I always get a little wary when I see a comic book with quotes on the main cover. Usually it means that the book sucks and it needs a little extra to make the robots in the sales department happy. Usually quotes are from other comic creators or artists with standard thesaurus adjectives and basic action directives. Sometimes the comic will live up to the quotes, most of the time they don’t. Look, you’re not gonna see quotes on a Batman or Spiderman comic. Their covers are like ‘Eff you homie, we Bats and Spidey, you buyin’ us whether you know it or not’.Yeah, Matt Fraction isn’t dropping a quote on the Bats title ‘A Dark Thrill Ride that’ll make you cream your Bat Panties in therapy!’.
So I was a bit taken aback when I saw a quote on Pearl, an outstanding series by a creative team that has been clicking on all cylinders ever since the first issue of this great Yakuza gang story dropped. Why do they need a quote? Are their sales dropping? Wait, it’s not a quote from Chip Zdarsky or Becky Cloonan or an exiled Brian Wood it’s a quote by…Kareem Abdul Jabbar???
“The best [graphic novel] I’ve read so far this year – and one of the best I’ve read in a long time” – Kareem
What??? Since when does Kareem read comics or graphic novels? Wait, why is ‘graphic novel’ in brackets? Was he at a cocktail party in LA and Bendis rumbled up to him all sweaty and boozed up and said “Hey Cap, didya get my thingy I sent you, Yakuza from the Booza” and then he gave that quote but said dirt rag or toilet material or Chinese propaganda and then Bendis went home and said ‘Ahh, he meant graphic novel’
Since watching the really good not great HBO Max ‘Showtime’ series I have a negative view of Kareem, especially if that whole ‘Magic brought him fresh squeezed OJ as a rookie every day’ story is true. Did you watch the show? Well the deal was as a rookie you had to squeeze fresh orange juice and bring Cap the paper first thing in the morning and every morning Kareem would answer the door, taste the OJ and say ‘Not good enough’ take the paper and slam the door on the rookie. Maybe Bendis had to do that with his graphic novels. Maybe he was bringing him Daredevil and Powers and Joy Operation to his swank Bel Air abode every morning until finally Kareem, weary of this sweaty bald comic scribe, obliged with a quote.
Thing is, why even bother? This series is bonafide great, like one of the top comics out there right now. If you haven’t picked up the two previous story arcs I highly recommend them. For some reason the first two were at Image and this one is at Dark Horse. Perhaps Bendis made some unreasonable demands on Image. Courtside Laker tix? Full size Walking Dead cyborgs? Robert Kirkman being his wingman at Burning Man? Who knows. Regardless, the story has gotten better and better and I’m hooked. Michael Gaydos’ multimedia painting approach is a feast for the eyes and his splash page in this issue with Pearl in a Tarantinoesque Jackson Pollock display is gallery worthy.
If you like your new Yakuza Boss with a splash of petite albino bad ass and a side of Jewy best friend and a goofball tat artist boyfriend then you must check out Pearl.
Is that my quote? I think so. Y’all can use it. Actually, I like my chocolate chip cookies fresh out the oven in the morning with an organic low acid single origin coffee. Get to it Bendis! I wake up early to walk the doggie so I expect you here when I get back. And bring Maleev. I’ll want him to draw a poster size picture of Elektra sitting on my lap while I read my comics, then I’ll let you have my quote.
Rating: 9.1
Verdict: Pull
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