Dead Duck

by Jay P. Fosgitt

Dead Duck and Zombie Chick deliver the deceased to J.P. Yorick, better known as the Grim Reaper, while dealing with unruly dead folks, grumpy deities, and historical snafus! Foreword by Doug Jones (Abe Sapien from Hellboy).

Genres: Comics

148 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Jay P. Fosgitt is a member of The National Cartoonists Society. He has garnered back to back annual awards from the Michigan Press Association for “Best Original Cartoon.” In 2009, Ape Entertainment published Jay's debut graphic novel Dead Duck . His second full-length offering from Ape Entertainment is Little Green Men . On the convention scene, Jay has made appearances at Motor City Comic Con and Wizard World Chicago. He is a contributor to Rue Morgue Magazine and also enjoys regular gigs as a Michigan-based caricaturist.

Reviews

[Liriope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Duck, by Jay P. Fosgitt

Welcome to Rigormortitropolis, the end of the line and home to RIP, Inc, J.P Yorick’s company. Death is a business like any other, but with people dying in all times and conditions, that’s a lot of work for one man creature Death, and things are, understandably, a bit backed-up. That’s where Dead Duck comes in. Death’s hapless adopted son comes in. Promoted to a position as Death’s “minion” (lackey or toadie will work too…), Death comes around to Dead Duck’s request for protection by giving him his very own Zombie Sidekick, Zombie Chick.

They travel throughout time and various universes collecting the dearly departed and ferrying them to Death, who decides what to do with them. Interestingly, there is not a set heaven or hell, reincarnation or afterlife. Instead, one’s fate depends on one’s beliefs during their life, and how they lived up to the standards they had set for themselves. Now, the comic is in no way a very serious or dark one, but the world and laws it abides to are certainly intriguing and leave plenty to the nitpicking and imaginations of the sort of fans who are obsessed with world building.

There are trips to well-known political deaths; such as Abraham Lincoln and Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s, there are visitations to the deaths of a popular cartoon character’s, as well as to a mother of a pantheon of gods. We see 14th century England, 16th century Prague, too much of Canada, and a Minions-Only Bar & Grill that Zombie Chick attempts to gatecrash in many interesting poses.

Now let’s let the story take a backseat for a minute, hm? Because although the story is hilarious and keeps you entertained, Zombie Chick is enough to keep me reading the Dead Duck series regardless of the amusing plots. Zombie Chick is an adorably voluptuous, stitched-up simple-minded chicken babe. She may not be big on brains (what zombie is?) but has a charming personality nonetheless and an admirably experienced cluelessness.She may be there for the fan service but I loved her anyway, unlike some of the roll-your-eyes cardboard hot chicks in most comics these days. She’s a little funky but she seems to really care for our hero, Dead Duck.

Dead Duck is your typical kinda grumpy hero who has a good heart deep down (very, very deep down). He’s nicer and smarter than I’m making him sound, but he’s still a not-particularly lucky loser. J.P Yorick is the real grump of the bunch anyways, playing the part of the gruff father who you’re not too sure actually loves his kid or not. Most of the minor/side characters are likeable enough as well, and worthy of a write-up, but I’m trying to keep this review free of spoilers so I’ll skip covering them.

This seems like a good place to talk about the artwork, so let’s! I’m truly a fan of it: the coloring is superb, and there’s so much detail in the scenes that it’s like a feast for the eyes.

I won my copy of Dead Duck through Goodreads, and now I’m pretty glad I did. It’s not everyday you find a comic or artist/writer you like so much. I’ll definitely be stopping by the ApeComics website and checking out some of their other titles; can’t wait for the next Dead Duck volume either!

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

At least since the movie Pulp Fiction, I’ve known that a story can be both ultra-violent and hilarious. A great tale can be gory and bawdy without being dumb and forgettable. And in the case of Dead Duck, the debut graphic novel by Jay Fosgitt, the characters can simultaneously be full of life and in a state of gruesome decay. They can stare Death in the face and laugh heartily.

What is Dead Duck? In a nut shell, or egg shell rather, it’s a small water fowl that is…well…not living. Raised and employed by Death itself, Dead Duck collects deceased souls and delivers them to the afterlife. Mind you this is a wonderfully eccentric afterlife where anything goes. The story examines the origins of Dead Duck and his strangely alluring sidekick, Zombie Chick. Their adventures include myriad trips to key points in history and encounters with deceased folk as varied as Hitler and Lincoln. One of the most entertaining sections involves a dangerous journey to pick up a newly deceased action figure that looks, not coincidentally, a lot like He-Man.

Creator Fosgitt taps into our popular culture with a hilarious offering of subtle references, goofy tributes, and witty satire. It all kept me chuckling to the last page. A major part of the fun is the richly detailed artwork. It spurns decorum, all the while rewarding the reader’s intelligence with something more than mindless bathroom humor. (I’m not saying that bathroom humor is absent, just that it isn’t relied on). Much of the funniest content shows up in the background, so it’s a good idea not to digest Dead Duck too quickly.

By way of disclosure: courtesy a mutual friend, I’ve hung out with Jay Fosgitt a couple of times. His voluminous knowledge of pop culture, and comics in particular, make him great company. I highly recommend this new work for lovers of graphic novels and zombie fiction. Please note: Dead Duck is for mature audiences (especially those who enjoy taking a break from maturity to enjoy a comical adventure).

[Lee Battersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old fashioned zany comic of the Mad/Cracked variety with a splash of EC sensibilities that take it past simple silliness into something slightly edgier and adult. Fosgitt actually manages to inject a note of humanity into his ludicrous characters-- particularly in the silent strip that shows what happens when Dead Duck and Zombie Chick go their separate ways at the end of the day-- which makes this an engaging and fun set of strips that I'd happily revisit if there were to be a sequel. Just plain old capital-F Fun.

[Stephen Heverin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from the Good Reads giveaways a while back. It finally came up in my stack of books to read. I like the concept and ideas in the comic, and the book is really a collection of a series of comics around Dead Duck (like a TP collection of a comic series). I like the graphics and the main character. However, the read through was just OK for me. It bounced all over the place and there are a lot of super short stories. I would like to see more or longer drawn out story development with the characters. I think the premise and world he has created is interesting and something about which I would like to read more in. But the main material didn't really pull me in.

I am sure there would be fans of the writing style, but unfortunately I am not.

[Susan Haines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this more than I did.