A review by brnineworms
Mr. Boop by Alec Robbins

dark emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

“Something’s screwy...”

Alec Robbins, as the author/artist, gets to decide what everyone else thinks, feels, and does. Existing as a character within the fiction means he can not only conjure and control the other characters, but he can also control the relationships they have with him.

I think fans often overstate the commentary on intellectual property – it’s gestured at, but I don’t think the blurb is quite accurate when it describes the comic as giving “a middle finger to corporate IP.” I mean, sure, it makes you think; how can a character be owned the same way a logo is owned without being reduced to a lifeless and unchanging image, an icon? But Mr Boop doesn’t really go down that philosophical route, at least not primarily. Alec being sued is more threatening to him than it is to Betty, because he realises he can’t control her any more and he starts to spiral. I suppose you could interpret this as some commentary on fan entitlement but I think that would be too literal, taking the pop culture imagery at face value. It’s not about copyright, it’s about controlling relationships. At least, that’s how I read it.

“You’re living in a fantasy world, Alec.”

When Alec meets the ostensibly real Liz, he turns her into what he wants.

I also want to note how his solution to almost every problem is sex. It’s comedic, yes, but it’s also quite revealing. If all you have is a hammer, everyone gets nailed – that’s the level Alec is operating on. It’s like he simply cannot imagine a different mode. All he cares about, all he wants, is sex with Betty Boop.

But is this all imaginary? To what extent do the non-Alec characters in this comic have agency (within the fiction)? To what extent are they people? Maybe this is just a comic about a guy writing a comic. Layers!

Surprisingly complex postmodern comedy/tragedy/horror depending on how you want to look at it.

CONTENT WARNINGS:

sexual content, abuse, obsessiveness, depression, suicidality, death threats, gun violence, dereality