Authors: Kieron Gillen, Jim Rossignol
Artists: Jeff Stokely, Tamra Bonvillain, Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
Released: October 13^th, 2020
Received: Edelweiss

I received a copy of The Ludocrats in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Ludocrats has got to be one of the most absurd series I’ve read in quite some time – and I mean that in the best way possible. Created by Kieron Gillen, Jim Rossignol, Jeff Stokely, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles, this series is every bit as insane, silly, and quirky as that cover might imply.

In a world where normal is boring, and ludicrous is normal, there are The Ludocrats. They fight boredom, making it an arrest worthy offense. This is the world that Otto lives and loves in, and that alone leaves enough room for chaos and mayhem galore.

I’m honestly not even entirely sure where to start this review. I feel like saying The Ludocrats is the most insane thing I’ve ever read is actually a bit…tame in comparison to what I read here. It’s berserk, but in a highly entertaining manner.

Frankly, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this series. Perhaps it was simply because it was so much fun to see this creative team let loose and create something truly unique (one cannot argue that The Ludocrats is anything else).

Kieron Gillen and Jim Rossignol are arguably better known for some of their other (and more serious) series (such as The Wicked + The Divine, Once & Future, Sir, You Are Being Hunted). Yet I think this series will pop up in my mind for now on. As a huge fan of some of those series, I was pretty surprised to see the content within these pages, but I think that surprise just made it all the better.

Tamra Bonvillain’s colors really brought the whole world (and humor) into focus. The colors are well…blindingly bright, but in this world, that’s a good thing. Likewise, Jeff Stokely’s artwork really let the characters run amok in this world, Otto in particular (seriously, if you don’t want to see too much of that man, don’t look too closely at some of the pages). And of course, Clayton Cowles did a freaking fantastic job with the lettering, but I’m not surprised by that.

I think what I enjoyed the most about this series is that it was quite literally, unpredictable. It at times made no sense, but that in itself made sense. If that makes sense. See! Ludocrats is designed to make everyone a bit crazy, all while letting loose and having fun.