The Amazing Cynical Man (ACM) is hardly cynical or really for that matter a super hero. Yet he has his own fan club (two boys who are bent on making a fortune on merchandise based on the hero), and is a member of the prestigious Board of Superheroes (which has a plank with a cape as its CEO). So what makes ACM so Amazing? Well, it’s the simple fact that a comic strip consisting of stick figures can become so endearing and worthy of a place in your local daily newspaper.
The mind child of Michigan native Matt Feazell, ACM bestows upon the world some truly nonsensical chuckle worthy material. From everyday goofy characters like Nerdy Girl and Stupid Boy, to ACM’s pathetic costume which consists of a mask two flags over his ears and stars on his baldhead. A genius example of how far Feazell can go with his characters is found in ACM Volume 2 Number 7: The Cynical Man Version of the American Revolution. In this one page shot Feazell just takes history to a whole new level, with ACM, playing an Uncle Sam dressed stick figure, ‘declares’ his independence from England (aka Nerdy Girl), a woman dressed in a Union Jack, on July 4, 1776. On July 5, England destroys America’s personal belongings. On July 6, America defaces England’s Car, the strip finally concludes with America getting visitation rights to Canada on weekends and inventing Country Music!
The artwork featured in these comics, despite the main characters being stick figures is hardly simplistic to say the least. There is a level of detail that though minimal conveys an artistic quality all of its own. I would just like Feazell to find an editor that can further assist him in growing his stories. While most are good, with outside fine tuning ACM could be America’s new favorite superhero!
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