Jimi Longmuir Comic Reviews

None of the stories featured here are ever going to win a Pultizer like Art Spiegelman's other famous creation, Maus, or even an Eisner, but I suppose that's the point. Just as the cards were an excuse for cartoonists to let loose and thrill kids of a certain mindset with the disgusting depictions, this comic is the perfect vehicle for the creators to play with the legacy of those cards and give the rest of us a laugh in doing so. I suppose for anyone who isn't familiar with the cards, the relentless toilet humour would probably be a bit much, but the truly excellent caricature work by all artists featured more than makes up for it.

Gabriel Rodriguez' art is holding up admirably, both reflecting the original but allowing for his own personal flourish. The scenes in the 'tessellated tower' in particular were eyecatching and allowed for a good few minutes viewing to fully appreciate the content. Nelson Daniels' colours, too, were good, especially on the covers, both of which paid homage to one of two of Escher's most famous techniques.

For readers, both old and new to the material. I would definitely recommend 'Rogue Trooper Classics #8", as it presents a decent entertainment as well as being a worthy time capsule of the best of UK Comics in the early to mid-80's.

In short, everyone is earning their cheques on 'Shaft #2′ so I would gladly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of the genre and of comics in general.

Clearly, the through line between these stories is some sort of screed against consumerism, along with a less than subtle hint that deals struck with the devil tend to go wrong. At least Dynamite's Chaos! imprint is most definitely living up to the connotations of it's name, I guess. As I said at the beginning, I don't know if this comic is aimed at the 'Young Adult' market, but I do know I would have loved it 25 years ago.