Review – Old Man Jack #1 (BOOM! Studios)

Posted on September 21, 2017 in BOOM! Reviews

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: John Carpenter and Anthony Burch
Art: Jorge Corona, Gabriel Cassata, Ed Dukeshire
Release Date: 20^th September 2017

We’re in an age of reboots and sequels. Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Lethal Weapon and even Blade Runner! It all seems like we’re just trying to grab at that nostalgia and relive the enjoyment of a time before Trump tweets and rioting.

And that’s where we find our old pal Jack Burton, living out his days in ignorant bliss. Wasting his time away with unlimited beer, greasy food and dirty magazines. What more could an old son of a gun like Jack ask for? Well that’s the thing about the past, run all you want, it’ll catch up with you eventually. As it does with Jacky Boy as we learn that through some big mishap in one of his past adventures he released hell on earth, leaving him on his tod and suffering with memories of this muck up.

But don’t worry, one call from a Damsel in distress and Jack Burton is back in the hero saddle again driving the Pork Chop Express straight into hell!

What BOOM have done here is no small task, taking an 80s action hero like Jack Burton and not only updating him but keeping him feeling like that cheeky hard-nosed bugger we all know and love. A huge undertaking which I can say they pull off amazingly well.

Under the watchful eye of John Carpenter himself, Anthony Burch has penned a story that welcomes you into this new but very familiar world. It reads like a typical action film, with some brief explanation to set the scene before we launch straight into the action. He gets Burton so spot-on you can practically hear Kurt Russel narrate in unison to 80s synthesisers in your head.

Jorge Corona’s almost cartoonist style matches the story perfectly, giving us a well-worn Jack fighting grotesque ancient beasts with his usual luck and wit as sharp as a knife in your head. Jack is still his usual self but you get a sense of the mileage of those missing decades in those hilarious one liners. (The millennial comment had me giggling and getting strange looks on the bus.)

It really is a joy to read and leaves you hungry for more. The art, the writing, Jack Burton in his samurai shirt, they all just pull you straight back into your childhood. Old Man Jack is like waking up on a Saturday morning and watching a show that would fit like a glove between episodes of Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

So listen Lady! Go and pick up a nice slice of nostalgia now and enjoy!

Rating: 5/5.

If you want to find out more about Old Man Jack, make sure to check out our interview with Anthony Burch and Jorge Corona by CLICKING HERE.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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