 |
THE LOCAL COMIC book scene has recently been brightened
by The Pocket Swonk, by G. Petix and C. Cilla. This collection
of the first year of Swonk comics from the Daily Wildcat
includes a number of priceless gems, such as Swonk's response
to several readers who wrote in about the anti-Christian sentiments
expressed in the strip. The writer and artist appeared as characters
to say, "One indignant papist wrote, 'There is a moral obligation
that all of us should respect the faith and beliefs of others.'
So would you respect a grown man who still believed in Santa Claus?
No, you'd think he was an idiot, and you'd be right." With
this Charles Shultz-like irreverence, the Swonkmeisters clue us
in to their special spirituality. They further cement their Peanuts
sensibility with the obligatory strip showing Charlie Brown kicking
Lucy in the head, and show their artistic roots by making frequent
reference to Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and numerous other extreme
right-wing comic book luminaries. Of course, Swonk is not all
fun and games: Swonk character Captain Ugly teaches us a valuable
lesson when he slashes the faces of those cursed with beauty in
order to allow them to be judged on their own merits. So, whether
you sit in your dank, basement apartment planning vengeance on
those who snubbed you in high school, or merely wish to see the
sleeping gods wake and reclaim the world, you're sure to enjoy
The Pocket Swonk, available at local comic book
stores and post-paid for $2 from Les Humanoides Swonk, P.O. Box
41302, Tucson, AZ 85717-1302.
|
 |
