GC Review #2: Bigger Than Cheeses

hustlertwo

Bigger Than Cheeses Review (posted 5/5/05)

This comic seemed quite popular, so I started reading the archive. And at first, it was pretty bad, and I'm not just talking about the art. I mean, the basic formula was to bring out a famous person (or on some occasions a regular person), and then do violent and socially unacceptable things to them. Funny at first, but not exactly the recipe for a lasting comic. The introduction of a rock to the cast to make fun of the wecomic staple of a "mascot" character provided a few laughs, though it was really little more than a gimmick that was used too many times over the strip's history.

But around 100-150 strips in, it got better, as the author decided to develop his characters into more than simple murder machines. Granted, they still aren't what I'd call multi-dimensional, but they have a good deal more depth to them than one would have expected from the first hundred strips or so. It was the beginning of the Drag-On BTC storyline that really cemented the strip's progress from mindless carnage to.....carnage with humor! Yes, BTC never has truly departed from its original premise of blood for the masses, but then, that's not necessarily a bad thing. What is most important is that the violence is performed with a good sense of timing and a keen eye for comedy, which this strip now has more often than not. However, it does still suffer from a frequent overuse of notes and asides in each strip, pointing out things to the reader that were pretty much evident anyhow. A minor issue, but still something that can ruin a potentially funny strip.

In short, when BTC is 'on', it provides some excellent lowbrow humor, making up for its lack of subtlety with a healthy dose of guttural pleasure. But when it's 'off', all it will elicit is a groan and a roll of the eyes. It is still a strip worth reading, provided you aren't afraid of rampant political incorrectness (and if you are, I advise you to stay away from the Internet period) and a heaping helping of gore.

Original rating: 7

Re-review from 5/3/06

Next is Bigger Than Cheeses. In the first review I called it a lowbrow delight with the occasional misstep, worthy of attention as long as you weren't afraid of a little politically incorrect and often brutal comedy. And it still delivers. However, I'd have to say that it's become somewhat more consistent over the past year, the primary complaint I had with it before. In particular, the Batman vs. Superman series was excellent. As such, I've decided to bump this comic up a point; it's really become one of my more enjoyable regular reads, and I still love how the comic's frequent steps over the line of 'decency' aren't just done for cheap laughs, but are almost always genuinely funny.

Total number of strips since the original review: 80

Current rating: 8

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