Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman, Vol. 1

by David Boswell

David Boswell's classic counterculture icon is collected here in an oversized hardcover format. This volume collects the first Reid Fleming comic and the mini-series, Rogues to Riches, as well as Heartbreak Comics.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Comedy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 11, 2011

About the author

David E. Boswell (born 1953) is a comic book writer and artist, illustrator, and photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia who has worked in the comics industry. He is the creator of the series Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman.

Boswell grew up in London, Ontario, Canada, and Hamilton and Dundas, Ontario. He studied film at Oakville, Ontario's Sheridan College, where he graduated in 1974. After graduation, Boswell attempted to earn a living as a cartoonist, and his first full-page comic, "Heart Break Comics", was published in The Georgia Straight from 1977–1978. Boswell moved to Vancouver in 1977, and in 1978, he launched Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman. Another title Boswell created is Ray-Mond.

Boswell's influences include film directors Josef von Sternberg and Luis Buñuel, composer Hector Berlioz, comedians Buster Keaton, and W.C. Fields, and humourist Robert Benchley, as well as early Hollywood and European cinema stars, and he often features references in his work. He has written a number of screenplays for movies, none of which have been made.

In 2011 Boswell was inducted into the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reid Fleming cuts a swathe of destruction as he delivers milk...and you are along for the ride! RF is the kind of character you are really going to love or hate - never met a person who did not feel strongly one way or another after reading an RF adventure. If you like Monty Python you will like RF!

[Cale Herreman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, you ever have a co-worker who pretty much does whatever the hell he or she wants, because everyone is scared of them? That's Reid. In the first few pages, he manhandles a customer in arrears by less than a dollar, drops a lit cigarette into the gas tank of a car whose driver had the nerve to call him 'bald' (see cover of book), litters the city with empty bottles of rye whiskey, and tries to blackmail his supervisor (who is, to be fair, as big an asshole as Reid). This book is full of psychotic cartoon violence, milk trucks flying through the air, snappy dialogue, unexpected plot twists, and I couldn't stop laughing. Reid is easy to like on the page, because he always has the last word, and he's been through it all: in trouble at work, at odds with his girlfriend, addicted to crappy tv shows, making plans on the fly, even (spoiler) getting (spoiler) temporarily fired. (But not (spoiler) rehired-- he just shows up again, true to his bad-penny nature.) Don't let this man anywhere near your house, but do pick up this book if you come across it!

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comics come in all shapes and sizes; one of their immortal formats is that of underground comics. While the term "underground" brings to mind names like Robert Crumb, David Boswell is among these icons and his most endearing creation is Reid Fleming, the world's toughest milkman. He's no paragon of righteousness - Reid Fleming is 100% anti-hero and that's what makes his comic book adventures funny. Reid Fleming goes about delivering milk all the while sticking it to the boss and causing outrageous property damage. The rough pen work of Boswell captures the mood of Fleming to a tee!

If you're into underground comics or comics of any kind, you owe it to yourself to pick up Reid Fleming's adventures today!

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's great to see Reid Fleming (and Heartbreak Comics) back in print. I read most of this when it was first published serially, and it's great fun. The title should give you a good indication of what to expect. It's an absurdist, occasionally surreal comic about the eponymous milkman and his sociopathic adventures, played for dark humour, drawn in a deliberately (I assume, since many of the backgroung suggest Boswell can draw very nicely when he wants to) crude, undergroundy style, slightly reminiscent of Crumb, but minus the X-rating. Genuinely laugh out loud stuff, as long as you're a fan of the absurd and ridiculous.

[John Porcellino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having not read these comics since the eighties, I was surprised at how funny, and fun they still are! And how many classic panels/dialogue I had tucked away in my cranial comics repository.

Fans of absurd but penetrating comics (eg Flaming Carrot) take note, you'll enjoy this.

[Nick Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of thing I'd like to make a movie out of. Enjoying this book is like rooting for the bad guy in a superhero comic. Reid's an asshole but he's so fun to watch and he's always in charge. He's like a grown-up Bugs Bunny.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

What made Reid so mad/tough? And are Milk & Cheese totally unrelated or were they inspired by Reid Fleming? I will say M&C made me laugh more; if you need to only buy one milk related graphic that's the one. Although Reid's creator is a Canadian. I'd like to see them team up!

[Mark]

Hilarious!

[Peter Landau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why didn’t I buy these when I was young and went to comic shops? It’s a mystery for the ages. Late as I am, these are wonderfully rendered and cruelly funny tales of milk and violence—and I don’t even like milk!

[Robert Icenogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reid Fleming is the Super hero's Super hero.