Art Brut, Vol. 1

Art Brut #1-4

by W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo (Artist), Mat Lopes (Artist)

“A fantastically imaginative take on 60s adventure comics, but with their own special twist set in the weird world of art galleries.” —Monkeys Fighting Robots Presenting here the first major work from the creative minds behind ICE CREAM MAN—re-lettered, remastered, and under its original intended name! The world of fine art is falling apart, and only ART BRUT knows how to fix it. Alongside the Bureau of Artistic Integrity, Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter (and his trusty sidekick, Manny the Mannequin) must dive back into the very paintings that made him insane…or reality itself might just crumble to pieces. A colorful, gonzo romp through art and art history, ART BRUT is equal parts police procedural, hyper-fantasy, and psychological thriller—a veritable Pollock-splatter of comics genres tossed onto one giant pulpy canvas! Each chapter features new cover art, new design, and a new Silver Age-style backup story featuring the art hero that no one’s ever heard of—until now! Originally published under the title The Electric Sublime, this special hardcover edition presents the NPR-lauded, critically acclaimed material in its intended form. Collects ART BRUT #1-4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Art, Fantasy, Comic Book, Horror, Crime

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2023

About the author

W. Maxwell Prince writes in Brooklyn and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats called Mischief and Mayhem. He is the author of One Week in the Library, The Electric Sublime, and Judas: The Last Days. When not writing, he tries to render all of human experience in chart form.

Reviews

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Art Brut: The Winking Woman" well known masterpieces begin to change their appearance and chaos and death soon follows. Dream Painter Arthur Brut is extracted from an asylum and sent to investigate. What follows is a near hallucinogenic experience as Arthur's investigation takes him, his 10 foot tall mannequin sidekick and a newly credulous Fed to the land behind the canvas where art is alive and the normal laws of physics do not necessarily apply. This is a well done and suspenseful book, but it is unnecessarily dark and violent for the story material.

Some readers will notice similarities with the "Art Ops" series by Shaun Simon and Mike Allred, which came out at about the same time as this book. The major difference between the two is that, whereas Art Ops maintains a sense of whimsy and is over all hopeful, this book is darker and more focused on the mayhem at hand.

Readers who like whacky and off the wall plot devices and are comfortable with metafiction and darker narratives should give this one a try. Otherwise, try "Art Ops".

[Alex Sarll]

Some years ago, I worked on an Image comic with the founder and mainstay of classic rock band Art Brut. It did not, let us say, set the world alight. Which you should probably bear in mind for what follows.

A few years later, Image released a Brubaker/Phillips graphic novel called Bad Weekend. Which is also the title of an early Art Brut song, so yes, obviously I wrote my review as alternate lyrics for the song, but at the same time, it's an obvious enough pairing of words, isn't it? One can grump, while knowing the grump is probably unfair.

Here, though, the team behind patchy horror series Ice Cream Man have launched an Image comic whose title is Art Brut, whose lead is also called Art Brut (short for Arthur), and where the lead's power consists largely of being able to put his head down and RUN at paintings, as in Art Brut the band's anthem Modern Art. Which...I mean, there's a thin line between homage and just taking the piss, isn't there? Despite which, I might be more willing to engage charitably with this if the whole set-up (the Mona Lisa is suddenly winking! Drawings that kill! Only the Bureau of Artistic Integrity can save the day!) didn't itself feel like it was again leaning very heavily on an underappreciated original, this time one of the last good Vertigo series, Art Ops. Which had the benefit of Mike bloody Allred on art, whose versatility is only becoming more apparent with the years, as against these endless pinched Morazzo faces.

Also, though admittedly this could be intended as an error on a character's part, there's a reference to that well-known central London location "Piccadilly Square".

