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"THEFOURTHRAIL"
PIGTALE # 1
(BEST OF WEEK!)
I didn't know what to expect from Pigtale. It's not the sort of thing I normally
buy without knowing something about the concept or the strength of the creator's work. When I saw it in Previews, there
was just something about it that piqued my curiosity. Image featured it prominently in its promotional material back a couple
of months ago, so I decided to give it a shot. I'm sooooooo glad that I did. Clearly influence by animation as opposed to
comics, creator Ovi Nedelcu has brought together a diverse array of genres-- slice-of-life, private eye and cute talking animals
-- to develop something truly charming, unique and entertaining. I expect this won't be the easiest comic book to come across,
but it's definitely worth the effort to seek it out.
Boston Booth Jr. longs to follow in his father's footsteps. The late Boston Sr. was
Portland's most respected and successful investigator, and Junior's looking for a private eye job to begin his career. Even
the old man's name isn't helping him out, though, as Boston just doesn't have his dad's education, background or confidence.
Speaking of confidence, he wishes he had more so he could ask out Carmen, the gorgeous woman who serves him coffee every day
at a local cafe. He's quite smitten with her, and he jumps at the chance to see her sing at a local club. Meanwhile, a genetics
research firm in town has made a significant breakthrough in animal communication... one that's going to have a great impact
on Boston's life soon enough.
Nedelcu's style looks like a cross between Genndy (The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai
Jack) Tartakovsky's art and design style and the work of Scott (Southpaw, Soulwind) Morse, with a touch of modern
Disney house style and John K. influences thrown in for good measure. The main character here describes himself as a "man-child,"
and that's exactly what he looks like here. There's a brutish quality to his look, but there's a softness to him as well.
There's a great energy in the characters' eyes, and I love Nedelcu's character designs.
The creator brings the notion of private investigators to a level the reader can
relate to with Boston Brown. He's a 20-something guy whose dreams are just out of his grasp, who has trouble with women and
who has trouble paying his bills. He's thoroughly likable, and one can't help but cheer him on when it looks as though he's
got a shot to get the girl. The surreal turn the story takes by the issue's end is in keeping with the quirkiness of the characters
and the over-the-top, exaggerated artwork.
Every once in a while a special kind of comic book comes along and surprises those
interested in black-and-white and/or small-press comic books, the kind of comic book crafted by a single creator's vision.
Jeff Smith's Bone comes to mind, as does Tom Beland's True Story Swear to God. Pigtale is one such rare
comic book, and it seems Ovi Nedelcu is one such creator. 9/10
-by Don MacPherson (THEFOURTHRAIL.COM)
"NEWSARAMA"
Pigtale #1 (Image Comics)
Writer & Artist: Ovi Nedelcu
I'm
going to preface this article by saying that I'm some one who reads mostly mainstream (DC & Marvel) comics. I really do
enjoy what both companies have to offer, but I often make a conscious effort to try to go beyond my boundaries and try new
comics from different publishers. However, most of the time, I have no idea what I'm getting into. Preview art, word of mouth,
pretty covers, and good interviews can help, but 99% of the time, I don't know what to expect. This has been a very rewarding
process; I've found nuggets of gold such as Demo, Bone, Powers, Invincible, and Hawaiian Dick this way and they've all been
a joy to read.
Where I'm going with this is...I think I might have found another one of those nuggets in Pigtale. I
checked out the preview art over on Image's website and I thought the concept was amusing enough to give it a look. A talking
pig trying to make an escape from his evil stepwolf brother definitely sounded like it was amusing and creative enough to
warrant checking this book out.
I can't say I'm disappointed I got this book. In fact, I'm incredibly happy I picked
it up!
To start off, the main character (Boston Booth) is some one whom I really found interesting. He's a bit on the
cliched side, but the emotion that this character expresses feels really true to life. It's easy to empathize with a guy who's
down on his luck, trying to pay the bills, dreaming about his fantasy girl, and trying to live in his father's shadow. However,
what makes the character work is that there's a really light-hearted and optimistic side to him. He's clearly a nice guy who's
just trying to find his way in life. I found it easy to cheer for him.
However, character development aside, this is
a fun book to read. I won't spoil some of the more fun scenes, but there is action to be had. There are also a lot of different
scenes in this book that fit into different genres...but fit together well. There is suspense. There is a fight and a chase
scene. There's plenty of humor.
