The Forbidden Planet International Blog

It’s A Man’s Life In The Ice Cream Business …. The Hardest Game In The World

By Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson’s last comic was “Flying Leaf Creatures“, a fantasy adventure. Before that was “The Gods Are Bastards“, a ridiculously funny adventure.

So of course, as a follow-up here’s a 24-page b&w comic about starting an ice-cream business. Nope, I didn’t see it coming either. Here’s the first page:

Yes, it’s loose, it’s rough, and in these first few pages it’s really, really loose and rough. And yes, you do get the idea that Jackson may be slightly unhinged… deciding on all this down to the sage-like advice of Cat Wizard… hmmm.

But after that, it tightens up, and we settle down for a blow by blow account of the ups and downs of the ice-cream biz in a series of provincial markets.

It’s fascinating, it really is…. just like any well written, well observed autobiog comic can be. Regardless of the subject, if it’s well done, you’ll be drawn into it. And so it is with “It’s A Man’s Life In The Ice Cream Business“.

You’ll read all about the pros and cons of ice-cream manufacture, the variety of markets around Bolton, the sheer hard work involved in the business for Jackson and his family. There’s none of the comedy or farce that Jackson’s utilised so well in the past, but it doesn’t matter. Just having the details presented straight in front of us is enough.

Plus, there are some very nicely put together pages, and little moments in Jackson’s art that really stand out… look at those billboards in the page above. There’s a simple delight in looking at the way Jackson gets over so much, the day explained in just a few simple panels, little explaination needed, everything laid out really nicely.

At the back of this, Jackson talks about an issue 2. Yes please. Meanwhile, issue 1 is available from Jackson’s website.