Tales from the Batcave

Lots of good stuff this week, as "Zero Month" rolls along at DC, a new issue of Goon shipped (and was wonderful), as well as new BPRD, and the fifth issue of Matt Kindt's absolutely amazing Mind Mgmt. I really need to do a Fresh Ink post about that book, it's blowing me away. The book I wanted to spotlight this week was the first issue of a collaboration between Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson, Happy!

Happy! is the story of former detective Nick Sax. Once a highly decorated police officer, Nick has since seen better days. He spends his time now as a gun for hire, constantly drunk and suffering from eczema. Unfortunately for Nick, things get worse. A mob hit goes wrong, leaving Nick as the sole survivor whom the mafia believes knows a secret password to a safe that contains a small fortune. After being injured during the hit, Nick find himself hospitalized, and is visited by a tiny, blue, flying pony named Happy, that only he can see. Seems this pony is the imaginary friend of someone named Hailey who seems to be in a bit of trouble, and Nick is the only one who could help her. Happy's first order of business, though, is to help Nick escape the hospital before the mob gets to him.

If it sounds insane, it's because it is. But that's Grant Morrison, folks. He writes crazy shit, and while I can't always say I like it, or that it works, I can say that it's almost always entertaining. Handling the art is Darick Robertson, who's work I first noticed in Warren Ellis's spectacular Vertigo series Transmetropolitan. He's most recently worked with Garth Ennis on a book entitled The Boys, which I hear was great but I actually never got into. Happy! is a four issue mini-series from Image Comics, and from what I've seen in this first issue, looks to be a lot of fun. It's extremely violent, full of foul language and despicable characters, but smack in the middle of all that is a super cute, imaginary flying pony. See? FUN!