Art Brut Vol. 1: The Winking Woman
W. Maxwell Prince, writer; Martín Morazzo, illustrator; Mat Lopes, colors
Image Comics, 2023
This miniseries from the creators of Ice Cream Man was first published by IDW in 2016-17 under the title The Electric Sublime. The reprint is described as "remastered," and the re-lettering is evidently a major improvement, along with the restoration of the original intended title. Fine art is in chaos (the series opens with the Mona Lisa winking, hence the collection title). Time to call in the Bureau of Artistic Integrity and their operative Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter (and his trusty sidekick, Manny the Mannequin). Arthur and Manny have the ability to enter into the world of artworks so they can set things right. Problems seem to be emanating from a "sensitive" named Dylan Thompson, whose paintings become real. Plus, there's a guy behind the madness who looks like Andy Warhol. In the end, Arthur gets to the bottom of it, although there is still the possibility of a sequel. It's a wild concept, but is not entirely unprecedented: it recalls Shaun Simon and Michael Allred's 2015-16 Vertigo series Art Ops (as well as the Grant Morrison Doom Patrol run). Given the close chronology, I suppose it is possible that the two series were developed independently. The name of the secret organization is Art Operatives (Art Ops for short), and they protect the living beings behind works of art (the Mona Lisa is a major character in their book as well). The whole thing has manic energy and surrealistic visuals that predict the later Ice Cream Man series and would likely appeal to anyone who enjoys that title.
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