholarly I could go through how this follows the basic steps of  Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”  Justin leaves his life of goofiness and by the end of the story has matured and as we go issue by issue does end up becoming a “hero.”  The format of 80’s sitcom doesn’t always lend itself for this kind of analysis so I’ll leave it there- he grows up (a bit).

This was a five issue series looking at the basics plot points in each issue-

Issue 1- Character introductions, getting the suit and not understanding what is going on.

Issue 2- Bachelor Party, antagonist shows up, gratuitous destruction, flashback & Justin’s confrontation with his fiancée

Issue 3- Destruction, introduction of minor adversary, & cliffhanger ending- calling the wedding off?!?!

Issue 4- Fiancée captured by the government, we learn a few more things about the suit, and the “Justinmobile” is born, ending with rescuing the princess…

Issue 5- The wedding, aliens, destruction, comedic ending with appropriate just desserts served.  Leading to the typical 80’s to be continued…

So why’d I keep it? I really can’t say… there are times (when it’s snowing or raining) and you just want to read a fun story that you can lose yourself in- this is pretty close to that.  Best story ever?  No, but in a classic Mad magazine kind of way it did make me feel like a kid again, and made me want to hunt down some episodes of “The Greatest American Hero.”

I really need to decide on a clever rating system to put here… oh well, maybe another day.