Shirtless Bear-Fighter Volume 1

LIBRARY JOURNAL -- This gloriously goofy action epic from former Marvel editors Leheup and Girner and rising artist Vendrell introduces a new kind of hero in the form of the titular hirsute macho man. Raised by a race of civilized bears until a tragedy saw him eschew society and embrace a solitary life of bear slaughter in the woods, Shirtless Bear-Fighter is the only one capable of saving the day when an evil industrialist with an army of bears at his disposal launches attacks upon cities across the United States. Before long, our hero himself is in the middle of a vast conspiracy with ties to his own tragic origins. Collecting the entire five single issues of the series, this volume is about as silly as it sounds. And while the humor works a tad better when it veers more absurd and less scatological (and it does get fairly scatological), it's a total blast to spend some time in this very strange, bizarrely well-developed world. VERDICT Featuring almost as many jokes as Shirtless Bear-Fighter has hairs in his thick, inky black beard and an admirable devotion to a ridiculous concept, this title has the exact right energy to garner a huge following.-TB