Advance Review: The Wealthy Pay A Different Tax In ‘Free For All’
by Tom Smithyman
Imagine a world with billionaires paid their fair share — or faced death.
In the new 56-page graphic novel Free For All, writer and artist Patrick Horvath has created a world where those obscenely wealthy (yes, there are even trillionaires) are forced to either give away half their fortunes or be entered into a lottery to battle another affluent capitalist to death. Think of it as the anti-Hunger Games.
Once the two plutocrats are chosen, they go at it in the arena, Gladiator style. But Horvath keeps the fighting fairly grounded (or as much as possible for a story like this one). There are no lions ready to swipe are unsuspecting fighters. Instead, it’s two armored foes facing off against each other with a few assorted weapons.
It’s an interesting enough concept, and one that takes on special significance when billionaires who aren’t paying their fair share of taxes are running the country. The problem with that setup is that Horvath doesn’t have the space to add in many secondary characters. So virtually everyone in the story is a rich douchebag. In this case, it’s wealthy ex-husband against rich ex-wife. There’s a backstory to each, but it’s not really that important to the overall narrative.
Sure, maybe you pick one side or the other, but ultimately you want all these wretched people to meet the business end of a battle hammer – you know, for the financial good of all of us.
His straightforward artist style is reminiscent of indie comics, though he does occasionally add more detail into the panels. He especially likes to include some ironic touches, like changing the US de facto nation motto “e pluribus unum” (from many, one) to “opere et veritate” (work and truth.)
Horvath is successful in making his point here – particularly in this climate. But he loses points for execution. A longer, more detailed story with characters we care about would make for a more compelling, and more memorable tale.
Free For All will be available at comic book shops this Wednesday from Oni Press.
Overview
A fascinating concept with only partially successful execution, this short graphic novel tells the story of a society that thinks the rich should actually pay taxes. As if! When the story fails, it’s because there is ultimately no one with enough redeeming qualities to root for.
