This zine is as painfully funny as it is simple. Mr. Destructo is the most crudely drawn, quarter-sized zine that I’ve ever seen. Seriously–they’re messy doodles drawn with what looks like crayon and resemble the type of work you turned out in the first grade. Remember when you first learned your shapes? Buildings are huge rectangles with square windows, people are circle-headed with boxy torsos and stick arms that flail about in every which direction. Well, that’s what my “art” looked like, anyway. And now you have a visual of Mr. Destructo and his son, Destructo Jr.
The comic is a series of page-long strips about the two characters and their habit of purposely breaking things. Vases, windows, homes … you name it, and I guarantee that in the fast 14pages this zine boasts, you will laugh.
You see, despite its elementary design, the grammar, subject matter and overall taste suggest an older creator. If anything, its disorderliness is intentional. At times it can disrupt the reading flow, but overall, the simple drawings add to the charm and humour.
Some strips that got a chuckle out of me include a drawing of Mr. Destructo taking a wrecking ball to a house. The owner sticks his head out and yells, “Hey, I’m trying to eat dinner!” Mr. Destructo replies, “Sorry. Wrong house.”
Another one has Destructo Jr. taking a hammer to the actual panels of the comic. He’s surrounded by nothing but squiggly lines. Mr. Destructo just looks at him and says, “Well son, now that you’ve destroyed the panels, they’re gunna fire my ass so fast.”
Aside from the pictures, a lot of the humour comes from the momentum the reader builds since it’s short and simple. A fun read! (Amy Greenwood)
Comic, Tanner Robbins, Tanner Robbins, P.O. Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-713, US$1