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Sam Henderson Reviews
January 2, 1998
Comics
Buyer's Guide #1259
Publishers' Picks
Bahls: This series of vignettes was sheer delight. Sam Henderson takes everyday events and twists them, leading to a hilarious punchline. I had several chuckles over these strips, and anyone with a friend or relative owning one (or more) of those virtual pets will empathize with the characters. Henderson is a genius. Hir ribald humor may not appeal to all, but I strongly recommend The Magic Whistle. Grade: A+
Aune: Magic Whistle is quirky little look at life. I found Magic Whistle to be unimaginative, pointless, and devoid of any humor that made me even come close to cracking a smile. The art, if you can call it that, looks to be that of an elementary school student doodling in his folder. I hope the first completed issue will be better, but for right now I will have to give this title an F.
Bennett: I read the hype provided by Alternative Press, which says, in effect, that Magic Whistle is six shades of great and creator Sam Henderson is the next big thing. Maybe it's just me, but I found the whole thing banal, obvious, and not a bit funny. Grade D.
Mateer: Sam Henderson draws in the same way Bob Dylan sings: There's not a lot of technical talent there, but he makes up for it with passion, intelligence, and humor. This collection of (mostly) one-page gag strips varies wildly in quality but hits often enough to make it worth a lok (out of eight sample strips, I laughed twice, which for me is a good percentage). Henderson's done a number of mini-comics, and this kind of rude, rowdy work often looks better in that cheap knock-off format than it does when you've just paid $3 for it. Even so, search this one out at your local comics shop and give it a try. If you read two or three strips and laugh at least once, buy it. Grade C+
Lawton: Although his work in Flintstones, Jetsons, and Nickelodeon may belie it, Sam Henderson has a pretty crude streak within him. An apparent fixation on the butocks is established with the samples provided by Alternative Press, but this is nothing to be concerned about, because, even in the PC '90s, crudeness (and buttocks) remain funny. So if jokes about vibrating virtual boyfriends and butt-measurers clubs sound good to you, well — welcome to 1998. Grade: A.