PART 2
Copyright - I think Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
It's a quality that is so perfect for Mark Russell's satire. Mark Russell makes worlds that on the surface feel perfectly nice, often filled with people who will face you with a smile, as they plan to stab you in the back. The characters that Russell creates can utterly lack self awareness, or awareness of the motives of those that surround them. Things hide unnervingly under the surface in Russell's stories. These aren't the worlds of dark shadows with grim and gritty rain soaked streets, in Russell's worlds the dark underbelly hides in plain sight, often bathed in sunshine, under apparently cloudless skies.
It's this quality that Steve Pugh so perfectly brings out in his art. Everything feels normal and appealingly rendered, but it has a slight twist, an ugly turn to hint at what lies beneath. In his aspect of his art Pugh is such a nature fit, the perfect partner for Russell's work and in part it is this that elevates Billionaire Island above many of Russell's other works.
Now it's fair to say that I love pretty much all of the Mark Russell comics I've read and I've read pretty much all of them, only Red Sonia was enough to put me off picking up one of his comics. So while I'm discussing Billionaire Island specifically here and finding reasons to pull this story to the near the top of the Mark Russell pile (but there are more to come) in some ways it acts as a proxy for all of the wonderful comics he produces. It's not that I think I'd specifically add another comic to this list ahead of Billionaire Island on a different day - though I can't rule that out entirely. Rather that these comics so perfectly encapsulate what he does at his best and so much of what I love here can be said for other series he writes that haven't made this list... in short just read all Mark Russell's comics!
Copyright - I think Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
What Billionaire Island exemplifies in the context of Mark Russell always producing sharp, funny, biting satire is our role in society's folly. While its targets are common with so many Russell stories, the rich and entitled. Those in power who are so detached from the greater society that feeds their greed that they are often almost sociopathic ... well actually they are often literally sociopathic. What Billionaire Island does so well is remind us of our role, or culpability in allowing those in power to rule over our own downfall.
He bravely flags that the rich and powerful are the easy targets, the soft hits. We are all responsible for allowing that to be happen. The common person he so rightly wants to see supported and defended has a role to play in their fate. We can sit passively and by doing so allow those that desire it to have the control and power, they crave. The power we seem to willingly give them and only we can really grant them. He's like Wagner in that respect. He will mock the Judges, he'll pock fun at the crazy ideas that are passed as entertainment in Mega City One, but he'll never let us forget that it's the majority that sit mollified in front of the screen allowing the sad craziness to pass as entertainment.
Mark's Russell satire picks its targets so well. It exposes and attacks with rampant furor those that are directly responsible but he reminds us the reader that is easy to look up at the 'enemy' its easy to point fingers and shake our heads in contempt at those who lead the world into dismal times. He also never lets us forget to look to our side as well as up. To look in the mirror, to question if those that led us, lead us to things we dislike, or even despise, why do we let them lead. What are we doing to change things or are we passive victims allowing ourselves to wallow in our righteous anger, self satisfied that we know who is doing us wrong, yet often lacking the self awareness, or courage to see our role, all our roles, in allowing it to happen.
Mark Russell's comics are brave, not in attacking the rich and powerful, they don't care about a few satirists pocking fun at them and their abuse of power and privilege. No Mark Russell is brave as he is not afraid to remind his readers of our responsibilities... while making us laugh with glee, he sinks his teeth into our subconscious and quietly whispers
"Be better."
He adds that ugly twist on the lips of our own smiling faces, he plants the dark sad awareness behind our glee filled eyes.
That is why I admire this comic so much. I admire it while I have a wonderful time reading it, while I laugh and chuckle. While I grin at brilliantly realised characters, enjoy the wonderfully reflective worlds he creates and I recognise and am able to critique our society that he nudges just enough to the right to make me feel safe. He also makes me realise that the glimpse of hope I catch in his chilling dark humour rests with me and the changes I can make, that he makes me think about.
Mind I'll still link to Amazon below won't I damn it!
Copyright - I think Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
Billionaire Island brilliantly encapsulates the very best qualities in Mark Russell's work and Steve Pugh realises it with supreme skill. It's almost the perfect Mark Russell comic... well except for the couple that are still to come!