So yeah. Quite annoyed by this one, really. Although if you rate Ice Cream Man more highly than I do (which goes for many people), and were never a fan of Art Brut the band nor the comic Art Ops (which covers even more people), then who knows, you might quite enjoy this.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Matthew Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took a flyer on this one because I’m a fan of the creative team on Ice Cream Man. I didn’t enjoy this one at all. I felt like I jumped into the middle of a story and the fact that that isn’t the case with this book is problematic.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This creative team is one that I will continue to follow. Even though Art Brut was lacking in story, I still found the artistry and concept for this series to be wholly refreshing compared to most of what is on the store shelves these days. In that sense, the artistic duo behind Ice Cream Man has once again shown their originality…. I just wish they had been given more space to expand Art Brut’s universe beyond this “History of Visual Arts 101” introduction.

Could have aimed higher.
3.5/5

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

ART BRUT the graphic novel merits some comparison to ART BRUT the former art-punk rock band, which came first. The band had a loyal following which adored them while equal numbers deplored them. I was somewhere in that middle ground, appreciating the quirkiness and differences in their musical approach (mostly the song subjects and lyrics) and a singer that enunciated lines in an offhand way as well as shouted/recited as much as he sang. ART BRUT the band also made me laugh at the ridiculous nature of some of their songs, elevating issues of maturation that would seem to be more mundane and of less life importance. I enjoyed ART BRUT the graphic novel for pretty much the same reasons. For me, both are pleasant diversions - - but in the bigger picture, no big deal.

ART BRUT the graphic novel has received much critical acclaim, perhaps because of how different it is from the normal comics fare, but also because of the possible underlying commentary on the nature of art and its' affect on modern culture/life. I'm not totally buying into that. Maybe this just provided an interesting subject/theme for the creators to play around with. This is a fast-paced, page-turner of a novel that spans several genres and presents it's storyline in a kooky way that is thoroughly enhanced by the equally quirky art. The creative team is a good partnership. I gave this a Four Star rating because it's different enough that it deserves more attention.

I like the two premises presented here, and both remind me of other works. The ability to walk into a piece of art and immerse yourself in that world is a neat concept, and Prince chooses some cool classic landscapes and portraits to have madcap Arthur stride into. There was a long-ago DOOM PATROL comic book story by Grant Morrison that had the team enter into a painting. I also like the paranormal ability of some characters to draw a dramatic scene/incident and have it matched in the real world. That reminds me of DUMA KEY, Stephen King's 2008 novel.

Good stuff, and I'll probably give ART BRUT a second spin just to see what I might have missed on the first listening, I mean viewing.

[Aaron Esthelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I expected more since this team covered some deep subjects in ice cream man and Haha sad clown stories, this book still was fun. It didn't quite hit any depths but the art was killer and the story was lighthearted fun. Nothing really to complain about

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/24/2023 4.5 stars? Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

9/26/2023 with colors by Mat Lopes, backup colors by Chris O'Halloran, and letters & design by Good Old Neon.

This is easily one of the most intelligently artistic graphic novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading. You don't have to be an art history major to enjoy this book but a passing familiarity with the most famous artworks of our time does help, especially if you want to spot all the art references and in-jokes our creators make along the way. And oof, some of the design choices on the interstitials are just luscious. I love how this goes from fine art to modern comic to pop art parody and back, all in a matter of (absolutely gorgeous) pages.

And that's just the visuals! Once you get into this surreal but intensely thought-provoking, if not outright moving, story, it's impossible to put down. The title Art Brut isn't just a reference to the notion of outsider art, as opposed to the high-minded academic institution of fine art. It's also the name of the Dreampainter, a consultant used by the Bureau of Artistic Integrity to help solve their most bizarre cases.

BAI's new Director Margot Breslin certainly knows it's time to call in the big guns when the Mona Lisa suddenly appears to have one eye closed. No one has come in to the Louvre to paint over Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece: one moment she was as usual, the next she was winking. If that was the only issue, Breslin would probably leave Art to keep painting in his padded cell. But a rash of gruesome deaths has broken out worldwide that all seem to be linked to the changed Mona Lisa. The strange and possibly demented Art may very well be the only person capable of preventing more carnage. With the help of his artist's mannequin, imaginatively named Manny, Art agrees to leave the safety of his sanatorium to help Breslin figure out what's going on.

