PVP (2003 Series) #20

December 2, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good

More lunacy from the gang at PVP!

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Bryan Hitch
Publisher: Image Comics

This issue of PVP doesn’t have any big storyline, any overarching tale – it’s just a few short storylines and a lot of gags. And that’s just fine with me, because it’s still as funny as ever.

First up, Skull is told to take his cat, Scratch to the vet. The megolamaniacal kitty jumps to the conclusion that he’s being brought in to be neutered, and hilarity ensues. Seeking an ally, the cat decides to use the machine that made him a genius on Cole dog, Kirby, not realizing that multiplying the intellect of your average basset hound still doesn’t make him very smart.

Next up is a brief look on the tug-of-war between Cole and Max Powers over former PVP employees Robbie and Jase. The two slackers are dismayed with their beloved couch is taken away, not to mention their beloved beer. The results of this vignette have been used by some of those in the “Max is really a nice guy” camp to fuel their arguments. I, however, maintain that those who think Max is nice have never really worked for a Max Powers. I have done so. I have tasted evil. Evil is Max Powers.

Next up are a few gags about Jade’s sister, Miranda, who has been coming on to Brent ever since she showed up. He tries to pawn her off on Max – with intriguing results.

We round out the book with Cole and Brent engaging in, for lake of a better term, Mustache Wars, and then some “Comic Con True Stories” from Kurtz himself.

Like I said, this is kind of a scattershot issue – Kurtz breaks with his usual pattern of giving us two full storylines in the issue and instead just gives us a lot of shorts. But they’re good shorts, funny shorts, and those who read the comic strip online every day know that there’s some stuff in here that sets up future storylines – it’s actually some vital information. And it’s all quite funny.

Groundbreaking stuff? No. But still, it’s a dandy issue of PVP.

Rating: 8/10

PVP (2003) #19

October 3, 2005

Quick Rating: Good

Will Jade’s sister tear her relationship with Brent apart?

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Jonathan Luna
Publisher: Image Comics

When Jade Fontaine’s sister Miranda comes for a visit, she starts coming on to Brent Sienna in a big way. Whenever he tries to tell his girlfriend Jade, or anyone else for that matter, they treat him with disbelief. So what’s Miranda got up her sleeve?

As is often the case with PVP, the story is drawn from the sort of convoluted situation that belongs on a television sitcom. (Brent has even made comments in the daily PVP strip that they’ll be finished as soon as the public realizes they’re just a rip-off of Newsradio). But somehow the fact that it is such a familiar, over-the-top formula is exactly what makes PVP work. The reason the strip is so funny is because it’s not really about video games, but because it’s a satire of the workplace comedy. Kurtz uses the familiar stories and set-ups and turns them into great bits of metafictional comedy.

The second storyline in this issue draws equally from TV – some time ago Cole let go of his old friends Robbie and Jase and they wound up working for his arch-enemy, Max Powers. Now the promise of a reality show is drawing the rest of the PVP staff, and a justifiably upset Cole goes to ridiculously (and hilariously) un-justified lengths to teach them a lesson. Heck, just the sight of Skull in a giant handlebar mustache is reason enough to buy this comic book.

For fans, Jonathan Luna (of Girls and Ultra fame) contributes this month’s cover, a nice piece reminiscent of old-fashioned romance comic, complete with angst-ridden dialogue from Jade. I rather like when Kurtz gets a guest-artist for the cover, it’s always fun to see the PVP crew done in different styles.

Overall, a good, solid issue of a great humor comic book.

Rating: 7/10

PVP (2003 Series) #17

May 15, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good

Like so many comic fans before them, will the lure of a great trade paperback selection be the downfall of Cole Richards and Brent Sienna?

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Scott Kurtz
Publisher: Image Comics

Last year Scott Kurtz took part in the nationwide 24-Hour Comic Day, an effort by hundreds of cartoonists to take up Scott McCloud’s legendary challenge to write and draw a complete 24-page comic book in 24 hours. Kurtz modified the challenge a bit – instead doing 24 comic strips in that time – and the result is one of the funniest PVP storylines yet. When Cole learns of a comic book store with the greatest selection of trade paperbacks in the state, he convinces Brent to join him on the road trip. After a series of misadventures, our heroes wind up trapped in the store and forced to face the scourge of… Nerd Thieves.

This is a pretty simple story for PVP, only using two members of our extensive cast, but loaded with comic book in-jokes that should leave everyone who’s ever dealt with an overbearing comic shop owner in stitches. This is some of Kurtz’s parody at its best, with hysterically funny dialogue and flawless comedic timing (which is something far too many comic strip creators, sadly, just don’t have). I mean, really, it’s worth the price of admission just to see Brent declare himself Iron Thor.

