Slackers of the world -- well, of just one New York neighborhood, really -- unite to combat the forces of evil and good taste in Gabagool!.
Don:
Gabagool! is another member of a small but proud community in comics. It started out as a mini-comic and has made the transition to the conventional comic-book format. There have been a number of such books that I've enjoyed in the past -- The Copybook Tales and True Story Swear to God come to mind. While Gabagool! is something of a slice-of-life book as well, unfortunately, it explores an uglier side of the everyday that just doesn't appeal to me.
Randy:
Wow... did we read the same books? I found Gabagool! to be a blast, a hilarious look at the social life of misfits, like a mature readers version of 3 Geeks or Dork Tower, with some welcome similarity to the work of Tony Consiglio, Alex Robinson and Evan Dorkin.
Gabagool! #s 1, 2 & 4
written by Mike Dawson & Chris Radtke
illustrated by Mike Dawson
Don:
Christopher Vigliotti wiles away the hours surfing the 'net at his lazy, do-nothing dot-com job, only to return to his apartment -- which he shares with three stoner roommates, Ritch, Vinnie and Aris -- where he continues his lazy, do-nothing routine. Occasionally, though, he's struck by inspiration, like the time he and his slacker pals decide to become bounty hunters for the neighborhood. Or the time some quick cash and sexual fantasies lead the friends to head to Jamaica on vacation.
Dawson's work here strikes me as something of a mish-mash of other styles. In the same panel, different influences are apparent, but they seem to differ from character to character. Some of his work reminds me of Paul (Jack Staff) Grist's work, or Fred Hembeck's. Other characters look as though they were designed by Peter (Hate!) Bagge, and sometimes, I was reminded of James (Peanut Butter & Jeremy) Kolchalka's style. While the overall tone of the art is appropriately simple, given the underground quality of the property, it also comes off as inconsistent.
Randy:
Once again, we disagree. True, the art style is somewhat rough when you compare it to the more polished comics we're used to seeing, but you can't deny that Dawson has talent. His storytelling skills are right where they should be, and the similarities to the deliberate ugliness of Peter Bagge or Tony Consiglio can't be accidental. He's showing the uglier side of life here, and that is reflected in the artwork. The characters aren't deformed, but they are definitely on the wrong side of attractive, and it just seems so fitting given their personalities.
Don:
To the writers' credit, they're definitely tapping into real behavior here. I've known people like Vigliotti and his friends. The problem here is that these types of characters aren't interesting. They're annoying. There's no protagonist here, no one to cheer for. The characters' laziness, stupidity and base hedonistic natures alienate the reader. One could argue that all readers might be able to recognize himself (or a past incarnation) in these characters, and that's a fair comment. Unfortunately, it's not a reflection that one would welcome, I expect.
Randy:
It's been a while since you and I have disagreed this much about a comic in a Two in One review, I think. I laughed out loud at several moments in Gabagool!, including the rapid speed with which this group of friends seizes upon the most preposterous of proposals, such as becoming bounty hunters or going on a hedonistic trip to Jamaica. And honestly, while you're right that I wouldn't want to meet any of these folks in real life, I didn't have any real trouble relating to them enough to care about what was going on with them. They're so hapless and so clueless that I found a certain sympathy for them as they engage in poor decision after poor decision, even as their distasteful natures made it easy to enjoy the abuse that Dawson and Radtke heap upon them.
Don:
To be fair, though, Dawson and Radtke are really poking fun at those personalities, not praising them. They're not holding this lifestyle up as advisable in the least. If anything, the reader is left puzzled as to why the characters behave the way they do. They're stuck in a fantasy world. Their behavior here is definitely laughable, but it's just not funny either.
Randy:
Maybe it's just because I work in a comics and games shop and have seen people exactly like the folks in Gabagool! over and over again, but I found this very funny. I didn't have any real trouble believing these characters, nor did I find myself puzzled by their behavior. Social misfits aren't fun to deal with in real life, but they can provide for very entertaining comics, and that's what Gabagool! is. Gabagool! takes on the darker side of human nature and geek culture. It's a must-read for fans of Tony Consiglio's Double Cross or Evan Dorkin's Eltingville Club.
For more information on Gabagool!, visit