A trip to the Louvre to see the Winking Woman in person is soon disrupted by a gang of paint-splattered, pistol-wielding goons, led by an Andy Warhol lookalike with a flamethrower. Art helps Breslin escape, plunging her headfirst into his madness as the duo races against time to stop art criminals intent on mass murder and other crimes against humanity.

Gosh, I'm not smart enough to explain all the deeply philosophical underpinnings of this perfect meld of art theory with crime thriller, but if you have even the slightest interest in either of those topics, I can't recommend this amazing graphic novel enough. It is smart and painful and grotesque and, like any good work of art, makes you think and question and feel. It's an utterly brilliant critique of famous art told via the lens of a murder mystery, in possibly the only medium that could encompass all this. I loved it and am absolutely panting for the next volume!

Art Brut, Vol 1: The Winking Woman by W. Maxwell Prince & Martín Morazzo was published August 29 2023 by Image Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world’s greatest artistic masterpieces are being defaced: the Mona Lisa is suddenly winking, the Scream is silenced, and Hopper’s Nighthawks cafe is blowed up! A demented Andy Warhol is seen at the scene of each vandalism. Who you gonna call? Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter and his wooden mannequin sidekick Manny!

Can the creative team behind the horror anthology series Ice Cream Man do long-form comics? Actually, yeah. Art Brut, Volume 1: The Winking Woman isn’t bad.

The best part of the book, appropriately enough for a book about art, is Martin Morazzo’s art which is always really attractively drawn anyway but especially so here. The years of illustrating horror pays off as the pages convey a strong sense of menace, with varying degrees of subtlety, throughout.

W. Maxwell Prince’s script is breezy and playful, with one compelling set piece after another. The action is fast-moving and the comic is often fun. Writing a high-concept story in this way comes at a cost though: with too much left unexplained, the narrative feels too light and meaningless. It’s the same problem in stories about magic - if you don’t explain its limitations, then anything can happen as no actions carry any weight and the reader doesn’t care about anything that happens in the story.

Similarly, because Prince chooses not to explain much about this world, it’s hard to really care about anything happening within it. How are worlds created by painters? How is Art able to travel into the paintings? Why is he sane inside the paintings and how does his doll Manny become a giant living being? How is Art’s paint brush a weapon? Why is the little boy doing all that he’s doing? If the subjects of the paintings “die”, then does that mean the paintings also cease existing?

In the same breath, if Prince had tried explaining any of the above questions, the narrative would’ve become leaden and boring. I think he made the right choice though it still means that the book doesn’t really come together to form the strongest narrative. But maybe that’s the point - have a story featuring fine art and have it descend into schlocky action?

I also didn’t really enjoy the Silver Age-style backups about Art and Manny’s past adventures. They’re overly wordy and uninteresting, like a lot of Silver Age comics (again, no idea why it has to be presented in this style either).

I may not have known what was going on or why most of the time but I also wasn’t bored reading this and the visuals and cultural references added to the overall enjoyment. Prince and Morazzo pull off a more successful version of Vertigo’s Art Ops in Art Brut, Volume 1: The Winking Woman. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of this creative team or are intrigued by the idea of an action/horror comic featuring the most famous art ever created!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting? Definitely. Individual? For sure. Bonkers, and in a bad way? Luckily, I think not. This comic is certainly doing something I've not seen before, and it goes without saying that too often the main reason nobody is doing something is because it's a shitty idea. Here I got the impression there were many good ideas, almost juggled to perfection.

