SNAPSHOT
Slack Wyrm – the ongoing comic story of unconcerned dragon in an uncaring world by Josh Wright. Set in an ill-conceived medieval/fantasy realm of fabulous monsters, princesses, towering castles, creepy woods and houses made out of confectionery. There are witches and wizards and talking animals who sometimes wear jackets, but never pants. Also everyone seems to have a smartphone, which makes no sense at all. Wickedly quirky and gleefully subversive are two qualities I love in any pop culture I consume. (Slack Wyrm Facebook page (c) Joshua Wright)
Anyone can replicate a trope or a well-worn idea, but only a gifted few can take them, turn them inside out, give an idiosyncratic spit-and-polish and voila! Regale us with something entrancingly new …
Even better if it’s funny too, and in the case of cartoons or comics, possessed of a singular arresting visual personality.
Geelong, Australia-born Joshua Wright, who says he “remains ever-keen to impose his art onto a weary world” and who happily, and quite accurately boasts that “I already have more Twitter followers than Alexander the Great ever did, [which] must mean I’m more important” has ticked all the above boxes with his Slack Wyrm comics which are unapologetically in your face and hilariously so.
Averaging two comics a week, Wright is clearly a man with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humour to unleash upon the world. Take this excerpt from his website bio:
“After finishing a History & Literature degree, and taking a few overseas trips, he settled down to his deluded fantasy career as a famous writer of children’s novels. A decade later and with several unimpressive jobs on his resume, he finally got a few books into print. These masterful works continue to fade into history to this very day. You should probably buy one now before they become collector’s items.” (Joshuawright.net)
Armed with that kind of self-deprecating wit and a talent for giving it both visual and verbal expression that wins on just about every count, Wright’s Slack Wyrm couldn’t be anything other than the gloriously off-the-wall piece of creativity than it is.
If you’re tired of comics that play it safe or don’t push the envelope, or that simply feature a dearth of dragons – we’ve all been there, am I right? – then Slack Wyem should be your new comical bae.
Who knows? You may even get a great magical black forest cake out of the deal.
You can find follow Joshua Wright on Facebook, Tumblr (“I do so enjoy unexpected guests …”), Instagram and Twitter and you can even support his noble work to convince, and he does, he does indeed, that dragons are the funniest mythical creatures around.
- Want to chat directly with him? Email him at joshuahamishwright@gmail.com