Controlled Chaos. A term people use to describe situations that are right on the verge of spiraling out of control, but don’t.
The idea is so appealing that it’s a common theme for many movies and video games. However in comic books it’s usually the opposite, where people are attempting to rein in chaos. But what about a comic book based on characters who are chaos?
If that sounds appealing, then you my friend will love Captain Evil and Diabla, a regular feature found on Ungoodwise.com.
Created by L Jamal Walton Captain Evil and Diabla is a comic which focuses on it’s title characters and the situations they find themselves in the middle of.
These situations range from things going wrong in the middle of a fight, to the characters struggling to get out of bed to answer a call for help.
So does Walton have any plans to do a more serious story with these characters? “No way.” He states “Evil and Diabla are chaos. That’s all there is. That is the point. There are other comics if you want serious stories.” Walton does add that he may write some parodies or satires involving the characters, and states that Captain Evil and Diabla “Are really just comic relief.”
The comic isn’t the standard full-length title, but rather a series of vignettes. “I just throw them into a situation and see how thy react. It takes as long as it needs to come to an ending.”
The two characters originated from ideas Walton’s girlfriend Maureen and himself had while the couple would discuss his comic work. At first he would draw the characters for fun and then post the images to his social media. Over a 2-year period he developed and refined the ideas into the comic as both he and his girlfriend would discuss the characters and bounce ideas back and forth.
From these discussions the comic Captain Evil and Diabla emerged, though despite it’s origins Walton doesn’t take story idea’s from his own life. “These two are all their own.” He said. “The entire premise of the characters is about the interaction between Evil and Diabla. Every thing about them revolves around how they work together (or not). Creating stories for them is like watching TV.”
Regardless of how well the characters do (or don’t) work in the storylines, Walton’s comic works very well. With a bright, bold cartoon style he creates the Captain Evil and Diabla stories that are as much fun to look at as they are to read.
While the great art, chaotic situations and clever stories make the comic so much fun what really puts the finishing touch on this title is how expressive the characters are.
Not only do the characters define and clarify their intentions, but add depth to the comedy with their facial expressions and body language. Walton’s clever writing maintains the controlled chaos by keeping the comic funny without becoming ridiculous or silly. A line that many comics, which aim to be funny, fail to recognize as the key to being humorous and not ridiculous.
The cherry on top of all this is that Captain Evil and Diabla are fully available to be read and reread through Walton’s site If you enjoy madcap chaotic comedy, then you owe it to yourself to check out Captain Evil and Diabla. ungoodwise.com.
John Goodale is the author of ‘Johnny Gora’ (available through Amazon.com), and a number of articles here on TMRZoo.com. His monthly column ‘Indy Comics Spotlight’ appears here and through his blog Indy Comics Spotlight
