Written by Nikesh Shukla (editor of The Good Immigrant) and illustrated by Camille Aubry (A Journey to Motherhood) – the latter of whom I first met at an ELCAF portfolio review session some years ago – Mad Villain #1 is, at its heart, a super-hero origin story. But it’s very much a mix of other things as well: a dark comedy, an exploration of the casually dehumanising realities of racism, and a pop cultural foray into the grimmest cracks and corners of this bleakest of timelines.
Sanjay is a middle-aged father feeling increasingly disturbed by the rise of fascism in his home city of Bristol. His wife Gita is concerned about the effect his mood is having on their daughters, while the girls themselves have picked up on his fears and are now worried about being deported or worse. With overt racism reminding him of the childhood bullying he endured at school, Sanjay decides that his only course of action is to join an Antifa group…
Mad Villain #1 is very much structured as an opening chapter of a graphic-novel-in-progress. We know that Sanjay will become the titular Mad Villain at some point but in issue #1 – subtitled ‘Alerta’ – we are only at the beginning of that journey. Shukla’s set-up, though, ensures the reader is sufficiently hooked for the second part: sparky dialogue between the main characters, an engaging and sympathetic cast, a contemporary take on a largely exhausted genre that actually has something new to say, and a cliffhanger that ensures audience interest in the next chapter.
Aubry’s cartooning here is far and away the best work I have seen from her over the years. It’s a difficult line to tread to illustrate a narrative that embodies both stark humour and moments of the most dramatic poignancy without the one undermining the other. And yet her visual storytelling succeeds in finding that balance throughout – from perfect comedic timing and pacing when required through to capturing the devastating effect of everyday bigotry on the characters. Visual characterisation is a key factor here but Aubry’s choices in page structures and layouts also contribute majorly to mood, atmosphere and emotional rhythm.
Mad Villain positions itself as a comic about just wanting to punch Nazis but, as good of a soundbite as that is, it’s actually a far more nuanced affair than that. A very strong opening instalment for this projected five-parter from a collaborative partnership entirely in synch with each other.
Nikesh Shukla (W), Camille Aubry (A) • Self-published, £8.00
Check out or Social Reform comics resource list here
Review by Andy Oliver
