The Dragon Fists of Smorty Smythe

"The story of a Martial Artist monk who leaves the monastery to take up a life in the outside world. Wishing for a peaceful existance, he instead finds himself bodyguarding his trouble-prone friends on their globe-trotting adventures."

Overview
"The Dragon Fists of Smorty Smythe" is an old-school tribute to schlock martial arts films, especially the original "Kung-fu" television series. Loaded with puns, pop culture icons, slap-stick and of course gratuitous beat-downs, "Smorty" is the kind of stuff you'd see in old "Mad" or "Cracked" magazines (before Cracked went .com)

On that note, Smorty is also a Teens+ comic -- nothing terribly offensive but one of the main characters is a former-prostitute-turned-former-biker-turned-good-bad-girl. And she's not ashamed of that fact. There's also racial slurs yelled out by villains (usually shortly before a no-holds-barred beat-down) so the easily offended probably shouldn't read it. Nothing new to anyone who's been 'round the 'net though.

That said, let's get down to business:

Artwork
Approximately better than 50% of web comics on Drunk Duck. Distinctive personal style, black & white artwork with greyscale shading. A little crude at times, but real effort is put into it but doesn't cop-out when it comes to difficult angles. Attention is given into matching Hollywood angles.

The best description is that it's the same kind of work you'd see in "Mad" or "Cracked" back in the 80 & early 90's. To anyone about to say "But I wasn't born then/was just a baby then", let me say "Shut up you're making me sound old"

In short, Smorty is done old school, and looks old school. Characters do classic takes, the violence uses exaggerated crumpling effects, and while people take away injuries nobody winds up as dead as they should be. (A villain who does a face-plant sans helmet into a rock from a high-speed motorcycle chase just winds up with a mashed face... instead of brains and gore everywhere like there would have been in real life)

While not stellar quality, the artwork fares well enough against most other comics and significantly better than the typical 'manga/anime wannabe' style often associated with some web comics. The reason for this is because instead of looking like it's attempting to imitate an existing style, it's done in a style of its own. (Nothing brings out the weaknesses of artwork like failing to mimic an existing style).

Best of all, it matches the style of writing very well.

Writing
Approximately better than 50% of comics on Drunk Duck. Stories get most threads tied up in the end, with loose ends resolved shortly in later books. Story-telling is simple but focused and planned out in advance, giving it a distinctive "TV series" feel (and thus tends not to suffer some web comic's tenancy to ramble or go off track. I love ya, but I'm lookin' at YOU, Sinfest. My own comic tends to do this too at times)

Why does it beat out half of the Drunk Duck comics? Plain and simple: it has a well defined story to tell. It's organized into books and you can TELL, which means the narrative doesn't wander much and the plot threads tie up at the end of most stories.

Character-wise, each one is essentially an existing arch-type, but as it's a nostalgic parody it works. Smorty is the naive, innocent and pure warrior monk (and half Caucasian, natch). Veri is the naive, innocent and pure blonde spunky chick, acting as moral compass and in her own way she's the leader of the group. Rob and Notso act as a Laurel n' Hardy style comedic relief. Phyllis is the hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold type, the most wordly (and often most practical) character.

Oddly enough, because the comic is nostalgic (with roots in the 70's) the characters and stories are actually no longer common stock and so come off much fresher than if Smorty was released twenty years ago. (No, there's no disco -- relax) Not to say that you won't find clichés -- there are lots of them, but they all seem to have a distinct 'put in for nostalgia' flavour to them.

One thing though -- you better have a good tolerance for puns as the story is full of them.

Originality
Mixed results here; in some ways it's not original at all because it's so heavily based on old stories and films. In other ways, it's extremely original because there's not a single video game reference to be found yet.

Overall
Here's a good way to tell if you should be reading "The Dragon Fists of Smorty Smythe":
- Like old school kung-fu (chops and kicks, NO hadu-kens)
- Like Mad Magazine/Cracked Magazine
- Like fan service (Phyllis always dresses for this on purpose)
- Like old-school animation and comics
- Like pop culture references
- Like puns
- Like Scooby-Doo, "Kung-Fu" the original TV series, and 70's/early 80's films and shout-outs akimble

Real effort goes into the comic and it updates frequently. It's not for everyone, but it's worth a look at the very least.

As I'm still working through the Smorty archives periodically, I can only comment on the first five issues (the initial run) I’ve read, however I do feel I can give a fair estimation of the comic’s virtues based upon this, so here goes.

