badtime bedtime books

The story starts with a reference to Casey Jones. Everyone who was a kid in the 1970s or before must remember that show and its catchy theme song, but it hasn't been repeated since, unlike Kojak, Dr Who and the other shows that are parodied.

This is the last of the initial “vintage” run, as Baxendale puts it. He asked his editor to find someone else to write them so he could concentrate on the art. The reply: “But I don’t think anybody else will be able to write scripts like yours.” But Baxendale insisted. This is a great plus in my book, it shows Baxendale’s humility. Those early stories were indeed classic, but he recognized that there were other good writers out there.

Back to Davey Jones...

I've included this strip in full because it illustrates the difference between art, layout, plot, and script, four very different disciplines. In my opinion it is amazingly good in plot and layout, but merely "good" in art and script. This is what you would expect from a genius who focuses on creativity. Other comics are more workmanlike, and may be as good and sometimes better at art and script (skills that have rules that can be learned with patience) but are inferior in terms of plot and layout, the big-picture genius stuff. Compare and contrast a non-Baxendale badtime bedtime book like Aladdin for example. Now let's look at plot, layout, art and script in turn.

The plot of Davey Jones is superb! A parody of the American west, with a strong story engine (literally an engine, trying to complete a literal journey with fun and danger along the way) and taking in crazy events along the way, and ending up with an underwater railroad (sorry, that's a plot spoiler. Oh well, too late now!) It's strong and highly creative, a masterpiece of plotting.

The layouts are also superb! Dramatic images of a steam engine careering past great cliffs, leaping a precipice, racing, falling, avoiding a collapsing water tower... wonderful stuff.

The script however is more variable. Some wonderfully loony parts (like the avalanches and fires) but some other parts that are a bit wooden (like the last frame that goes nowhere). Other writers are better at tying up a story, but lack the insane genius that creates off the wall stories like this.

The detailed art also, while first class, is no better than art by other first class artists. Many were trained to imitate Baxendale's style and can produce similar zany characters (not quite as zany perhaps, but they make up for it in technical polish). But they can't imitate his amazing layouts, with tiny people and vast amazing events happening in unpredictable places. Just compare a Baxendale strip to someone else's strip to see what I mean.

Finally, Davey Jones is notable for the totem pole on page 4. Along with the Kojak picture in Punch and Chewday it's the only time I've ever seen Baxendale do a caricature of a real person, and he does a good job of course (though he does choose people who have very distinctive faces!) And note the use of the indian's word "um" for "the" - a reference to Baxendale's earlier work on Little Plum and The Three Bears, two of his favorite strips for the Beano.