Beach punk duo Wavves is at it again. Wasting no time after their third studio album Afraid of Heights dropped in March, frontman Nathan Williams has released his comic book, Negative Dad #1. The comic is the first in a series and is written by Williams and friend Matt Barajas and illustrated by Rudolfo. The unconventional series follows Daniel and Serjio, two mutant boys living in a world full of other mutants. The comic opens with Mr. Reynolds, a teacher at Verlaine High School singing TLC’s “Waterfalls” as he uses the bathroom.
The lead characters are then introduced as Daniel passes Mr. Reynolds a joint with his extremely long snake-like arms. The characters lifestyles bear similarities to Williams’ infamous persona as a Seinfeld-loving, weed smoking California punk. The Mishka NYC snapback Serjio sports throughout the comic is an uncanny coincidence.
In the past Mishka NYC has partnered with Wavves to create infamously fast selling band merchandise. Another coincidence is Walter Pope, “the negative world dweller,” whose last name is sure to be borrowed from Wavves bassist Stephen Pope Jr.
Throughout the comic Daniel and Serjio uncover the secret behind the mutant traits of their beloved town. The fictional town of Verlaine, CA was the epicenter of scientific research testing. The boys uncover that Walter Pope, their father, was behind the S.T.E.M project involving human genome experimentation. Because of this, the entire town is plagued with mutant traits. The issue ends with a bit of a cliff-hanger which is fitting since it keeps Negative Dad audiences anticipating the next issue. Although some may try to dismiss this as a stoner comic, it’s clear from just the first issue that there are some dark themes within that will likely be explored in future issues.
Overall, the comic is definitely well-illustrated and features a well-developed foundation. It’s very easy to imagine it transformed into an Adult Swim series, which is not too far fetched since the band has performed for Adult Swim series in the past and the network has a history of collaborating with indie circuit musicians like Odd Future, Neon Indian, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra in support of TV segments, videos, and singles. Only time will tell if the comics will make it that far, but fans can rest assured that this comic is definitely a fantastically imaginative and funny literary addition to their Wavves collection.
