GET YOUR WAR ON II

Rees began assembling his comic commentary on U.S. politics after 9/11, and since then he's remained faithful to his simple, remarkably powerful style. In each strip, anonymous office workers (portrayed as one-dimensional clip art figures) discuss the day's political events, either over the phone or while sitting around the conference table. Oddly, this combination of expressionless characters and strident commentary makes for some of the most consistent, wickedly funny political cartooning out there today. This collection presents the series of three- and four-panel comics Rees has posted on his Web site (www.mnftiu.cc) at regular intervals since late 2002. The characters ponder the effect of the war in Iraq on Afghanistan's citizens, wondering, "Remember those leftover civilians in that country where we waged our last war a few months ago? Do they realize they're one war away from being completely forgotten?" They contemplate the Patriot Act: "You think once they have Benjamin Franklin's body spinning in his grave fast enough, they'll be able to power an internal combustion engine with it?" And they question the possible reinstatement of Henry Kissinger to the September 11 Commission: "Jesus Christ, are we fucking MOVING BACKWARDS IN TIME???" Rees's work is a comic juggernaut; with a laugh and a groan in every strip, he never misses. Although this relentless skewering could grow stale, Rees's keen understanding of politics and history, and his passion for American freedoms, keeps the work surging forward. (Sept.)