Phil Barrett follows up his first two Matter comics with a mini-format, Summer Special, a long short story called Serious Gear. It's quite a departure from Matter – a mix of stories blending the mundane and the hypnotic with clear artwork and occasional kookiness. It's one of my favourite small press comics and I'm always keen to see more work by Barrett.
As the title would suggest, Serious Gear is the story of two stoners, Sean and Whitey, taking desperate measures during a Weed drought, on a mission to stop the world "becoming all hard edged and distinct". Played very much for laughs but retaining the usual clarity of the Matter comics, this is a departure but happily, a refreshing one.
Responding to an advert seeking volunteers to test an all-new legal high (a foil for a corporate cock-up) Whitey and Sean end up getting more than they bargained for. We're talking inter-dimensional lesions, rogue botanists and space-altering serious gear.
If the story sounds a little clichéd - and it has the potential for it – Barrett saves the proceedings with his artwork and storytelling. The un-panelled sequences break down into delightfully trippy Keith Haring style deconstructions. Inventive and visually delicious; I really like it.
The story also has a nice cast of sub-characters, particularly the stripy-shirted psycho-mercenary and his cute, diminutive girlfriend. In a scene paying homage to 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' we first see her strumming a guitar on a window ledge, the lyrics "We're off to Button Moon" wafting across the page. Great stuff!
This is a pocket-sized gem of a comic book which is very re-readable and a lot of fun.
Mardou