What makes me most interested, however, is the end. Ovi has already established that
he is able to write humor and human interest quite well. Based on how well everything written up to that point was, I'd really
like to see where he can take this wacky and sheerly absurd plot twist.
But, I'd say the best part of this book has
to be the art. I'd absolutely LOVE to see what it would look like if it were properly colored. But...even without color it's
just really awesome. Everything is cartoonish enough to maintain a light edge and appeal...but still maintains enough seriousness
to keep the story grounded in some semblance of reality. I think it will work quite well with this concept.
Overall,
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend that everyone check it out. It was a fun read and I really am looking forward
to the second issue in this series!
Grade: A
-by Outshined_One (NEWSARAMA.COM)
"ANTIHEROCOMICS"
PIGTALE#1
1/21/05 ~ Pick of the Week
Not every week, but occasionally, I feel the need to spotlight a book that you shouldn't miss.
Recently, I mentioned the return of the Flaming Carrot.
Today, I want to point you towards... Ovi Nedelcu's PIGTALE. To say that I'm impressed by Ovi's art style would be an understatement, I'm amazed
by it. In the deepest sense of the word, amazed. Ovi is part of a new generation of cartoonists and comic book illustrators
who have figured out how to integrate an animator's sensibility into the comic book medium. I would add to this movement--
Kazu Kibuishi (who I'm convinced is the next Great One) and his gang on the Flight Anthology, plus Canales and Guarnido from
Blacksad, and Doug Tennapel of Creature Tech.
Ovi's shows us the benefit of a story arc. More space. Space to create absolutely
beautiful two page spreads, not to waste space or flaunt ability, but as a way to pull the reader into the story. Ovi can
also pack in the pages, moving a story along with attention to the narrative.
Is it too early to say this is the best
new series for 2005?
-by David Hopkins (ANTIHEROCOMICS.COM)
"DIVERGINGCOMICS"
PIGTALE #1
Aside from a review
by Sean here at Diverging Comics, I’ve been almost oblivious to the press that Ovi Nedelcu’s Pigtale has been
receiving over the last few months, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up the first issue this week. The
last thing I’d have guessed, however, is that it’d actually be… well, a tale about a pig.
Of course, that’s only half-true. The story starts off with Boston Booth Jr, an aspiring private eye, trying to live
up to his father’s legacy. Things haven’t exactly been going Boston’s way though. His first date with the
girl of his dreams Carmen is rudely interrupted, and his job search isn’t what you might call a success. Things take
a turn for the weird when he arrives at the scene of an explosion at ADNA Labs, where some rather interesting experiments
were being conducted on animals. You starting to see where the pig in question fits into the picture?
Pigtale is the kind of unpretentious, fun read that seems to come along very rarely these days. Centering almost entirely
on Boston so far, the story is engaging simply because its main character is instantly likeable. Things like his rehearsing
of what to say to Carmen, and his constant worrying over the bills make him easily relatable, and getting him in good graces
with the girl is only giving the readers more of a reason to cheer for him.
The art is fluid and animated, which makes sense since Nedelcu’s previous work includes storyboarding and character
development for WB animation. And while I have to agree with Sean that the action sequences are stunning, it’s some
of the quieter moments that really impress me, the last page in particular.
With gorgeous art, and a story that delivers, Pigtale is shaping up not only to be a great series, but possibly one of
my favourites to debut this year.
-Wayne Ree
Staff Writer, (Divergingcomics.com)
"AINT IT COOL NEWS"
PIGTALE #1
Ovi Nedelcu: Creator
Image Comics: Publisher
Vroom Socko: Pearls Before Swine
There are a few things that I have an absolute love for, things that I can’t imagine not being in my life. One is
comics. The other is my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Well, in the new book Pigtale, these two things go together like chocolate
and peanut butter.
I’m not saying that just because this story is set in Portland. Oh no, it takes more than just a familiar street
name to get me behind an artist. This book’s not only got familiar streets, it’s got familiar architecture. It’s
got familiar bars. Everything from the streetlamps in Old Town to the bridges over the Willamette River are as beautiful on
the page as they are in real life. Each panel has an astonishing quality to it that manages to capture the beauty of this
city in every line. More than that, the feeling and mood of Portland is captured to perfection.You can’t help but imagine
that Powell’s Bookstore, the statue of Portlandia, or even a Benson Bubbler is sitting just off-panel, waiting to be
discovered. This is my first exposure to the work of Ovi Nedelcu, but based on this, it definitely won’t be the last.
