Now that's what I call the sixties! (Ambush Bug edition)

Can you believe how awesome this week was?

Not only does Chris Giarrusso at last get his own trade digest in Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Howard the Duck finally gets his own omnibus hardcover! Suffice it to say, my life is incomplete without that hardcover.

In the middle of all this, can you believe there's even more comics gold? I'm referring, of course, to

Ambush Bug: Year None #1
by Giffen, Fleming and Milgrom

This may be my first time reading the Bug, but I will tell you that it is a wonderful read.

Ambush Bug travels through the DC Universe in a series of gags, and his excuse this time is a murder mystery. Specifically, he has to solve the murder of Jonni DC.

You might recognize the name as a spoof on DC's old-school mascot Johnny DC. In fact, he still talks to the reader if you pick up any kids' DC comics like the about-to-be-defunct The Batman, or The Legion of Super-heroes in the 31st Century, both of which are based on the Kids!WB cartoons.

The entire comic is set up like this, with lots more nods to the DC Universe. There's even a Women in Refrigerators gag, an Egg Fu cameo, and a hilarious new villain based on comics during the sixties. Remember those Go-Go Checks?

(click to enlarge, you hep cat. It's been a while since I've used these happenin' kinds of images!)

Well, I don't, because it wasn't my era, but that doesn't stop it from being any funnier! You only need to be passingly familiar with the DCU and comics in general to love this comic! Some original and genius material include Ambush bug's arch-nemesis Argh!Yle! and Ambush Bug's son, Cheeks the Toy Wonder.

(again: enlarge to clic-- you know what I mean)

As you can tell, this issue was awesome, and if you're not getting issue one, then you better be waiting for the trade!

My only complaint critical-wise is that the story is only loosely connected to the premise. Ambush Bug takes a hell of a lot of tangents before he closes up the case of Jonni DC's death, but those tangents are hilarious in every panel. It also appears that the six-issue mini will probably have six standalone stories instead of one interconnecting one, but with Argh!Yle!, who can really tell?

Newsarama even gave a feature to the Bug. The article is titled, "An Interview with Ambush Bug. Lord Help Us." It's a fun read, and definitely worth your while! You should go check it out.

And a little extra for you: Giffen even takes the time to make references to Chicago jazz!

I had to look up the references myself, which goes to show you the wealth of Chicago pride I have, but that doesn't stop the creative team from telling the hell out of this issue. You can probably tell if I'm psyched up for the next one!