44. CHEECH WIZARD'S BOOK OF ME by Vaughn and Mark Bode (Fantagraphics, OOP) Hoopla
This was a rough one, folks. I've never really connected with Vaughn Bode's comix. This complete collection of his "Cheech Wizard" strips was well on it's way to NOT changing my mind, I forced myself to finish the book amid many eye rolls. Cheech himself is a thoroughly repugnant lead character, Vaughn appears as a character breaking the fourth wall, and yikes are the underage/very young looking women depicted in a very degrading manner throughout! Pretty fucking creepy all the way around. HOWEVER, I thought it over and realized Bode was an out-and-out genius. He drew cutsie characters in just horrendous situations, when you are waiting for them to do funny things like the comic strip characters they could very easily fit alongside in the Sunday funnies. He stealthily subverted my expectations and just ran these pathetic characters into the ground, with that young girl character actually being the strongest boss bitch of the bunch. The end product IS repellant, but through a masterful manipulation of cliches and upended perceptions.
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