As for the story itself… well to be honest, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the art. This doesn’t
mean that it’s not any fun, far from it. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I enjoyed the story of Boston Booth,
lovable loser and private eye. His difficulties, friends, even his job hunting also manages to have a distinct Portland vibe
to them. And then there’s that final page, that goofy, crazy, what-the-f**k final page. There’s no way I’ll
be spoiling that, but it certainly put a smile on my face. So yeah, I did enjoy the story. Just not as much as I did
the art.
In any case, this is most definitely a series you should be checking out. It’s funny, charming, and has personality
to spare. And it’s a definitively Portland personality. Until the next issue comes out, I’m sure I’ll be
rereading my signed first issue many more times. Oh yeah, did I mention that Nedelcu managed to visit pretty much every comic
shop in town, signing damn near every copy of his book that entered the Portland city limits?
Oh yeah, I love this town.
-Vroom Socko (AINTITCOOLNEWS.COM)
"LIVEJOURNAL"
PIGTALE #1 "That's good eatin'!"
BY: Alex Kennedy
http://www.livejournal.com/users/7comicsaweek
Pigtale is one of the most appealing new books I've read in recent
memory. That may not sound like glowing praise,
but with comics
seemingly getting more and more insular every year it's nice to see a
book start off nice and wide open
like this one has.
Boston Booth Jr. is a wannabe private eye with a lot of problems. He's
unemployed, lives with
his grandmother and can't quite seem to connect
with his dream girl Carmen, the counter girl of a local café. It's not
a
spectacularly original set up, but writer/artist Ovi Nedelcu works
hard to make Boston's trials and tribulations compelling.
His artwork
which looks to be more influenced by his animation background than
other comics is wonderfully expressive
and helps to get across the ups
and downs quite handily. When Boston gets shot down during a job
interview or finally
scores a date the use of facial expressions
communicate better than dialogue how he's feeling. Nedelcu is doubly
impressive
in this regard considering how stylized and economical his
designs for Boston, and indeed all the other characters are.
A lot of
the pages in the first issue, especially the ones featuring Carmen are
reminiscent of Kyle Baker's work, although
an occasional touch of
Chuck Jones shows through as well. The panel layouts and composition
are varied and move the
story along at a fair clip as well. The only
real complaint I have is that I'd like to see this book in rich full
colour
instead of black, white and grey. I have nothing against black
and white books, but this one seems readymade for some tasteful
digital
colouring. Still, being as this is Nedelcu's first foray into
creator owned comics I'm more than understanding that he
might want to
keep his printing costs down.
As with most first issues this one is mostly set up. In fact we don't
encounter
the book's namesake until the very last page, although some
hints and foreshadowing of the overall direction of the story
are
liberally sprinkled throughout the issue. In spite of this the story
is light on exposition, defying the current
trend of decompressed
storytelling. What makes it work is Boston's lovable loser persona.
We'll have to wait and see
what the overall direction of the book will
be, but Boston is more than interesting enough as a protagonist to
carry
the book in the meantime.
It's pretty clear that Nedelcu put a lot of thought and work into
every inch of this first
issue, and that labour of love quality is
part of what makes it so enjoyable. I'm quite pleased to find such a
unique
title coming from Image, and hope to see the next issue before
too long.
"POPTHOUGHT"
PIGTALE #1
By Ovi Nedelcu
I
read this online as well and wrote a brief review. And holding the book I must say, it is far better in hand. Nedelcu tells
the story of a pig private eye, in a wonderful, family friendly style. This story is delightful and light, and the comic fills
a hole for comic readers who want to share with a younger reader. I applaud this book for its fresh look at the genre, and
for a commitment to quality.
-BY: Alex Ness (POPTHOUGHT.COM)
"COMIXTREME"
PIGTALE #1 REVIEW
Reviewer: Andrea Speed andy@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Private Eye: Boston Booth
Boston Booth Junior
just wants to be a detective like his late father, and get the girl. So where does the talking pig fit into it?
