Review: HaHa #5
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher:Â Image Comics
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist:Â Gabriel Walta
Letters: Good Old Neon
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“God Almighty. Where did the life I know run off to?” – Pound Foolish
HAHA #5 – “POUND FOOLISH MAKES A CASSEROLE”
Every house is a haunted house, from the kitchen to the attic. This funny-haha anthology of dejected jesters takes a trip to the grocery store, with art by Eisner winner GABRIEL WALTA.
With issues drawn by VANESA DEL REY (REDLANDS), GABRIEL WALTA (Vision), ROGER LANGRIDGE (Thor), and more, HAHA peeks under the big top, over the rainbow, and even inside a balloon to tell a wide-ranging slew of stories about “funny” men and women, proving that some things are so sad you just have to laugh.
Positives
W. Maxwell Prince breaks out of the Joker/Ronald McDonald/Pennywise mode and really provides a great “Golden Girl” tint to this particular issue.
Pound Foolish is a great character exploration about the older lady in the neighborhood that complains about EVERYTHING. And to her credit…she is pretty much right. High prices, people’s actions, the life she used to lead…all of these are valid concerns in the geriatric community and Prince shines an appropriate light on this!
However, her attitude towards a neighbor shines a mental health issue as well on the people that feel either ostracized or are anti-social. Pair that with her being odd lady with the supposedly haunted house and a group of kids up to mischief, it is a perfect recipe for a great story!
This is the best tale that the HAHA series has generated. I shall not give away any spoilers, but I literally had a tear in my eye at the end of this particular story as how poignant it was. How as we age, we do yearn for what we did for a living and how our passions run deep. And how we simply just want some company when we are older…to relive the good times…to pass on our passions to others.
Negatives
This is my first review of HAHA where I’ve got no hint of a negative whiff of anything. In fact, I now want to cook a cauliflower casserole. The trophy that was provided to the young man…does it look like Pennywise? Sure… but this story was a perfect light to shine on mental health, loneliness, and all things that we need to address when we age!
Verdict
While this is a series of six issues, the only ones I would invest in is #3 and this one, #5, thus far! Here is hoping that #6 that is coming up is half as good as this one! If you have an extra dollar in your budget, you need to read this one! Especially if you have an older parent or grandparent still around! Sigh….. great story!
