INDIE SPOTLIGHT – Tony Millionaire’s The Oddball’s Odyssey

Alcoholism can be a black hole of self-destruction, a false cure to the darkness that is inherent to the human condition. It is a blunt force object that smashes away one’s self-identity, stripping an individual of their soul by numbing them to the reality of their character. This is what the main characters of The Oddball’s Odyssey are struggling to rectify as they journey across a surreal landscape of talking animals, labyrinthine nightmares, and boats crafted out of bathtubs.

This is an absolute joy of a comic, which might be shocking given how dark its core theme is. If you know Tony Millionaire, then you know this kind of surrealist approach to dark ideas is a part of his artistic identity. He is a veteran of the underground comics world, and The Oddball’s Odyssey is overflowing with the skill of a cartoonist who has never stopped pushing himself.

The imagery in this comic is grand, juxtaposing the simplicity of expressive animals with vast environments that emphasize scale. Bobby, the main monkey who we follow throughout the book, has been drowning himself in alcohol and is mired in struggles that reflect his small place in the world. He is stricken with loneliness, lost for a sense of direction, and unable to confront himself. His closest companion, a skunk named Jimmy, finds himself in a similar state, though he carries a sharper and more cynical edge than Bobby.

Their journey is quietly developed as the two find themselves in increasingly surreal situations. Bobby’s path toward sobriety is spurred by an interaction with a deity and the discovery of a swan that he becomes infatuated with. Jimmy resists this change, grounded in cynicism, and does not come around until both of them find acceptance and a sense of belonging through kindness and community. There is a subversion of the idea that romance can cure everything, and it leads to an emotional ending that remains true to Millionaire’s strengths as a cartoonist.

Every character and monster in this book is uniquely expressive, and often quite humorous as a result. The tone established early on allows Millionaire to push exaggeration without losing cohesion. There is a clear visual language at work, one that is rooted in something grotesque yet charming. Multiple one-panel pages ask the reader to slow down and take in the world, encouraging close reading of the imagery as part of the storytelling. At times it is laugh-out-loud funny. More often, it leaves you in awe of the thought and care behind each pen stroke.

In the last two decades, independent comics have exploded in popularity, often resulting in books that share more in common with corporate styles than with the works that paved the way for their existence. Many of these comics are great, but there is still a noticeable absence of truly oddball publications in the direct market. Publishers like Fantagraphics and Silver Sprocket continue to champion this space, though their presence in comic shops is often limited outside of collected editions.

The Oddball’s Odyssey is the kind of book that feels rare on those shelves. It stands apart through its underground aesthetics, its commitment to newsprint printing, and its surrealist imagery. It presents itself alongside mainstream titles without conforming to their expectations. Seeing a comic like this in the direct market feels magical, especially in a landscape that has largely moved away from this kind of work.