COMIC: Charlie C. Chatterbee: World's 1st Educated Puppet

Title: Charlie C. Chatterbee: World's 1st Educated Puppet
Author: Peter Klockau
Publisher: Self-Published / On The Market

Review: (Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel I must tell you that artist and writer Peter Klockau and I are good friends. Obviously, this creates a natural bias that most journalists would look down upon. Luckily, my editor is a real stand-up guy and has allowed this review to be published. I understand if you stop reading this review based on my friendship with the subject, but it will be your loss. With all of this knowledge out on the table, I have tried to be as objective and critical of my good friend's work as I can. Besides, if Pete can't take a few jabs from his good friend, he should think about covering the tab more often when we go out (I'm kidding... I can't be bought with beer... not with the amount bought on his salary anyway...which is why someone should publish Pete now).)

Peter Klockau's work is primarily self-published. A few of his illustrations have been used in tour ads for bands signed to Bloodshot Records as well as others. Most recently, his work was seen on windows and bulletin boards around Chicago advertising Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots' show at the South Union Arts Center. While relatively unknown, Peter's use of mature moods contrasted with a cartoon style is unmistakable and is sure to become a part of the visual lexicon of band-flyer scholars and comics aficionados everywhere.

Though not his first self-published comic, Charlie Chatterbee has taken Klockau's storytelling to a level higher than most widely published comic writers achieve in their first major work. His previous work can be seen on the daily comics blog over at peteklockau.blogspot.com. Though his style and ability to portray accurate facial expressions via anthropomorphic bears and hairballs is apparent from this early work, the story telling is jagged and rushed.

Chatterbee is the story of what Klockau calls an "educated puppet." The protagonist is an out of work and out of place ventriloquist doll named Charlie who once was a popular stage attraction shortly after the end of the first world war. After a national depression, another world war and the advent of America's favorite pastime (television), the public didn't have much enthusiasm for Charlie and his ilk anymore. Unfortunately for Charlie C. Chatterbee, World's First Educated Puppet, live theater is all he and his handler, Mickey, knew. The two of them kept up the act for rapidly shrinking crowds until Mickey finally passed away and Charlie fell into a great depression of his own. Along with a few other vaudeville sidekicks (A magician's rabbit named Lester and a boa constrictor named Humphrey), Charlie spends his days lounging around an old boarded up theater that is all but forgotten to the rapidly evolving world outside. It is unusual for a comic only twenty pages in length to serve as an exposition, a comment on society and an entertaining story all in one go. Klockau, however, manages to find an adequate pace for all of these ideas without anything feeling rushed.

Chatterbee, with all of its cuteness and anthropomorphism, could easily be dismissed as a children's story upon first glance, but Chatterbee's mannerisms and habits don't allow for this pigeonholing. Not only does a smoking ventriloquist doll send a negative message to children, but one stray spark could be the end for the wooden protagonist. Beyond these superficial, yet integral, aspects of the character's personality lay far more complex themes that could each be examined at length in future issues. From the anxieties of a changing world and the unstoppable acceleration of the mediascape to the theme of taking control of one's own destiny, Chatterbee could turn out to be an engaging and imaginative morality tale told through the comics medium. The most satisfying issue dealt with in this book, however, is how someone goes about finding their own voice. Bereft of the old showman, Mickey, Chatterbee must speak for himself. The ventriloquist doll must speak for himself. This is a dangerous setup that Klockau has penned for himself and his characters, but it is one that the reader cannot help but want to explore. This story could easily drift into heavy-handed and shallow allegory, but if Chatterbee is meant to appeal to adults and educated poppets alike, the fine line it so deftly balances atop needs to be maintained.

Character exposition is quick and heavy during the latter part of the book. While Chatterbee's character is only exposed through his own inner monologue, Lester and Humphrey give away much of themselves through snappy dialogue. I was left, appropriately, wanting to learn more about Chatterbee, but almost bored with the comic relief of his two sidekicks. Though they are well placed to serve as a counterpoint to Chatterbee's silent brooding, I found myself hoping that future antics are more subdued. Perhaps I felt this way because of the comic's abrupt ending. Though the cliffhanger ending is appropriate and the second-to-last page is a masterpiece in itself, I felt that as a first issue, the book ended with a cliffhanger feeling that belongs closer to the "third act."

Told primarily through era-appropriate first-person colloquial voiceover through Charlie, none of the panels or pages are cluttered with text. Instead, Klockau knows exactly when to let his heavy-lined drawings do the talking. with stark black and white depictions of each character and setting, just as much of the story is intimated through images as it is through words. Despite the use of voiceover, Klockau knows that comics are not simply novels with pictures or films with print. It is rare that such an early work is aware of its place in the media landscape. From this foundation, Klockau's future work is more than likely going to push boundaries rather than bounce around aimlessly inside of them as most modern independent comics do.

Anyone with a taste for intelligent, yet fun, comic book literature should keep an eye on the shelves for Klockau's work. In the meantime, you can check out his daily comics blog or other illustration work through the links below.

Rating: 4 / 5

Peter Klockau's Daily Comic Blog: LINK
Klockau Illustration: LINK