Big stars-and-stripes logo, a mustache, a cigar, and a costume that looks like it was painted on with a dry brush. Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker #1 is one of the loudest superhero books Image put out in the 2010s, and this copy is the second printing, which tells you how fast the first one went.
The basics
- Title: Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker #1 (second printing)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Released: April 13, 2011 (second printing)
- Cover price: $2.99
- Writer: Joe Casey
- Art and cover: Mike Huddleston
What it’s about
Butcher Baker used to be the biggest superhero in America. He locked up all his villains and retired to a life of drinking, women and excess. Then Dick Cheney and Jay Leno show up at his door on behalf of the government. Taxpayers are tired of paying to keep his old enemies in a comfortable prison, and they want him to take care of the problem.
His solution is to blow up the prison. The Slings & Arrows review points out that most of the villains survive, and now they all want him dead. From there it’s a road trip in a giant souped-up truck with a lot of people trying to kill him.
Fair warning: this is not a kids’ book. Image billed it as a “political/sexploitation superhero comic,” and it earns that. It’s crude, violent and full of nudity, and it takes shots at everyone from late-night hosts to flag-waving super-patriots.
The art
Huddleston is the real star. The art changes style from page to page: some in full color, some in black and white, some that look like they were drawn in ballpoint pen, all in faded red, white and blue. Proportions get stretched, blood goes everywhere, and some pages drift into near-abstract layouts. The cover on this printing shows the same approach: a sketchy, half-painted Butcher Baker in front of three big red stars, with the logo filled in like a flag.
Why there’s a second printing
The first issue sold out in March 2011, and Image rushed a second printing into stores on April 13, the same day issue #2 came out. That’s the copy here, marked “Second Printing” right on the cover.
The messy ending
The series hit a wall after issue #7. There was a long wait for #8, and in 2012 the creators argued about it in public. Casey said Huddleston had overcommitted and fallen behind. Huddleston said the book just didn’t pay enough to live on. ComicBook.com covered the fallout, including Huddleston telling a fan “Yep, that’s the end.” Issue #8 was the last one, and the story never got a proper finish.
Is it worth anything?
I couldn’t find good sales data for this printing. It’s a 2010s Image book that was popular but not a key issue, so it’s mostly a reading copy. Pick it up for the art.
Where to read more
Image collected the run in a hardcover designed to look like a school textbook, with a big chunk of Casey’s notes in the back. And in 2023 Casey came back with a surprise sequel, Junior Baker the Righteous Faker, a five-issue series with art by Ryan Quackenbush about a gonzo journalist named Dizzy Baker.
If you like your superheroes sleazy and your art experimental, this is a good one to grab.