So there's a global body with a large staff shortage, as one woman has about one agent to solve the world's problems. Because if anything goes wrong with the world in our world's paintings – if a Girl with a Pearl Earring has the earring stolen, f'instance – the BAI has to look into it, and like as not employ a bloke who can enter the world of the paintings and put things right. That is, of course, when he's not locked up and drugged up to the nines. But in a similar way, a mass murderer type of terrorist kind of nutjob also has access to some kind of reality-bending abilities, and is not just doing them to smell some Sunflowers…

OK, many a book has featured entry into a dreamworld. Many is the time that dreamworld is impacting on our own lives and existence. Many fictions are riffing off one or more classic artworks and making something new out of them. It's not new that a character has a magic paintbrush that can magic anything thinkable into life (although they don't always have safety catches, for sure). And this does a bit of all of that, but in what I found a really enjoyable and fun way. It's not got someone plodding through one famous dreamscape in a singular quest, here we sprint from canonical art to canonical art, as well as face a sort of X-Files baddy kind of character, a child seemingly being manipulated for evil. This has got a dash about it, a liveliness, and a quirky way of doing horror that I enjoyed.

Infinitely better in my mind than Ice Cream Man, this is a title whose whole bonkers-bound arc I want to witness. A strong four stars for the initial look.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published as The Electric Sublime, Image has just released W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo crazy art history mystery-adventure as Art Brut Volume 1: The Winking Woman. It's kind of like Doom Patrol's "The Painting That Ate Paris" turned up to 11, and as someone with more than passing familiarity with art history, I will say Art Brut's biggest flaw is that it is so SHORT! I really wanted this to be a monthly (and perhaps the "Vol.1" is meant to promise more). Arthur Brut has the unique ability to jump into a painting and explore the world behind the canvas, though at the cost of his sanity when he's in the real world. And yet, he must help the agency that investigates art-related weirdness, like the Mona Lisa suddenly winking. Who is destroying the great masterworks from the inside? Weird (and violent!) stuff keeps happening at such a pace, I wanted the comic to slow down and work itself out at 6 issues rather than 4. Prince shows he's got comedy chops in back-up features that play Arthur's early adventures as rip-roaring Silver Age comics, so we get a little more of this world than just the main story. Still left me hungry for more.

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

As many of the world' great art pieces are getting defaced, Arthur Brut and his mannequin sidekick Manny come to the rescue. The story feels like that one story arc from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run where the team falls into a painting, but this one lacks the sophistication to pull off the heady concept I'm afraid. Art Brut moves at a crisp pace so it's never really boring, but the story itself doesn't really captivate much interest. Art is not a very well-realized character aside from his mentally ill tendancies, and the actual story is pretty uninterested in explaining any of the weirdness. It's not as surreal as I feel like Prince was shooting for, rather Art Brut feels like an exercise in brevity for the sake of brevity. There is little to chew on here aside from Morazzo's great artwork, which I personally found to be more striking than his work on Ice Cream Man. Maybe fans of that series might enjoy this more than I did.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expect, like most people, I'm here after reading W. Maxwell Prince's other insane books like Ha Ha and Ice Cream Man. If you're looking for horror, you're in the wrong place, but Art Brut is just as nuts as Prince's other works.

Following the adventures of a slightly broken man who can leap into paintings to solve crimes, Art Brut is a weird look at the nature of art and its effects on human culture, as well as what happens when you corrupt that art. Or, it might all be in Art's head, who can tell?

Prince's frequent collaborator, Martin Morazzo, is along for the ride here, and I love the juxtaposition of the normal stuff with the insane. It's the same contrast that makes Ice Cream Man work so well, honestly.

More than slightly bizarre, but in a good way. Which is this team's brand, honestly.

[Popcar2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to be the first person to give this book a bad rating, but I thought the writing is so mediocre. The concept is really cool but the execution sucks, for a story that feels like it should be creative and related to art, it's actually a boring large-scale murder mystery that goes nowhere. An evil cult wants to destroy art for reasons and this is killing a lot of people, it's up to boring police detectives to stop them.

While classical art is used as a backdrop, it's not used in any creative way. At some points it feels like it's making fun of the art instead of appreciating it, for example at some point The Scream explodes into a ton of blood by guys wearing white suits. It's so out of place, and it's a common mistake that writers think creative = random.

