The Leg: Or, the Remarkable Return of the Disembodied Limb of Santa Anna
Writer: Van Jensen
Art: Jose Pimienta
Spoiler-free Review by Scott Keys
I’m sure we’ve all read some strange things in our day, but have you ever read a story where the protagonist is the sentient, disembodied leg? No? Do I have your attention then? Good!
Since this is a pre-release review, I don’t want to spoil anything for you, otherwise, you’d have no reason to support this book. I will, however, tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Jensen and Pimienta take us on a journey across Mexico during the Great Depression, following this disembodied leg of Santa Anna. It’s hard to imagine an inanimate object could have such a range of emotion, but the writer and artist do an excellent job of giving our “hero” his motivation, trials and tribulations, and even friendship along the way.
Jensen does a fantastic job of weaving in Mexican folklore and history into this fantastical story, and telling a great modern hero tale to boot (sorry, I couldn’t resist!). And boy, is this book beautiful! The art is reminiscent of the old Spaghetti Westerns, with excellent utilization of color and layout to evoke whatever emotion Pimienta wants you to feel. Jensen and Pimienta are an amazing team! I wouldn’t have thought that a 180 page story about a leg could have been so entertaining and beautifully done, but this team pulls it off, and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to read it!
The Leg will be a self-published graphic novel, using Kickstarter to raise funds for printing and distribution. The campaign “kicks” off 5/5/14, Cinco de Mayo, the holiday that marks Mexico’s military triumph over France. Do yourself a favor and check out the Kickstarter and give these guys a hand, or disembodied leg 😉
You can go directly to the Kickstarter using the link right here.
Art: 5 / 5
Story: 4.5 / 5
Overall: 4.5 / 5
Scott Keys is a father, Butler University grad, pharmacist, and full-time comic nerd. You can follow his adventures around the spinner-rack and his Incoherent Comic Book Ramblings on:
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