Written by Frank Tieri and John Cerilli
Art by Jacob Chabot
Published by Marvel Comics
Retail: $3.99
2019 marks the 80th anniversary of Marvel. As part of a year-long celebration, the publisher is issuing a number of one-shots based on lesser known titles from the past 8 decades. Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Comics was a comedic funny animal title from the Second World War. Created by future MAD Magazine legend, Al Jaffee, the book followed the misadventures of a pig and seal pair of pals. Ziggy was street smart and eager to make a quick buck. Silly was kinda a doofus, blindly following his friend into trouble.
In this story, set in the modern day, the duo have parted ways. Silly has struck it rich on his own with a beautiful wife and a multimedia empire. But Ziggy has fallen on hard times as his poor attitude has turned off what few friends and fans he had. That all seems about to change when Fantastic Four foe Doctor Doom invites the pair to Latveria to perform a private comedy show in the despot's honor.
Upon reuniting with his former partner, Ziggy learns that he is still in Silly Seal’s will. Thus begins a plot in which Ziggy will make Silly run afoul of Doom and help the swine to cash in with the inheritance!
Let's first talk about the quality of the story and art. There were several laugh out loud moments. I loved the obscure Easter eggs throughout the book. Frank Tieri (Gotham Underground) and John Cerilli (Deadpool) created a story that was funny and for once not fraught with thinly veiled political attacks.
Marvel still manages to get political with it's Stan’s Soapbox tribute to Stan Lee. But it seems that the House of Ideas is trying to curb it's very leftist barbs that have alienated a lot of fans and contributed to the resulting near collapse of the comics industry, within the story itself. Kids need a chance to be kids. There's too much stress in the real world and entertainment, especially for children, needs to be a place for escape. Educating children through entertainment is acceptable. But youngsters don't need to be stressed out with such ‘deep thinking’ issues as the Russian ties of the Trump Administration or the horrors of sexual assault in regards to the me too movement; both causes Marvel has relished in making the focus of many of it's titles
I actually got to have some mindless fun with this book. A large part of that was thanks to artist Jacob Chabot. The Hello Kitty artist’s artwork was also very good. It's got a cartoony style that still manages to fit within the Marvel Universe. I've not seen Doom's Doombots look so resplendent in a long time. And again, those Easter eggs to characters thought long lost. But it's those hidden objects that might have given this one-shot the rating it got.
While Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal looks like something kids would enjoy, the comic bears a parental advisory on the cover. It's a rating that I am not sure is warranted. Ziggy does try to kill Silly. But I've seen Tom and Jerry do far worse than what the piggy does here. There's a few ‘hells’. But nothing worse than that in terms of language. A character does swear but it's represented with pound signs and punctuation marks. I don't know of a Sunday funnies strip that doesn't do the same and they're considered fine for general audiences. So why is this book not rated for younger readers?
I think the main reason for the advisory is the fact that the book is deceptively naughty. The book would be more appropriately rated for teens. But because the characters are cute looking animals, I think Marvel wants to avoid a controversy with parents, so they slapped the parental advisory on the cover.
In all honesty, erring on the side of discretion was probably a smart thing. Ziggy's room is littered with empty beer bottles and cigarette butts. Speaking of heinies, there is a naked butt. Just the rear end- no body is attached. But the most suggestive part of this book has Ziggy taking a pretty gal up to his apartment to meet Silly Seal in return for implied ‘favors.’
Plus, the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool, makes an appearance in the story. It's a comic book rule of thumb that anything with Deadpool is considered appropriate for older audiences only! If you live a household with a wide range of ages, this is the type of book your eldest would want to read. But little bro or sis is gonna to want to read it too!
I know this sort of thing quite well. I'm 12 years older than my sister. And while I had to sit through my share of Barney and Winnie the Pooh, my mom tried to balance things out by letting me watch stuff my age like Speed or Terminator. Naturally, my sister wanted to be grown up like her big brother. And thus a 4-year-old learned some interesting ways to use the F-word.
Of all the books I've ever reviewed for Family Comic Friday, this one bears the greatest need of parental discretion. If Deadpool is a staple in your household, you've got nothing to worry about as this is way tamer than anything starring Wade Wilson. Ziggy and Silly is an enjoyable book. It's just not the kind of thing for all-ages. I think it's a special that is worth consuming. But whether it should be considered by your household is a not up for me to decide. That's Question that must be answered by the parents and guardians.
Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Comics #1 debuted in print and digital mediums on March 6th, 2019.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.
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