Slapstick #4 Review: When The Shih Tzus Hit The Fan, The War D.O.G.S. Come Out To Play!


You might think you've seen it all within the pages of Slapstick, but nothing can compare to the maniacal forces of household objects imbued with anthropomorphism! This isn't a Sorcerer's Apprentice-type situation with brooms, however, and Slapstick definitely isn't Mickey Mouse. The objects are slightly more, shall we say, colorful.

I dare you to not read that in Mickey Mouse's voice.
Yup, this issue of Slapstick features the filthiest anthropomorphized beings this side of your average Pearls Before Swine comic strip. Okay, so I partially cheated, seeing as that foul-mouthed coffee cup actually appeared near the end of Slapstick #3, but I wanted to share the glorious hilarity with all of you. What do these newly-sentient creations have in mind? Some want rebellion against their tyrannical human overlords, like the Mother's Day-themed episode of Futurama. Others just want to cause chaos and experience newfound "sensations."

I take my earlier statement back, Pearls Before Swine wouldn't be able to get away with this.
Fortunately, Slapstick and Mike gain some assistance with stopping the toonified objects in the form of the War D.O.G.S.! The comic has parodied the action hero and fantasy creature genres in past issues, now it's time for war cartoons to get their turn. G.I. Joe has nothing in these guys. Skratch, a similar clan of cats, and the War D.O.G.S. essentially operate as a military squadron, complete with all the nasty real-life effects of war. Insert your own Saving Private Ryan joke here, I've never actually seen it.
...I didn't expect Reilly Brown and Fred Van Lente to get that dark. Yeah, I'm going to go hug my dog. Be back later!
All in all, it's a really great issue and the prospect of seeing what Dimension Echh looks like intrigues me. Will it be filled with killer clowns or something a bit weirder? Who knows, maybe it's actually filled with the characters from Marvel's  Not Brand Echh! We'll find out soon.

Slapstick #4 is written by Reilly Brown and Fred Van Lente, storyboarded by Reilly Brown, drawn by Diego Orlotegui, colored by Jim Campbell, and lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.