The art is good and the concept is creative, but the story is just really uninteresting.

[Jonathan Natusch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous. The story, unfortunately, is a bit of a hot mess. There's no real world-building or attempt at explanation as to what on earth is going on.
How did Art Brut become a dream painter? No idea.
How did the bad guy persuade a class-full of people to cut out their tongues? No idea.
Why did one member not cut out their tongue? No idea.
Why does the Art Crimes Bureau (or whatever they're called) have this seemingly unlimited budget to buy paintings, but have so few staff that their director is the one out on the streets doing everything? Good question...
Why were large oysters lurking in the behind-the-canopy world of 'Pearl Earing'? No idea.
What is Art Brut doing with his paint in the behind-the-canopy world that allows him to overcome all obstacles? You get the picture...

[Paul Allard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting comic book series involving many well-known paintings.

Art Brut is a mentally disturbed art expert, called upon to sort out anomalies in various works of art. It’s a fantasy/horror series with an assortment of characters and plenty of bloodshed. Not for the easy–going comic book reader but quite different. Especially nice to see the many works of art which I have been lucky to see in real life. Enjoyable in its own way with clear detailed artwork. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Art Brut is a visually excellent, silly, and grotesque pulp adventure through the art world. It plays with multiple art styles and uses them cleverly. The psychedelic artwork makes visual sense but moves the story along with dream logic half of the time. You'll have to be okay with the story points resolving this way for this series to work for you.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read Ice Cream Man and this was still surprisingly dark at times. However, Prince and Morazzo make a great team, and with Art Brut they've debuted a new series that's a classical art infused, fantasy, crime thriller that's a wild trip through reality and unreality. Utterly fascinating in style and content, The Winking Woman is a unique new work from a creative team that knows how to unsettle and engage in equal measure.

[Cadillac Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, visually stunning, and entertaining little series. Love the golden age of comics style interstitials between issues, helped expand the world and give little glimpses of how the main character became who he is at the start of the story in a cute and charming way. Really dug this one. It's the first book I've by Prince and Morazzo, and I'm immediately sold. Gonna have to check out their other work!

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Shade but about ART or is that art. Funny enough, it is the art that sells this. If you have a general art history background this will tickle you. I like the combo of main story and back story in each issue.

It lends itself to trying to make sense of both parts at once, kinda like art interpretation itself. A lot less nonsensical or dadaist than Shade. A lot less introspective. In some ways, it makes it a more relaxing read.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The creative team behind Ice Cream Man create the most Vertigo comic I've read since that imprint folded. This isn't a horror comic like Ice Cream Man though. It's all meta with someone being able to change paintings like the Mona Lisa who is now winking. There's a crazy guy called the Art Brut who can step in and out of paintings who this FBI like organization uses to fix these kinds of things. It's like this story just stepped out of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run.

[Celia Diino · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MMC, Art, can travel through paintings in the modern world. He may be insane but his help is required.

W. Maxwell Prince never fails to make me laugh. Punchy, witty, snarky...all of my favorite types of dialogue! Morazzo's art is impeccable as usual. The story is totally out of pocket in the best of ways. It is a rollercoaster!

[Eric Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun. The art is fantastic and the ideas are super trippy and clever. I hope the creative team does more Art Brut!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brut is a hoot.

[Anshula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it so easy to step into each chaotic world living behind each painting...

The artworks in the full-page spreads were uniquely breathtaking, and had me lingering on each page.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super oddball comic about art crimes. Martín Morazzo does a great job illustrating all the wacky events that unfold.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

No substitute for reading old Doom Patrol comics

[Robert Hultman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird, but I liked it. Great artwork and storytelling. The story itself is odd and really picks up after issue #2. See my reviews of the individual issues, if you’re interested.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly excited to see what comes next in this series. I need someone else to read it so I can discuss.

[Aaron Baca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I breezed through this. Fun little exploration of art and doesn’t take it self too seriously