Power Plays Presents Barker the Beagleman

    (Extrava-Gandt, 2002)
™ and © Extrava-Gandt

Barker The Beagleman is the owner of a used book store that’s also a front for his very odd war on crime. Among those interested in his services? The IRS and the United States Attorney’s Office.

The stories in this collection are very loose and quirky, reading a lot like a Howard Chaykin tale, minus the sex. Average writers just don’t come up with characters like crooked chess champion Gaspar Sheybal or flying talk show host (!) Kristel Montclaire. Writer Mike Kelly clearly has a very offbeat style, and embraces his own strengths by not taking the story too seriously. An obvious introductory storyline would have been the origin of the main character, but this is eschewed in exchange for some very odd and entertaining tales.

Although this book is billed as a graphic novel, it’s actually a collection of four loosely-related stand-alone stories. Kelly takes a big gamble with this pricier format for a series of stories that would read just as well in separate volumes. But readers who are looking for an entertaining and original story will find the $10 price tag more than justifiable.
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