Legs, by Sam Kieth

(pb; 1999: one-shot comic book, published by Image Comics)


Review:

Plot: A tween boy discovers a mutant vehicle creature in a ghost town, a car engine-eseque animal whose personal limitations, mysterious diet and personality are the heart of this auto-minded coming of age tale.

Sam Kieth has once again penned and illustrated a distinctive work that merges the familiar and the Kiethesque odd. The moral/life lessons of this comic are straightforward, the artwork is stunning, and the tale is heartfelt without becoming bathetic.

Legs's denouement may be too 'non-Hollywood ending' for some readers whose sensibilities have been overlaid by the cinematic Dream Factory, but I appreciated its organic and tale-appropriate finish, which is wise and gentle.

Worth owning, this - as is any work Kieth creates: this man is one of the most original writers/artists I've read.