Review: My Name is Bruce

For the last two years, I’ve heard the rumors and have seen the still images from Bruce Campbell’s feature film My Name is Bruce.  And while it looks like the movie is finally going to make it to the indie movie circuit, there are still a lot of questions that fans are asking about the film.  Some of those questions are answered in Dark Horse Comics’ release of the My Name is Bruce one-shot from a couple of weeks ago.

While I wish I could say “I’m all over this one-shot, like a fat kid on pizza”, (What? I am a fat kid and I do like pizza) I’m really disappointed in this title.

The main plot is, as we already know, a town of dummy-dumbs unknowingly release an evil spirit and monsters and such, and think the best way to fight these ghouls is to hire the real life Bruce Campbell – because after all, once you’ve seen Bruce play Ash, you’ll always associate the two.

Since this comic is an adaptation of the movie, by the time you reach the last page (providing you make it that far), you’ll pretty much have the movie spoiled, and just to further ruin it for you, Bruce wins in the end, vanquishing the demon and making nicey-nice with everyone.  Unfortunately, since this is a one-shot issue, all the good stuff (character development, action, pacing, humor) is thrown out the window in order to cram the key plot points into 22-pages.

The end result, is the reader gets to the last page and instantly has two thoughts;

1. What the heck did I just read?
2. All this for a B-Movie Actor joke?

Yeah, it is pretty bad.  I really don’t know who to point the finger at for this disaster.  I can’t fault the writer, because Milton Freewater, Jr. was hired to adapt the screenplay into 22-pages.  I can’t fault the artist, because the art is actually pretty good – Bruce looks like Bruce, demons look like demons, ghosts, while fairly lame characters, look like ghosts.  I can’t even fault Dark Horse on this, because the company probably took a gamble in releasing this title based on a movie that hasn’t even seen a release date, and could only commit to a single issue.  At least The Man with the Screaming Brain got a four issue mini when Dark Horse released it back in 2005.  Had My Name is Bruce received even a two issue treatment, the story might have made a lot more sense.

Does this mean you should avoid this one-shot?  If you simply must have all things Bruce Campbell, then go for it.  If you have no chance in hell of seeing the movie, even when it is released on DVD, go for it.  If you want to respect yourself in the morning, and don’t want to do the walk of shame, skip it.

Nothing against Bruce Campbell, I’m a huge fan.  I’m also a fan of most of what Dark Horse publishes.  Sadly, after reading My Name is Bruce, I can only give it 1.5 out of 5 stars.  Lots of potential, terrible delivery.