by Randy Lander

BLACK HEART BILLY TP Recommended (8/10) AIT/Planet Lar Writer/Artists: Rick Remender, Kieron Dwyer & Harper Jaten Price: $12.95 US Black Heart Billy is a shot of punk sensibilities with a nonsense chaser, and it fits right in with the publisher who gave us Sky Ape and the creator who gave us Lowest Comic Denominator. Black Heart Billy is unquestionably lewd, crude and foul. It is also, not coincidentally, hilariously funny, filled with pop culture references, wild ideas and the terrific artwork of Dwyer, Jaten and Remender. This is almost like a less sketch-oriented and slightly (slightly) more plot-oriented version of LCD. At the very least, you've got to credit Rick Remender, Harper Jaten and Dwyer for doing something different. In the course of this graphic novel, Jerry Garcia teams up with Hitler and another surprising guest star (sort of), a futuristic virtual skating competition comes off, a record store is nearly blown up and the sanctity of public toilets is defended. It's all a little scattershot, more a collection of short stories than one continuous story, but it's a lot of fun and it's wildly original. While not as over-the-top offensive as Dwyer's Lowest Comic Denominator, this is written in a manner calculated to earn angry letters and scorn from some. On the other hand, it may just appeal to real teenagers, the kind who live for profanity, the "street" culture and outrageous actions. It's a comic that would appeal outside the comics market, to fans of things like South Park and Jackass. The creators make plenty of references to pop and punk culture, and though it is sometimes (even mostly) gratuitous, it helps to establish the tone of the book, as something that spurns pop culture on one hand and embraces it from the other. Black Heart Billy really embraces the ultra-violence, as Billy beats up hippies, pacifists, the occasional Nazi, whiny kids... did I mention hippies? There is a love of the absurd that comes in and makes the violence palatable, as it's hard to be offended or grossed out when the violence involves the severed head of Jerry Garcia being used as a weapon or when the victims of Billy's violence are so clearly deserving of it. Billy is an antisocial psychopath in many ways, but the "villains" of the piece represent the worst aspects of conformity, whether it's Nazis, would-be gangsta rappers or (in one of the book's funniest sequences) Jehovah's witnesses. Dwyer has a gift for physical comedy and humorous design as well. The "official Nazi Flashback" page borders were hilarious, and the outrageous depiction of the sixties, the combination deadhead/nazi symbol on the Jerry tank, and the hippie version of Blackheart Billy were all very imaginative and demented. There's also a lot of energy in the sequences, including Billy getting his head bounced all over the place. The art style changes throughout the book as well, even though it's the same three artists. As an example, Harper Jaten's work on "Black Billy 2099" is reminiscent of Bill Sienkiewicz, quite a contrast to his clean lines and detail on "Better Off Dead." Though the book is a lot of fun throughout, for me the most entertaining part is the lead story, which is actually plot-driven as much as gag-driven, and ends with a tribute to cheesy 80s comedy movies that I love so much. Black Heart Billy may indeed be one of the most twisted and funny things that I'll read all year. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.