‘The Dragon Fists of Smorty Smythe’ starts out with a simple premise, likely familiar to anyone who’s dabbled in the Kung fu or Western genre: a band of good for nothings – bikers in this case – show up to bully and terrorise defenceless locals –a small diner – with no one to stand in their way. Queue tall, dark and powerful stranger to appear and set things straight... only not quite. Where this comic diverges from most genre companions and where I feel it succeeds impressively is in its ability to make fun of itself and as a result, end up being a great deal more fun in the process.

The titular monk Smorty Smythe turns out to be a doe eyed baby face, with no more than a handful of wavy hairs to furnish his bald head, initially coming across as being so ridiculous the bikers practically laugh him out of his chair. Genre tropes still apply: Smorty goes on to kung fu biker ass, save the diner and earn the gratitude of owners – the family Gumpshöss, however this initial play against expectations and willingness to have a little more fun with the ‘badass comes to town’ story made an impression on me that gave me laugh and kept me reading. It’s a quality which runs throughout. Amongst the action and story there are frequently hilarious scenarios, parodies and jokes in the tiny details. Just try reading some of the product brand names or shop signs!

This is not to say there aren’t more serious moments. TDFOSS pitches itself as an adventure comic and it delivers here too. Over its initial run it develops an interesting scenario with some surprisingly tight plotting. The concentration is firmly kept on the conflict between the bikers and Smorty, a central dilemma arising from his desire to protect friends while remaining true to his monk doctrine of non-violence. Based on this, things could easily have devolved into a predictable formula of biker punks showing up, pushing Smorty too far and receiving a gratuitous beatdown, but on top of his own principles our hero must frequently contend with restrictions and prejudices of the law. For all his martial might Smorty still runs afoul of the powers that be, and as the clash intensifies things get quite interesting indeed.

I’m likely making it sound like a one man show thus far, which I will stress – it’s not. While Smorty may be kept at the heart of proceedings the rest of the cast are given plenty of attention too and manage to be interesting in their own right. The family Grumpshöss and co are diverse and likable from the timid specky Veri to grumpy no-nonsense Nötsö, while bikers like King and Smiley are quintessentially villainous and hateable. Even a few characters who initially come across as being stereotypical and two-dimensional take unexpected actions or are revealed to be a little more than meets the eye. I wouldn’t describe the character development as being complex, but it’s certainly satisfying and well rounded. In cheesy summary: it’s got real heart in there.

One thing I’d really like to emphasise is the strange sense of nostalgia the comic holds, taking a (usually) light hearted, high adventure approach reminiscent of retro comics and cartoons. Indeed, for much of it I found myself thinking of my childhood favourite Asterix – something furthered by the pun names and more slapstick fights. How charming you find these tributes to be will be entirely subjective, but for me at least it connected to a kind of enjoyment I don’t often get anymore.

Occasionally the comic will approach darker territories (racism, attempted rape and drug abuse to name a few) and admittedly, this sometimes jars with the lighter more humorous side a little – however I would never describe it as being distasteful or inappropriate. Ultimately this only furthers the story and helps to build what is ultimately an exhilarating plot.

The artwork again subscribes to the same retro aesthetic I mentioned previously, and again enjoyment will largely be subjective to how appealing you find the style, however, the drawings are undeniably skilful and handsomely designed. The majority is B&W linework with splashes of grayscale shading (aside from covers) no bad thing as it still looks great and I imagine it facilitates quicker releases and thus more story to be covered as a result. Characters are quite simple but are always distinct, while action scenes are particularly impressive: using imaginative poses along with strangely amusing moments of cartoon violence. I’d also like to make special mention of the page layouts with exclamations and sound effects being integrated to impressive effect.

Concluding: the first five issues of Smorty Smythe are simplistic in many ways, but this doesn’t seem to be so much a fault as an intention. As a self contained adventure story, it achieves exactly what it sets out to do. It manages to thrill and amuse in equal measure, with a plot that sets out to go somewhere and does it. It never bored me and on more than few occasions it defied my expectations. If it sounds like your sort of thing then it probably will be.

a short summarised oppinion of the dragon fists of smorty smythe doesnt really do the series justice but i'll attempt it anyway. the charictors bring back a certain nostalgia that can only come from a steady diet of wwII cartoons and i love lucy reruns. unlike the afore mentioned examples the charictors portrayed in TDFOSS have a simplicity that should not be confused with two demensionalism. a bit of stereotyping does happen, but it's always followed by a jump in understanding why the charictor acts the way they do. Its impossible for any charictor to completely avoid typecasting in any series, but meemjar does a decent job of revealing a secret side of the charictors. the humor is sometimes a little gritty for the style of drawing, but never more than the storyline requires. on a 1 to 10 i'd say 8. the art is clear, the charictors flesh out well, the storylines are understandable. only one recomendation, TDFOSS needs to have a stronger back plot. while its good that each story is pretty much stand alone. the way the charictors are brought forth its almost as if they are lacking a cohesive motivation. a little sub plot goes a long way.