In our back-up story, Cole freaks out when he suspects his arch-nemesis, Max Powers, may turn in PVP magazine for using illegally pirated software. His fears only increase when he discovers exactly how much software uber-geek Francis Ray Ottoman has loaded their computer system with. As he races to get things legal, Max begins sneaking around.

This story, aside from being a great piece on Francis, also shows just how effective Max is as a passive-aggressive supervillain. Without lifting a finger, just the fear of him sends our heroes into a panic, destroying themselves far more effectively than he ever could. It’s funny, funny stuff.

I gotta tell ya, I love this comic. I read it every weekday and I even enjoy the sketches Kurtz puts up over the weekends. Every time I pick up my comic books and find a new PVP waiting for me, even if I’ve read the stories online, I know I’ll be in for a smile.

Rating: 8/10

PVP (2003 Series) #0

August 8, 2005

Quick Rating: Great
Title: The Secret Origin of Skull

How did PVP get a giant blue intern? The answer is here!

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Scott Kurtz
Publisher: Image Comics

In this 50-cent special, fans get two ways to get introduced to the world of Scott Kurtz’s PVP, the workplace comedy about a bunch of geeks, one babe and a troll on their neverending quest to put out the best video game magazine they can.

Kurtz serves up two stories this issue, and as he does so often, he borrows from television sitcom convention for the first one. When Jade Fontaine and Skull the Troll get stuck in an elevator, they decide to pass the time by reminiscing about all the adventures they’ve had in the PVP offices. In other words, Kurtz serves up a “clip show,” featuring some of the funniest PVP gags from the series and online comic strip so far. Clearly how much you like this story will depend on how much you like the clips that were chosen – I, for instance, could have done without the two panels snipped from the rather weak Savage Dragon storyline. Most of the others are great, though – the origin of the Panda Attack, Skull finding out that Sonya had a crush on him and Francis Ottoman’s disastrous attempts at time-travel all elicit a chuckle, and even those strips which were originally part of a larger storyline work quite well in their excerpted form.

For long-time readers of the series, though, Kurtz dishes out a new, never-before-told six-page story for your fifty cents: The Secret Origin of Skull! As Cole Richards and Brent Sienna examine a new office space to decide if they want to rent it out for PVP magazine, they find a sweet-hearted behemoth already waiting there, and he’s actually got a mission. While I never thought Skull was a character that really needed an explanation, the story that Kurtz serves up is really funny and, in the end, surprisingly touching. What’s more, it gives this issue weight – the truth about Skull is something that not only makes perfect sense, but casts a great many of his stories so far in a totally different light. I have to wonder if Kurtz had this backstory in mind all along or if it’s something he came up with just for this special. Either way, it’s wonderful.

As much as I love the PVP comic strips, this issue makes me remember how well Kurtz handles longer stories, which he hasn’t done since the six issues of PVP he published through Dork Storm comics. I hope he takes the opportunity to do more long-form stories in the future, because it’s an area where he really shines.

If you’ve never read PVP, this is the perfect time to get on board. If you’re a long time fan, you can’t afford to miss this special.

Rating: 9/10

PVP (2003 Series) #16

April 30, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good

The PVP crew takes a dip into a City of Heroes!

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Frank Cho
Publisher: Image Comics

Well, it’s the first issue of PVP in its new format and… well… it’s not really that different from its old format. It’s stapled along the side instead of in “landscape” fashion, but it’s still a collection of previously printed strips with a little new stuff to flesh it out, and you’ll still be turning the book sideways to read it, and it’s still really, really funny.

This issue features two related stories. First, Cole, Brent and Francis take on the persona of the Justice Eight (yeah, there are only three of them, but they had to plan for future expansion) and descend into the adventurous realm of the online game City of Heroes. Even for someone who’s never played the game, all you really need to know is that it’s a standard superhero universe and you’ll get the jokes. It lampoons superheroes and video games in equal measure and it does a very satisfying job with both.

The second story, however, is a knockout. Scott Kurtz did a series of strips reacting to the news that Marvel Comics had filed a lawsuit against the makers of the City of Heroes game because many of the players were creating characters that were blatant rip-offs of Marvel characters. Kurtz tackles both sides of the debate, poking fun at Marvel for their overreaction, and poking fun at the gamers who don’t have enough creativity to come up with characters of their own.

Kurtz’s satire is off the charts in this issue, and highly effective throughout. He makes his points without beating the reader over the head with it, but manages to do so in a clear, succinct manner. There is no doubt where he stands on the court debacle, but he’s never heavy-handed or overbearing. It goes to show just how effective PVP is.

Aaron Williams, who has provided Full Frontal Nerdity back-up strips for the past several issues, returns this issue with a new three-page P.S. 238 story. (For those of you who don’t know, P.S. 238 is Williams’s own comic book about an elementary school for superpowered children.) It’s a cute little story, in classic X-Men fashion, about the super-kids having a good ol’ game of baseball while their rather mundane parents and staff watch them. It’s a short, cute strip that will certainly inspire a few more people to check out the comic.

