JIMMY'S ELBOW

The exciting adventures of a boy and his talking elbow.

Taking a daffy premise and running with it in notably surreal directions, Kochalka’s episodic comic features a very serious boy (“I wear a tie. See?”), an elbow that develops a mind of its own following a painful bump, breakfast cereal superhero Soupy Boy Action Man, and a toy truck that is evil…or maybe not. “I’m more like the true ESSENCE of your elbow,” explains the disembodied joint, floating in front of the bewildered lad’s face. “My punches are action packed. America is so proud of me,” boasts the plastic action figure. “HONK HONK,” beeps the truck enigmatically. A few freakouts at home and school, followed by a quick dive into the Backpack of Solitude to escape a visit with the principal, lead the bendy lad into and out of escalating calamities culminating in a multi-joint surprise ending. If Jimmy’s grave observation that “every boy needs an elbow” seems at first glance to be the takeaway, readers primed for nothing but laffs may be in for a surprise, as the author folds quick takes on “silly” vs. “serious”—not to mention life, death, spiritual apotheosis, and what it means to be “made in America”—into the manic proceedings. Jimmy, his elbow, and his action figure (“Made in Hong Kong. But I’m 100% American now”) are pink-skinned.

Hits smack on the funny bone.