I like the comic because it does keep the things simple. no complicated plots. just a plain good story and i love how the artist uses the good old style. and in some panel he uses Don Martin's style. (an artist who is dead but he was AWESOME.)
and he is good to make us hate the villains.
Well i can't say more what the others already said. besides i really enjoy the comic.

Of all the comics I've read on Drunk Duck, this was the first one that I couldn't quit reading, and just kept going with for awhile. Although the art is a little messy, it has it's own style, and feels complete and professional enough not to distract you. Personally, I don't like the messy Mad Magazine style, but a lot of people do, and this comic pulls it off effectively. It definitely feels old school, as others have said. The characters and stories all seem simple and untainted by the modern day, so I can scarcely believe that is really being written in 2010.

Speaking of the writing, it's a little bit silly, but it fits the art and story just right, so it works out fine. Personally, I liked the background of the half-Asian half-white monk coming to America to experience the other half of his identity. The characters aren't too original besides that, but it was still a nice touch. I also like that the monk was made to look like an average Joe, rather than a heroic handsome-looking male lead. Overall, I didn't find the characters to be especially likeable or endearing, but they are all classic and fitting to their archetypal roles.

Finally, I know this is just my personal opinion, but I would like it if the author avoided using blurry airbrush effects and cleaned up their lines a little. Sometimes, it was hard to understand action sequences with the jumble of body parts and action lines. It could be a little more polished and clarified. But, it does captures a classic American comic book feel.

If you want a modern-style adventure with deep characters who grow and change through the course of a complicated plot, this won't satisfy you. Actually, that's what I usually look for, but this comic still captured my attention because it pulls off what it's doing so well.

I like it because its bad-ass in allot of points, its hard to draw fighting scenes with martial arts in them, but Meemjar makes it look easy, there are several funny puns in it that most people might miss aswell, like one comic page which had a reference to Asterix in it, but seeing as not everyone knows about them, they don't notice it. That said, it does add a certain something for those that do notice, but not to worry, its still allot of fun even if you don't notice those small things.

I also like the fact that the protagonist isn't just one color, this makes it have a much better feel of a multicolored kind of comic, while not being over the top. The diversity of the different kind of enemies and allies also make it so its not caught in just one kind of story, and I also like it that even though Smorty is the so called hero of the entire comic, he doesn't hogs the spotlight, his friends and allies get some great shots aswell, making it have a much better feel of a real story.

Since this is the first time I'm reviewing anything, and I'm not sure if my arguments sound valid, I'll keep it at this, suffice to say, you have to take a look for yourself to see if any of it sounds right to you aswell, but personally I love this comic.

the dragon fists of smorty smythe... the name alone evokes the schlock kun-fu movies of old with legends like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan(drunken master JC, not rush hour JC)

the artwork and storytelling styles and techniques also bring you back to a time in the past wit hit's brushstroke style gray-scale pages, slapstick straight out of a abbot and costello routine, and women straight out of a 70s pin-up book. whether or not you find these things appealing or atrocious will ultimately determine how you see the book, but personally i'm one of the people who sees these as a plus, not as a red flag.

the fights are well drawn and fit well with the cartoonish look also highlighted by the slapstick routines, the characters may be considered "stock" but they aren't one dimensional, the plots are simple enough to be fun but aren't STUPID, and the fanservice.... well what can be said?

if you like Bruce Lee flicks, Abbot & Costello, hot chicks, or just feel like seeing a guy get punched literally OUT OF HIS SHOES, i recommend Smorty Smythe to you.

Overall rating: 9.5

Synopsis: Smorty is a true martial artist in the sense of the spirit of martial arts, and a true hero in his ideals and beliefs. He turns the other cheeck and believe the best of people but isn't afraid to step up and defend anyone who needs help. The comic itself does follow more the legends of martial arts than recorded abilities, but is fairly accurate in most ways. Anyone familiar with the original Kung Fu TV series can see some similarities in the concept, but that's like saying "Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story" had the same concept. The end result is very different and most enjoyable. I highly recommend thisn series.

Pros: An original and unique art style that is enjoyable and still readable. The humor level is consistently high but without making this a parody or farce. Much of the humor is handled through names and the antics of supporting characters. I absolutely love the sense of humor here. It's obvious that the Creator puts a lot of effort into this comic and the results show.

Cons: Lack of color but I understand the reason so I don't count it highly. No recent updates and here again there is a reason. The creator is working on a short run comic series so this one is on hiatus but will contiue once that one finishes. Again I consider that a minor drawback because of the reason.

Recommendation: Put this one on your must read list. You will not regret it!