cover image Afrodisiac

Afrodisiac

Brian Maruca, . . AdHouse, $14.95 (96pp) ISBN 978-1-935233-06-0

From the creators of the excellent Street Angel comes this thoroughly entertaining and utterly nutso pastiche of several eras of late-20th century comics genres and the superbad blaxploitation heroic archetype. The titular hero is a '70s-era bad brutha-man archetype writ hilariously large and depicted in adventures that cross multiple perfectly evoked comics styles (the art's a knockout). Afrodisiac's all-over-the-place exploits provide a frantic cornucopia overflowing with legions of foxy white ladies driven to states of unabashed lubricity by our hero's melanin-rich manliness; space aliens and flying saucers; dinosaurs; funny animals; Richard Nixon; kung fu; Hercules; giant monsters; Dracula; and damn near everything else that made '70s schlock entertainment among the most fun stuff ever concocted by the mind of man. Loads of fun from start to finish, this book's one flaw is that its satirical points may be lost on those not well versed in blaxploitation in particular and '70s trash culture in general, but the disorientation born from such unfamiliarity may end up working in its favor, allowing the novice to perceive it as some malt liquor-fueled, somewhat underground-flavored throwback. (Jan.)