So while the “new” PVP really isn’t demonstrably different from the “old” PVP, it’s still pretty darn good.

Rating: 8/10

PVP: The Dork Ages

July 9, 2005

PVP: The Dork Ages by Scott Kurtz (Image Comics)

Scott Kurtz’s wildly funny PVP is the best of the current crop of webtoons, those comic strips that never would have found distribution in a newspaper but thrive on the Internet. Kurtz did six issues of a comic book based on his strip for Dork Storm Press before moving over to Image Comics — this paperback collects those six issues.

The premise of the comic strip, and this collection, is simple — Kurtz is telling the story of the staff of a video game magazine: the hard-working boss Cole, his best friend, the uber-pretentious Brent Sienna, Brent’s girlfriend Jade (the rare gamer girl), lunatic tech-teen Francis and the company intern, Skull, a big blue troll with a heart of gold and a brain of styrofoam.

Kurtz was still in the learning stage when he started this comic — the first three stories are quite short, although entertaining. The third issue, a take on Manga and Anime, is particularly wild, but may be confusing for people not into that sort of thing. Starting with the fourth issue, the “PVP Christmas Special,” Kurtz hit his stride. The Christmas story is a send-up of everything from “Miracle on 34th Street” to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to “A Christmas Carol,” with jokes from sources as various as Superman comics, the “Battle of the Planets” cartoon and Isaac Asimov. Issue five, a Matrix parody, pokes just as much fun at the current state of comic strips as it does of that movie, and the last story in the collection is a gut-busting yet oddly sweet tale about Skull the Troll trying to reunite estranged lovers Brent Sienna and Jade Fontaine. The book also gives us several pin-up pages and, for those of us who are into that sort of thing — a roleplaying module that will allow you to game as the superhero characters the PVP crew plays in the comic.

This is a great package. PVP is a wonderful strip, and it’s impossible for anyone with a heart not to find something to love in this collection.

Rating: 8/10

PVP (2003 Series) #15

March 19, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good

Francis embarks on a quest to make the greatest fan film of all time!

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Full Frontal Nerdity Back-Up: Aaron Williams
Cover Art: Scott Kurtz
Publisher: Image Comics

This issue of PVP marks the last issue in the current format of the book – Kurtz has announced that starting with next issue the comic will feature new long-form stories in addition to the reprints of the web comics, plus the comic will switch from “landscape” binding (staples at the top) to traditional side binding. And I’m happy about both of those changes. But to wrap up the current format, Kurtz couldn’t have picked two better PVP stories.

The first story in the issue is a takeoff on the real Batman: Dead End fan film that made the rounds of the Internet last summer and took the world of comicdom by storm. When Francis sees the film, which features Batman fighting an Alien, he comes up with a brainstorm: make the ultimate fan film. Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek and Indiana Jones are thrown together as he suits his friends up in costume and sets out to violate any number of copyrights in the quest of total geekdom.

I loved this storyline when it showed up on PVP Online and I love it even more in its collected edition. Francis is living every comic geek’s dream – to make a crossover movie with characters and ideas from a dozen different sources, and it’s as much fun to watch him try to make the film as it ever would have been to watch the movie itself.

The second storyline is a bit smaller, a bit more personal, and a lot sweeter. Francis rejects the idea of taking Marcy to the school dance, but is torn with jealousy when she decides to go with his arch-rival Teezo instead. What follows is your standard teenage angst romantic comedy, with Jade trying to get Marcy ready for the dance, Francis plotting ways to win her back, and Skull walking around in drag. Because it’s funny, that’s why.

This is probably the strongest issue of the regular comic yet, with two of the best stories – one that’s unparalleled in pure geekdom and one that’s surprisingly emotional and touching. Put ‘em together and you’ve got a really strong comic to do out on before the new PVP debuts next month.

Rating: 8/10

PVP (2003 Series) #14

February 26, 2005

Quick Rating: Great

The PVP crew heads to the San Diego Comicon!

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Ryan Ottley
Publisher: Image Comics

What’s more dangerous than a bunch of geeks at a video game magazine? A bunch of video game magazine geeks at the San Diego Comicon. This issue Scott Kurtz packs up his usual gang of loons and sends them to one of the world’s biggest comic conventions. The results are… well… frighteningly true to life.

Kurtz usually works in a few stories per issue, and in fact, before the Comicon strips he does have two short sequences — one with Francis getting a job as live action Spam and one with Cole and Brent teaching him how to drive. They’re both among the funniest of the really short sequences this strip has produced.

