The curious case of Si Spurrier: Bec and Krawl vs. Lobster Random

[Colin YNWA]

Normally you know if you have a pretty good idea of whether you're going to like a new thrill by the creative team, particularly the writer. You normal like or don't like a writers work. I love John Smith and don't like Gerry Finley-Day, others will disagree and have others. There are of course writers that you like often but can never be 100% about, so I love 'Savage' but don't get on with 'Defoe', but 'Defoe' is the exception rather than the rule and generally I know I'm going to enjoy a Pat Mills story that doesn't feature torcs.

Si Spurrier I just can't get a grip on however and the progs from the first half of 2006 bring this sharply into focus (unlike my oppinion of his work!). I think 'Lobster Random' is brillant and (though you need to be careful saying such things) if I was going to do a top 10 thrill list it might well place. I've just finished 'The Agony & the Ecstasy' and his third outing is just as good as those that have gone before. Mental genius in the mold of John Smith.

I didn't however finish 'Bec and Krawl - Freakshow' as however much I try I just can't make myself read it. Every story a couple of episodes in I give up on it. It doesn't grab me, it just irriates me. The characters I find infuriating, the humour misses me entirely. The exact opposite of 'Lobster Random' then.

Somewhere inbetween these to is the newly started (with my catch up reading) 'Harry Kipling'. There are moments when I think "Wow this is great" so for example the explanation of how the Gods came about was brillant the rest I have to struggle through, for reason less defined to me that with 'Bec and Krawl' I just don't engage with it.

So what have I learnt about Si Spurrier... well dunno know... I guess its to his absolute credit that he can write such different stories that polaris my opinions in this way. Anyway lets see how 'London Falling' goes and we'll call it a tie breaker!

Brillant to banal.

[zombemybabynow]

Damn fine writer of Silver Surfer too and my Mrs enjoyed his novel

[Spaceghost]

You must have really hated it because you didn't even read the title properly, it's 'Bec and Kawl'. 

I agree with your points although for me, Lobster Random is just as grating, unfunny and downright annoying as Bec and Kawl. The only Spurrier stories I've really enjoyed are From Grace and The Vort, and I didn't realise the latter WAS Spurrier while I was reading it.

Pat Mills is also a definite. Greysuit and recent ABC Warriors leave me cold but I love Savage and Defoe.

[Aaron A Aardvark]

Withe the exception of Mills, Spurrier must be the most divisive 2000 AD writer.

My two groats worth:

love:  From Grace, Lobster Random, Simping Detective
like:   Keeareskooroo, London Falling
tolerate: Bec & Kawl
hate:   Harry Kipling
really hate:   (most of) his Dredds

As for Mills, my opinion will vary from panel to panel, let alone between strips.

[House of Usher]

For me all of Simon spurrier's strips are a 'curate's egg': good and bad in parts. I can't really say I like this strip but not that strip; rather, I like this episode, but not that episode, this cool idea but not that cool idea, this bit of clever dialogue but not that.

[Professor Bear]

I'm no Lobster fan and I'd quite happily never read another word of Simping Detective, but I'm not sure you can judge a writer's entire output based on his work in a format acknowledged as difficult by many a professional.

For me, Bec and Kawl was an okay strip, it just didn't fit in the Prog since it wasn't funny (IMO) or controversial so it didn't have the "PR blitz!" defence/novelty value Big Dave had.  If it had appeared in some imaginary comic that was a middle ground between the Dandy and the 1980s Eagle then I think B&K might have found a place for itself, but as it was I couldn't see it finding a home anywhere, not even on the web where pop-cultural ephemera already represents the fractured language of many a webcomic.  I suppose in that respect it could only ever appear in 2000ad.

[zombemybabynow]

Chiaroscuro rocked

[Professor Bear]

Yeah, that was pretty good, though I do remember being unreasonably distracted by the mix of christian-influenced voodoo and the African stuff.  Would have made a good ITV two-parter followed by an unfortunate Hollywood remake, I thought.

[Spaceghost]

Chiaroscuro rocked

I thought it did a certain amount of 'rocking' until the monster was revealed to be a big pile of film with a stupid hat on.

It was like something out of The Muppet Show and immediately destroyed any of the atmosphere that had built up in the preceding episodes.

[mogzilla]

"simping detective" is one of my all time faves deserving of more tales to tell.

[Colin YNWA]

Ok so I'm not using 'London Falling' as a decider , that seems a little unfair. I'll wait until I get around to Simping Detective!

[TordelBack]

Using the Aardvark model:

love:   London Falling, Lobster Random/The Vort, Harry Kipling
like:   Simping Detective, From Grace, Chiaroscuro, the Scrap, various Future Shocks
tolerate: Bec & Kawl, Dredds, Zancudo.
hate:   Nowt

Spurrier's got a very high hit rate for me.  Even lobbing Bec & Kawl and Zancudo into the 'tolerate' heading is a bit stiff, because I enjoyed elements of both at the time.  I just wouldn't be actively  demanding their return over the Spurrier Seafood Buffet (Lobster'n'Kippers).