Corey Lewis is a creator about whom I can't seem to make up my mind. His work is on the same level as Brandon Graham and James Stokoe, both of whom I love, but seems to be missing some secret ingredient that those two cartoonists share. I think the problem might be that he doesn't imbue much life into his characters.
Peng is a good example of this. It's a comic book about an Advanced Kickball tournament. Four teams have made it to the 'final four', and we are given a quick overview of each of these teams, before diving straight into the action of the different games. The elimination games conclude, and we jump straight into the final game between two of the teams. There is very little time, amid the frenetic art and exciting gameplay, to get to know (and by extension, care about) anyone.
It's too bad too, because the comic is otherwise pretty cool. The game of advanced kickball is neat. There are all sorts of special moves with kung-fu inspired names, and a variety of unique players. Sharknife shows up, as does Scott Pilgrim in a short, and inspired, cameo role.
Lewis's art is pretty crazy - it's all over the map and hard to understand. I think that his work needs to be seen in colour to be appreciated, as his recent Longshot story in Marvel's Strange Tales anthology was much easier to understand. Still, this is an entertaining read.
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