Review: An offbeat premise can be a mixed blessing. It can scare
people off immediately, or conversely, intrigue the strange. Well, being strange, I was intrigued by what I heard of this
new series, and I must admit I’m glad I was. It’s a lighthearted, charming genre blend of mystery, real life sagas,
and talking animals.
The story itself is pretty simple, and at the start not wildly special. Boston just wants to
be a detective, but in reality, he’s a geeky, currently unemployed guy who lives with his mother and has to borrow money
from his brother. He pines desperately for a sexy singer named Carmen, although he figures he’s out of her league for
the reasons mentioned previously. Still, he manages to get a date, but if you know anything about comics - or real life, in
fact - the date doesn’t go quite as planned. In fact, it turns into our hero getting chased through the streets of Portland
on his scooter.
This is just a fun comic. It’s not dark and heavy, there’s no big “ultimate meaning”
here; it’s just a comic about an average Joe and his sadly average life struggling with bills and relationships, until
it is all disrupted by the unusual. It’s also something of a love letter to Portland, Oregon, as the city is very much
a character in this issue, with its unique architecture and the layout of its streets providing a very distinctive backdrop.
(The latter is also somewhat responsible for a favorable outcome in the scooter chase.)
But the real star here is the
art. Nedelcu has an art style more heavily influenced by animated cartoons than classic comics, with slightly exaggerated
expressions and features (eyes especially - big, wildly expressive eyes), but where it really shows is in the flow of the
comic itself. From cinematic angles and “cut out” panels to the scooter chase action sequence, which is amazingly
kinetic, this comic has a real sense of forward momentum, something which many comics honestly lack. And that final page is
just great; I love the design on that character, which is cute without being too precious. This comic looks like no other,
which is a major compliment.
This is just a sweet natured, immensely enjoyable comic with a sympathetic “man-child”
protagonist and some genuinely astounding art. Give it a try, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
"KOMIKWERKS"
Pigtale #1 Review
A DIFFERENT SLICE OF BACON
Review: PIGTALE
#1 (Image Comics, 2005)
Written and drawn by Ovi Nedelcu
Reviewed by: Abdulkareem Baba Aminu
Boston Booth is a Portland-based amateur private investigator
whose life is in a shambles, financially and professionally. One day, he summons up enough courage to ask out Carmen, the
girl of his dreams and--surprise, surprise!--she agrees. Out on a would-be double date, things go wrong when some disgruntled,
muscle-bound thugs hate the idea that Booth’s hanging around their girl. A fight breaks out, and our outmatched hero
scoots off on his Vespa. Trying to hide in a building, Booth comes face to face with a pig desperately in need of rescue--and
says it!
While the cover of PIGTALE comes across as a bit unassuming, the sharp design sense behind it saves the day, absolutely.
The spare lines and muted palette make the cover a joy to behold.
Not a buff for black-and-white interiors, I was surprised how quickly I tuned into the monotone world of Booth and Clyde,
well-rounded supporting characters and all. Now, the supporting cast are some of the most baffling aspects of this book. Ovi
Nedelcu does with a few panels to develop them, what some other creators would require two or three story arcs for. Even Booth’s
mother’s statement when he dashes out without pausing for breakfast, “You’re just like your father,”
is pregnant and promises another tale.
Nedelcu’s background in the animation industry is visible in the art, and not because of the cartoony character design,
but because of his achievement of perspectives and angles that have a sheer, cinematic beauty. Portland has never looked like
Portland, since…well, since Portland! The style of art speaks of influences of great creators such as Watterson, Mignola,
Toth, and others, but still has a distinct look and feel that is all Nedelcu’s.
For a humorous story unfolding at a rapid pace like PIGTALE’s , it sure is loaded with pathos. I mean, a down-on-his-luck
private investigator meets a talking pig on the run from his evil stepbrother who’s a wolf. A recipe for rip-roaring
fun, if I ever saw any. One look at PIGTALE’s cast, and you know this is a functional world of characters with character
(pun intended!).
The fact that PIGTALE is a bimonthly book means the wait between instalments will be hellish. Shame on Nedelcu and his
sadistic soul, keeping us waiting for two months! Heck, I’m already anxious about the TPB.
Reportedly, when Nedelcu submitted his proposal for PIGTALE to Erik Larsen, the Image Comics head honcho just read through
and exclaimed “I’m sold!” Well, if Nedelcu continues to dish out effortlessly cool stuff like this, then
so are we.
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