This is a spoiler-free review of John the Swamp Dude.

I have been watching a lot of older cartoons and shows this week. My wife and I have been rewatching Daria on Hulu. Pluto TV recently added Nickelodeon. It has been pretty fun background noise for around the house. 

A week of binging nostalgic cartoons left me in the mood for something dark, gritty and violent. Today’s book hit the spot. I read Josh Shockley and James Dufendach’s ‘John the Swamp Dude: Who Killed Mobie Graye?’.

About John the Swamp Dude

John the Swamp Dude: Who Killed Mobie Graye? is written and drawn by Josh Shockley. The lettering and editing was done by James Dufendach. The comic is published by PLB Comics.

The character of John the Swamp Dude was previously featured in PLB Comics‘ Halloween Specials. This time around ‘Who Killed Mobie Graye?’ is its own one-shot story. 

After the death of a senior council member, John the Swamp Dude and his friend Bobby Zhub Zhub are out for revenge. This leads the duo on a journey filled with horrid monsters and eccentric characters. 

John The Swamp Dude Review

John the Swamp Thing is a gritty noir story, and an exciting one at that. The story is filled with dark and dangerous characters. The plot is driven through the inner torment of the title character.

I loved the dynamic between John and Bobby. I’d put them up there with the other great odd couples, like Afro Samurai and Ninja Ninja. The talkative Bobby plays well off of John’s stoic personality. This gives the dialogue a nice flow of drama and comedy.

I thought the creators did an excellent job with this story’s world building. Each character, creature, and creation had a bit of backstory. All of these fantasy and science fiction elements fit together into a nice piece of lore. 

The black and white artwork of John The Swamp Dude is fantastic. It excels at capturing the dark tone of the story.  The line work is awesome. Every character has its own personality and aesthetic. 

I really enjoyed Dufendach’s lettering in this book. The dialogue was done with traditional speech bubbles. However, the narration and monolgoue contained white text on jagged black bubbles. I found the duality of the lettering to enhance the story’s depth. 

John the Swamp Dude was an exciting adventure and a great read. The comic had great lore and world building. PLB Comics seems to be amassing a solid collection of work. I recommend John the Swamp Dude to dark fantasy and science fiction, as well as those who enjoy noir tales.

Where To Find John The Swamp Dude

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