Copyright - I think Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
It's a quality that is so perfect for Mark Russell's satire. Mark Russell makes worlds that on the surface feel perfectly nice, often filled with people who will face you with a smile, as they plan to stab you in the back. The characters that Russell creates can utterly lack self awareness, or awareness of the motives of those that surround them. Things hide unnervingly under the surface in Russell's stories. These aren't the worlds of dark shadows with grim and gritty rain soaked streets, in Russell's worlds the dark underbelly hides in plain sight, often bathed in sunshine, under apparently cloudless skies.
It's this quality that Steve Pugh so perfectly brings out in his art. Everything feels normal and appealingly rendered, but it has a slight twist, an ugly turn to hint at what lies beneath. In his aspect of his art Pugh is such a nature fit, the perfect partner for Russell's work and in part it is this that elevates Billionaire Island above many of Russell's other works.
Now it's fair to say that I love pretty much all of the Mark Russell comics I've read and I've read pretty much all of them, only Red Sonia was enough to put me off picking up one of his comics. So while I'm discussing Billionaire Island specifically here and finding reasons to pull this story to the near the top of the Mark Russell pile (but there are more to come) in some ways it acts as a proxy for all of the wonderful comics he produces. It's not that I think I'd specifically add another comic to this list ahead of Billionaire Island on a different day - though I can't rule that out entirely. Rather that these comics so perfectly encapsulate what he does at his best and so much of what I love here can be said for other series he writes that haven't made this list... in short just read all Mark Russell's comics!
Copyright - I think Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
What Billionaire Island exemplifies in the context of Mark Russell always producing sharp, funny, biting satire is our role in society's folly. While its targets are common with so many Russell stories, the rich and entitled. Those in power who are so detached from the greater society that feeds their greed that they are often almost sociopathic ... well actually they are often literally sociopathic. What Billionaire Island does so well is remind us of our role, or culpability in allowing those in power to rule over our own downfall.
He bravely flags that the rich and powerful are the easy targets, the soft hits. We are all responsible for allowing that to be happen. The common person he so rightly wants to see supported and defended has a role to play in their fate. We can sit passively and by doing so allow those that desire it to have the control and power, they crave. The power we seem to willingly give them and only we can really grant them. He's like Wagner in that respect. He will mock the Judges, he'll pock fun at the crazy ideas that are passed as entertainment in Mega City One, but he'll never let us forget that it's the majority that sit mollified in front of the screen allowing the sad craziness to pass as entertainment.
Mark's Russell satire picks its targets so well. It exposes and attacks with rampant furor those that are directly responsible but he reminds us the reader that is easy to look up at the 'enemy' its easy to point fingers and shake our heads in contempt at those who lead the world into dismal times. He also never lets us forget to look to our side as well as up. To look in the mirror, to question if those that led us, lead us to things we dislike, or even despise, why do we let them lead. What are we doing to change things or are we passive victims allowing ourselves to wallow in our righteous anger, self satisfied that we know who is doing us wrong, yet often lacking the self awareness, or courage to see our role, all our roles, in allowing it to happen.
Mark Russell's comics are brave, not in attacking the rich and powerful, they don't care about a few satirists pocking fun at them and their abuse of power and privilege. No Mark Russell is brave as he is not afraid to remind his readers of our responsibilities... while making us laugh with glee, he sinks his teeth into our subconscious and quietly whispers
"Be better."
He adds that ugly twist on the lips of our own smiling faces, he plants the dark sad awareness behind our glee filled eyes.
That is why I admire this comic so much. I admire it while I have a wonderful time reading it, while I laugh and chuckle. While I grin at brilliantly realised characters, enjoy the wonderfully reflective worlds he creates and I recognise and am able to critique our society that he nudges just enough to the right to make me feel safe. He also makes me realise that the glimpse of hope I catch in his chilling dark humour rests with me and the changes I can make, that he makes me think about.
Mind I'll still link to Amazon below won't I damn it!
Copyright - I think Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
Billionaire Island brilliantly encapsulates the very best qualities in Mark Russell's work and Steve Pugh realises it with supreme skill. It's almost the perfect Mark Russell comic... well except for the couple that are still to come!