The Web comic collection Zesty!
is part of yaoi (boys' love) publishers' move to expand their material to include young adults. As a result, there's nothing explicit here, although the lead is blatantly clear about his attraction to other men, with two expressions of his desire for "dick" and "penis" in the first five pages. An early joke is equally tasteless, with Osama bin Laden used as a punch line for a heist distraction. Zesty Tastee has a name better suited to a parody, but he's meant to be the dream man, the playboy son of a billionaire. When a brooding brunette named Prince appears at his father's party, Zesty falls instantly in love, but Zesty's father plans to marry Prince off to Zesty's sister to seal a business deal. The art consists of the kind of manga stylings that are all surface, huge eyes (even for the style) and even bigger hair with lots of bangs. The pages are stuffed with more textures and backgrounds than traditional manga, without the open space that makes them quick and easy to read. In short, it's a generic work, pumped out to fill a growing market without much discretion. (Jan.)
