cover image The Gabrielino

The Gabrielino

Bruce W. Miller, Desberg, Will. Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing, $14.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-56163-009-7

This tastefully ribald fable chronicles the life of Mickey Loverose and his quest for the perfect woman. After surviving a fatherless childhood, an eccentric mother and English boarding schools, Loverose makes his fortune by providing elegant alibis to philandering aristocrats to give in turn to their wives. But young Loverose is determined to find true love and sets off for exotic lands in an eventful but futile search. Along the way he acquires a mysterious ring that forces his conniving consorts to reveal their true intentions (``Very well, young cock! . . . Kiss the hand that will dispose of your fortune''). In Arabia, Loverose succumbs to a sumptuous life of venery, only to discover its consequence: slow and inevitable dissipation. After escaping that pleasure prison, Loverose attempts to breed a perfect mate. He picks the parents and pays for the child's education, but once she reaches age 18, our hero discovers that his breeders (who leave town before the wedding night) have raised a child very different from what he was expecting. Witty and fanciful, this work by two Belgian comics artists combines handsome watercolor illustrations with a well-told and sexy tale. (Aug.)