Mr. Amperduke
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Mr. Amperduke aka Mister Amperduke is a fictional comic and graphic novel created by Bob Byrne.
Sherman Amperduke is a retired senior citizen whose hobby is creating and tending to the miniature world he has created and keeps in his basement. The inhabitants of Amperville closely resemble Lego minifigures due to the plastic casing that is applied to them yet they are sentient creatures. The original story deals with the reaction of the larger community when 3 new citizens are introduced without the casings. The buildings and vehicles are also made from a Lego type building system.
The graphic novel of the same name has yet to be released. The 130 page story deals with Mr Amperduke begrudgingly taking care of his young grandson, Scampy one summer. After a disagreement, Scampy throws a garden vermin, a Nechradon, into Amperville as revenge. The creature causes havoc among the mini utopia.
The stories are notable as they are all told silent, without words and use the same 16 panel layout for each page.
The first 6 page story appeared in issue 3 of MBLEH! published by Clamnut Comics in 2003 and then in Judge Dredd Megazine in 2006.
[edit] Themes
The original 6 page story has been described as a 'powerful allegory', dealing with racism and intolerance.
The graphic novel features themes of man's willingness to play God and the role of science and eugenics (The sophisticate technology used to create and sustain life for Amperduke's simple 'hobby') versus Mother Nature (The Nechradon, the unstoppable force that ruins Amperville and ultimately devours it's inhabitants).
[edit] References
Comics International November 2003
