22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ET cloned?, 7 April 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Skizz (2000 AD Presents 9) (Paperback)
Back in the 80s, 2000AD script writer Alan Moore was asked to come up with a response to ET, in the style of the comic at that time. Moore, being a lateral thinking kinda guy decided to put a spin on the whole thing. The result was Skizz, which far from being a cuddly 'family' alien movie on paper became a somewhat depressing, emotional and classic tale. It is unmistakably British in both attitude and realism. From the Fonz-like Loz to schoolgirl Roxy, the characters are fascinating, albeit stylised caricatures crafted to perfectly fit the scenario they are in.
Alan Moore is arguably the greatest comics author in history and Skizz does nothing to taint that.
Jim Baikie's art is superb and really does fit the story. You know an artist is right for a script when you simply can't imagine anyone else drawing it, even 'better' artists such as Bolland or Gibbons.
One thing I must point out, is that this really is a piece of its time. It is set in the 1980s under Thatcherism with anti-establishment feeling rife throughout the piece. The references are easy to pick up on if you lived through that dark decade, but perhaps a little tough for a teenager today to fully understand what the underlying feeling behind some of the dialogue is. There are lovely little moments such as (from memory):
Van Owen "The police? now we're getting somewhere. What did she tell you about the police?"
Skizz: "She said... they're not as good as Madness."
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ET meets Thatcher, 21 Jan 2011
Well, not quite. But it is a story based on E.T. with Thatcher's poverty-stricken Northern England used as a backdrop. The warm, fuzzy nature of Skizz and his relationship with the main characters provides a lovely contrast to the bleak, monochrome enviroment where it all takes place. This is a political story but not heavy-handed, it's all very subtle and there's little philosophical exposition. This comic would be ideal for younger kids as well as adults; if you'd like to get them to read a comic with some decent moral value, which isn't overtly violent, or immersed in Disney sentimentality; then pick this up! Given the nature of the Economy right now, there hasn't been a better time to read Skizz since it was originally published.
Oh, and the black and white artwork by Jim Baikie is amazing!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ET meets Boys from the Blackstuff, 14 Jan 2007
A real piece of 1980s culture but none-the-worse for it. Pre Watchmen, Moore was writing stuff like this for 2000AD and it is only right that a larger audience gets to savour such a classic. Suprisingly for Moore lots of feel-good mixed in with the gritty - From Hell it certainly isn't but not every book needs that level of darkness. There's still a bad guy - a typical apartheid era South African - and loads of ordinary folk who when pushed become heroes.
Be warned it's in Black & White but the art is as good as the plot and dialogue.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No