Opus 21: “Quality Birds” a.k.a. “The Wisdom of the Colonel”

Peter Lally
Opus 21
A4
12pp
Colour
£3.00
 To purchase a copy contact Peter at:
peterlally@gmail.com 

It appears that last Friday Mr Paul Brown was gamboling about London.  And while gamboling met up with Lord Peter Lally -adventurer, treasure seeker and international man of mystery. "Give this to Hooper -and if you are questioned you know nothing!" were the words I apparently made him utter for comedic effect here.

So, on the Saturday I noticed Mr Brown skipping along the lane toward my house. Once in the house and seated, he excitedly produced "Quality Birds" by Lord Lally.  To calm him down from a sugar-rush created excitement, I promised to do a review.

Well, I sat down and looked through this one. The production is incredible and must have cost a few quid. Nice crisp and shiny.  Now the thing is that Peter is NOT Jack Kirby.  He is NOT John Byrne. But this is why I think the Small Press works -there are no huge egotistical pretensions.  What I look for is the "feel" of a book and, yes, you can "feel" if a story or comic was just chucked together for fun or whether it was just chucked together and **** what it ends up like.

I got part way through this creation of the man who brought us Mind Your Manners: The Donald Hamilton Story and just chuckled.  I also uttered the words: "What are you on, Lally?"  Seriously, I thought that this was going to be some huge attack on the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise.  Instead it was....funny.  Take a look at the pages below -particularly the first!  Pure genius.  And do you know what?  While shopping in Tesco (I feel it my duty to help them get back that £25m) I passed the frozen chickens* and thought "Ooh. There's a quality bird!  Oo-er!"  And, yes, I did have to stifle a loud laugh.

I will never be able to look at a frozen or fresh chicken again without that feeling of....arousal.  Lally caused that!

Seriously, you need to read the whole book. It does make me wonder just Miss Millie  is trying to impart...no, I don't want to go there.

If you want a fun read then this is it.  If you don't buy a copy...well, it really is your loss!!

*I ought to point out that I've been a vegetarian for 35(?) years now so was passing the chicken section and not deliberately heading there to check out the "talent".