I now pronounce you comic book characters. You may now kiss your man.
Creative Staff:
Writers: Brad Bell and Jane Espenson
Artist: Ron Chan
Letter: Nate Piekos
What They Say
Based on the hit sitcom of the same name, “Husbands,” is the story of a newlywed couple who go on a fantastical adventure in the world of comics, fairy tales, and other widespread forms of storytelling. Brady and Cheeks have recently been married. Hurray! Spread the rainbow love! Just… ignore the fact that these two men needed the help of their two friends Tequi and La before accidentally spouting out the words, “I do.” As they honeymoon in Vegas with their girl who is a friend, they discover a rather interesting wedding gift – and it ain’t Gaga or Madonna who left it this time. It’s a comic book with the two of them on the cover, and said comic book has decided to suck them into a crazy series of misadventures.
The Review (itty-bitty spoilers)
In case you’re not sure what the sitcom is – because I wasn’t when going in — here is a quick synopsis. Brady and Cheeks have been dating for a few weeks. When the federal amendment for marriage equality passes, the two men go to Vegas to celebrate. However, they celebrate a bit too hard, and they wake up married to one another the next day. Now it’s not that these two fellas aren’t into one another, it’s just that they hadn’t been planning on getting married so quickly – it’s only been six weeks of dating. But they can’t exactly run out and get divorced, that would set gay rights back quite a ways since the amendment just went through.
And thus, the sitcom begins.
The only problem?
The comics don’t address this plot point at all!
This would’ve been particularly interesting considering what’s going on in the gay rights department in the U.S. as of late. You have to think that when (yes when because I have hope) marriage is equal for everyone, we’re all going to rejoice but… we’re also human, yes? What happens when a happily married gay couple fall out of love? Or hell, what if a happy gay couple doesn’t even want to get married? I would imagine that it’d be similar to the feeling a woman may have gotten after the Women’s Rights Movement: what if she wants to stay at home and not go out and work? Is she somehow insulting the battle for equality?
If Brady and Cheeks were to get divorced, would the gay community shun them? Would conservatives point the finger and say, “See! Look at that! They can’t appreciate what marriage is after all!”
But, sadly, none of this is in the first two volumes of the comics. I hope it somehow comes up in later volumes, but I’m not sure how it would since nothing of the sort was mentioned in the introduction. In fact, in the first couple of pages, you really have no idea that this was a sudden marriage. I only know that from the description about the comics.
So what exactly is in the first two volumes?
The comics start at the point of Las Vegas. The accidental marriage has already happened and the two men are lavishing in their gifts with their “tiny, drunken friend.” One particular gift throws them into a world where superheroes are real and fairy tales can absolutely come true. It’s not that I’m against this plot point – the stories are rather amusing – but I would’ve loved to see the main plot from the series incorporated into the comics more.
The first issue entitled, “Drawn In,” puts the newlyweds in the setting of an old style 1930s superhero comic, complete with a “copacetic” dialect and clothing to match. One lover plays the good-natured hero, the other the somewhat evil villain who seems to have a weakness for attractive good guys who have shiny new ships that can stop meteors from crashing into the Earth. The style of humor starts to show itself right off the bat. The narrator likes to break the fourth wall, saying things like “many panels later” to get the story moving along. The characters are amusing together, not just the two lovers with each other, but when they interact with their friend in each of the worlds. One thing I especially like — which is also something the second issue does — is that there’s no struggle about the characters being gay. Being a long time boy’s love reader, I prepared myself for a montage of, “He’s interested in me? But we’re both men,” which is a formula that can be a tad bit overdone in the boy’s love realm. In “Husbands” their friend will comment about one of the guys being “snazzy” and how the other is definitely checking him out. The two men also state their attraction for one another with no concerns of, “Does this mean I’m gay?”
The second issue entitled, “The Well-Intentioned-But-Oblivious-Prince And The Justifiably Belligerent Peasant Or Equally Ever After,” is where the story changes from superhero to fairytale — and that is a mouthful of a title. This issue is what sold me on the series. The first issue was pretty funny, but this one is absolutely hilarious. Prince Charming is trying to save the lowly peasant, but the peasant questions, “Don’t you think I’m capable of saving myself?” This blows the seme and uke stereotypes I had become accustomed to out of the water. Even if this peasant seems to be a “damsel in distress,” he is a man, and a man would want to get out of the situation himself. As he says, “I bet it feels good to feel strong and clever and useful,” to which the prince agrees, “It does give a man a sense of purpose.” When the peasant clears his throat the prince realizes, “Oh… right.” This volume is also full of the fourth wall breaking narrator, but the characters also break a few walls themselves, talking to the narrator as if he’s in the next room.
In Summary
Despite the comics not touching on the core of the sitcom plot, the stories themselves are amusing the read. The art is nice, the characters are likeable, and it’s interesting to see the stereotypes I had gotten so use to in the boy’s love realm be turned upside down. Since the entire story is taking the characters and throwing them into different genres, by the time you hit the second volume you’re hoping that they keep this going for every book genre out there. The only downside is that the volumes feel like they end too quickly. You get so involved with the world the characters are in that you want it to be longer than twelve pages. And I think that they could be longer, honestly. There could be more development of the worlds the characters are tossed into. There could also be more development between the characters — particularly the “tiny drunk friend” who really only appears for one or two pages. Then again, the volumes are only twelve pages, so with that in mind she actually does appear quite a bit. Though if I think about it for a moment, the quick romances between the characters match with how quickly the two had gotten married in the beginning.
Hopefully, future volumes will be longer and our two lovers and their friend will create a memorable series of comics. As it stands, the books are fun to read, but at some point I’ll want more substance in my humor. For now, “Husbands” has great potential and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Grade: B