Even once he gets the convention storyline rolling, though, Kurtz still has plenty of different tales to tell. Skull needs to raise funds to make more copies of his alternative comic, which turns into a hysterical parody of Fantagraphics’s plea to comic stores and readers to buy their books when it looked like the company may face bankruptcy. (This is a sequel of sorts to issue 6’s “Graphamaximo” story, which was itself a parody of the Fantagraphics mindset).

Kurtz also works in his buddy Robert Kirkman and his partner Ryan Ottley, creators of the Invincible comic book (hence the cover). When Cole’s arch-nemesis Max Power shows up, these two stories collide in a classic comedic misunderstanding.

This issue of PVP may be a little more accessible to the hardcore comic fans than the casual reader, but that’s not a problem once in a while. It’s still a hysterical comic that even a non-Invincible reader like myself can enjoy. (Yes I know, it’s the best superhero comic in the universe. Everyone keeps telling me that. I promise, I’m looking for the first trade paperback.)

Rating: 9/10

PVP (2003 Series) #11

November 19, 2004

Quick Rating: Um…

It’s Skull versus Savage Dragon!

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Scott Kurtz & Erik Larsen
Publisher: Image Comics

PVP, to be certain, is one of my favorite titles every month, but this issue left me kind of creeped out. There’s still a lot of stuff that works, but the stuff that doesn’t work takes what could have been a great, fun issue and derails it.

As you already know by now, unless your graphic card is broken and you can’t see the cover, this issue contains a much-vaunted crossover. In an effort to study the effect of video game violence on an innocent mind, Brent Sienna accidentally turns the gentle giant Skull into a rampaging beast, and the only one who can stop him is the Savage Dragon. Well, things go wrong and the PVP crew is left with a serious mess on their hands.

Scott Kurtz is usually very good at taking seemingly stupid situations and putting clever twists on them, and for a long time it feels like he’s going to do the same this time, but you keep reading the story, plodding along, enjoying the gags but waiting for the punchline… only there isn’t one. And that lack of a punchline not only hurts the story as a whole, but casts several of the characters in this title in a really bad, really disturbing light. I don’t read PVP to get creeped out, I read it to laugh.

The rest of the book is much better. The next storyline involves Francis’s effort to create a new roleplaying game – where the roleplayers play roleplayers playing a roleplaying game. It sounds goofy, and it is, but anyone who’s ever spent time crowded around a table playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends will find this strip hysterical.

Aaron Williams also contributes a few pages of Full Frontal Nerdity as a backup. I’m enjoying this strip more and more, and the last one in this issue is priceless.

I still love PVP, really I do, but even in a humor book the way this storyline was handled doesn’t really work. It doesn’t really fit the fun, lighthearted universe Kurtz has created. This is an attempt at dark comedy, and while I enjoy that genre, it doesn’t feel like it belongs here.

Rating: 5/10

PVP (2003 Series) #10

November 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good

When Skull becomes a genius, what’ll happen to the PVP staff?

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Scott Kurtz
Publisher: Image Comics

One thing that Scott Kurtz does a lot with his PVP comic strip is to take old stories that are used over and over again on sitcoms, in comics, movies and other media, and put his own twist. In this case, it’s the classic “dumb character gets smart” story.

While trying to pry a piece of bread from the toaster with a metal utensil (don’t try this at home, kids!), Skull the troll gets an electric jolt that suddenly turns him into a super-genius. When the lovable lug becomes an intellectual mastermind, his friends at co-workers at PVP find the tables turned, playing foil to him where he used to be their comic relief. With his friends drifting away, Skull starts to question of his genius is really worth it. This is a story that’s been told time and again, and characteristically, Kurtz points out and pokes fun at all these other tales he lampoons.

The second tale in this issue also borrows heavily from TV sitcoms. When Macintosh-loving Brent Sienna gives PC nerd Francis Ottoman an Apple iPod, an insidious plan turns into a case of mistaken identity and pure hilarity. Even when he takes on a well worn storyline, Kurtz has the ability to use his cast’s established characterization to tell the tale. Brent’s evil, narcissistic side and Francis’s addictive personality make them the perfect characters to use.

We get a quick bonus in this issue, two pages of Aaron Williams’s Full Frontal Nerdity. A comic focusing on gaming geeks, it wallows in territory already well-covered by comics like John Kovalic’s Dork Tower. The best thing about Williams’ strip are his rather unique characters, particularly Shawn, the gamer who lives far away and only interacts with his friends through his webcam, which somehow doesn’t limit his participation in the strip in the slightest.

PVP has really climbed the ladder of comic-strip comics, taking its place among the best of them. I love Liberty Meadows as much as anyone, but its perennial lateness has paved the way for Kurtz to claim the crown. This comic book is just pure fun, whether you’re a video gamer or not, because Kurtz manages to tap into stories and situations we’re all familiar with and somehow make them new.

Rating: 8/10