It’s every kid’s dream to be a superhero, and it’s not hard to imagine
a six-year-old running around his house in his Underoos, blanket fastened
around his neck like a cape, paper Burger King crown on his head, saving the
day many times over in many different ways. In fact, when I first read the name
“Mankid,” handwritten on the spine of the j-card of this tape in marker, big
red “1” emblazoned next to it like a magic comic book issue number, I figured
the inside of it would feature a few panels of action, or that the music would
at least be appropriately heroic in nature. I was pretty much wrong on all
counts. There isn’t anything on the
inside of the j-card (fine), nor is the music fit for swelling against the
latest Marvel Universe installment (also fine). Instead, I was treated to the
equivalent of a blast furnace opening in my face. Neat! Read on to find out how
singed my eyebrows got.
The Mankid is not a superhero, but a dude. This dude is simply trying
“to figure out how to get out of bed every morning.” Just like Batman! And how
can he not be all battered and bruised like the Caped Crusader after an
all-night villain-bashing bender? “Harmonious feedback” collides with “blast
beats” in this Lightning Bolt-esque adventure, and if this is what gets Mankid
out of bed in the morning, so be it, even if he’s worse the wear, physically
and mentally, from creating it. He’s truly a hero to people like me, who eat
this stuff up for breakfast and beg for more before the last spoonful is
shoveled into my mouth. Or, er, my ears. Because I’m listening to this. Damn
metaphors, you’ve foiled me for the last time!
Regardless, Mankid 1 is
hopefully merely the first entry into
a grand narrative of sonic ass-kickery. It would be a shame if his
arch-nemesis, The Cat with the Thing on Its Head, came after him in all his
Underoo’d glory and stopped him before he even got started. But there I go
mixing up my storylines again – let’s just hope Mankid is here to stay.
--Ryan Masteller