Review – Old Man Jack #2 (BOOM! Studios)

Posted on October 25, 2017 in BOOM! Reviews

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: John Carpenter and Anthony Burch
Art: Jorge Corona, Gabriel Cassata, Ed Dukeshire
Release Date: 25th October 2017

Issue two drops us straight back into the action following that big reveal last time around. In ol’ Jack Burton’s libido-fueled quest for the hot blonde in distress he came across his mortal enemy, David Lo Pan. But things are a little different from the last time these two met, as Lo Pan offers a temporary truce with Jack in order to try and stop this hell on earth. See, only Lo Pan has a way to stop the demon who started this whole mess, and together the pair must return to the place which started it all those many years ago. Chinatown.

Sounds reasonable right? But reasonable was never in Jack Burton’s vocabulary and he kicks him back into the pit they just crawled out of, gets back into the Pork Chop Express and gets to the business of saving the world on his own. Because honestly, why would he need anyone else?

That’s why Old Man Jack is so hilarious, it perfectly captures the characters and the feel of the original movie so perfectly. While many antagonists in films and TV today have become layered with unique and nuanced motivations for doing the right thing, this story and Jack have remained exactly the same after some 30-odd years. As Jack drove though the apocalyptic landscape I was giggling at the almost comically drawn demons of Corona and the cheap gags made by Anthony Burch and the man himself, John Carpenter.

Sure, Jack has matured with age and is trying to do the right thing. But he’s matured in the same way a whiskey does, not necessarily in an intellectual way, more like an enhanced version of the same taste. So when he stumbles upon a gorgeous blonde pointing a crossbow at his head, he instantly tries to charm her and then fill his belly with food rather than thinking of it as a chance to further his journey against the big baddie. Which is the main reason he ends up nearly being eaten by a wise-cracking giant demon face in a scene which had me in fits of laughter by the end.

It’s more of the same from the first issue for me, a tale that’s pure processed bright orange cheese from the 80s. Great artwork to match brilliant slapstick action with a pacey well explained plot and great one liners that could be lifted from just about any film of that particular time period. Reading this story is like watching Die Hard at Christmas or Last Action Hero with your mates and a few beers. It doesn’t take itself seriously and that’s why it’s so awesome.

Long may the travels of the Pork Chop Express continue, and just like ol’ Jack says, if you’re traveling through the infinite flames and torture of hell fire, well, you’d “better roll the window down then.”

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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