Die Homer Vol I by Tyler J Hutchison

LIKE the mini comic equivalent of a  punk cover version, Tyler Hutchison's Die Homer Vol I is a balls-to-the-wall tribute to a cult classic, in equal parts homage and parody, and 40 stories high, with suspense, excitement and adventure in every panel. 

I don't honestly know how anyone walks past Hutchison's table at comic cons and doesn't stop to inspect the book's cover - rendered on excellent high-quality waxy paper stock that perfectly accentuates the pastel tones used to highlight the surreal image of Springfield's finest taking on the Bruce Willis role for this action-packed anarchic roller coaster.

Die Homer is bold, brilliant and ballsy cartooning with a punk ethos that echoes the grand traditions of the groundbreaking US underground comics scenes of the 60s and 70s, of Crumb, of Shelton and perhaps even a little bit of Harvey Kurtzmann's MAD.

Hutchison doesn't rest on his laurels over his title gag either, instead assaulting us throughout his retelling of this iconic action movie, giving us Marge Simpson as John McClane's estranged wife Holly, Garfield as her cocaine-obsessed colleague Ellis, Sonic the Hedgehog as Argyle the limo driver, a Moomin, Gonzo, Skeletor, Scrooge McDuck and a whole flock of Angry Birds. 

Hutchison wields attention to his source material like a bloody axe, honing in on the scenes he knows will make his version pop and mercilessly cutting the dross where he needs to.

Having said that, Die Homer is remarkably faithful to the original, choosing to inject it's surreal edge by the briefest of asides or just through the sheer wonder of watching popular animated characters reeling off the film's dialogue and negotiating it's scenes. 

The familiarity of the narrative does mean Hutchison effectively challenges himself to make his artwork his calling card, and at that he succeeds in spades, choosing a rough, sketchy style, giving his pages the feel of storyboards, adding to the cinematic feel of the story and at the same time giving his characters the fluidity to move at the pace of the script.

Hutchison is a hugely talented cartoonist who knows how to make his cast act, and even here where other artists might have allowed the heady mix of the book's central conceit and the familiar designs to carry the workload, he forces his characters to inhabit every scene, filling them with emotions and motivations that shouldn't be possibly in such limited conditions.

When Mr Takagi/ Scrooge McDuck is threatened at gunpoint by an Angry Bird/ Pig/ Gruber, Hutchison neatly translates the 1988 original's celluloid tension into three panels and a splash (no pun intended) sequence that knows and respects it's own medium well enough to carry off the moment with its own unique and brutal pace.

Die Homer sneaks under the radar in a way only the small press can and when I talked to Hutchison at Thought Bubble he joked about finding a publisher brave enough to risk printing a collection.

On the basis that he might very well not, you should endeavour to relieve him of one of the copies he already has ready and waiting. 

But hurry up, because it's almost Christmas Eve in LA and the party action's about to explode ... On the fortieth floor.

You can buy Die Homer Vol I at https://gumroad.com/tylerjhutchison or alternatively look for Hutchison on Twitter @tylerjhutchison or on Tumblr at tylerjhutchison.tumblr.com.