Doberman #1
Written by Scott Marder, Bob Rosell, and Jack Lambert
Art by Brandon McKinney
Published by IDW
Doberman is a pretty funny book to read if you remember that it’s a spoof/homage of all of those cop action films from the ‘80s, especially Lethal Weapon. Written by several of the writers for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the book will feel strange if you don’t remember that it’s intended to be a loving parody. Once you remember that, it feels amusing to read.
Doberman is the epic tale of Frank Doberano, an LAPD officer. He’s the picture of every stereotyped office that doesn’t play by the rules and has panache, right down to his grizzled Kurt Russell looks. His nickname is the Doberman, and we can see his style on display when he foils a convenience store robbery by spitting beer in the faces of the robbers. Doberano and a friend on the force botch an arrest of a prominent drug dealer, and in shame, Doberano leaves the force for several years, heading into the Canadian wilderness. He’s drawn back to civilization after busting a Canadian prostitution ring, at the same time that the drug dealer is released.
Doberman is equal parts Lethal Weapon and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Doberman is a badass in one scene and a weirdo smartass in another, giving his character a bit more depth than it might have had otherwise. Part of my enjoyment is just my love for male banter and sarcastic quips, which this book has in spades. Marder, Rosell, and Lambert clearly want to write a ridiculous book, and headlines like “Crazed Woodsman Foils Canadian Prostitution Ring” made me giggle throughout it.
The structure of the comic is meant check off all of the various cop film tropes. A cold open so that we see how badass Doberman is? Check. Banter with cop buddies in a shower room? Check. Losing a close friend to a criminal? Check. Inexplicable freedom and societal acceptance of that criminal? Check. The book isn’t interested in deconstructing those tropes, but wants instead to celebrate them in all their silliness.
The art style also has a consciously ‘80s feel to it, with its heavily muscled characters and muscle cars. Somehow, I can tell that Doberman is a ZZ Top Fan. It’s not a particularly deep comic, and if you’re looking for something that spitefully ridicules this genre, you might want to keep looking. That being said, if you like cop films and want to see them lovingly be skewered and celebrated at the same time, this is a good read.
