So, I am cheating on Darkhorse to allow for a little bit of independent comic recognition. Readers of my column/blogs/opinions/rants often hear about my “comic book making pals” who mock me for my non-repentance of capes and tights. Let’s see what one of them makes, shall we? Advanced warning… ALL of his content is of a VERY strong sexual nature and should not be read by kids.
Robin Enrico and I have been friends for quite some time. He loves wrestling, video games, raunchy sex and punk rock. He draws and writes comics that exemplify this. He has written two volumes of “Jam in the Band” that revolve around the trials and tribulations of an all female band called “Pitch Girl” and is currently working on a third. He introduced a character named “Becky Vice” who is a rock star, sex columnist, former professional wrestling “manager” (and eye patch wearer) among other things, through the “Jam in the Band” series.
Short synopsis: In “Life of Vice”, Becky takes center stage and is being interviewed by a character named Shelby Ambrose, who works for Rocking Roll magazine. The two ladies are on a road trip to Las Vegas and on the way, the naive reporter learns the life of a rock star. Why does Becky need to get to Vegas? Why, to host the annual pornography awards, of course. Shelby is exposed to the wilder side of life, where Becky is forced to confront some of the more sensitive feelings she has seemingly avoided.
The story line in itself is NOT FOR CHILDREN! I can’t emphasize this enough, because the cartoonish-manga style artwork screams out that it is kid friendly. It’s not. Trust me. There are pictures of Becky Vice wearing strap-ons, dancing on poles and the like. I’m definitely not trying to sound prudish, but I think that there are certain elements that must be age appropriate. It’s like “Adult Swim” or “Archer”… they’re cartoons, sure, but they’re not meant to be watched with your bowl of Lucky Charms on a Saturday morning. As for the art itself, it’s fun to look at because there are lots of things on every single page that are entertaining.
The artwork itself is a fun change of pace. It reminds us of how truly adult something that is labeled “for kids” can be. Enrico breaks out of the traditional style of using panels in this series and uses the entire page to express the points of the characters and the ride to Vegas. The only foreseeable issue with this is, at times I had to read a page twice because I felt I read it in the wrong order. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a pretty fun ride. There are also pictures of Becky Vice that are drawn by guest artists Kiki Jones and Jeseka Hickey.
Something that I love, which hardly anyone outside of the realm of indy comics ventures to do, is that Enrico actually speaks to his audience. He writes a little commentary after each issue, explaining where he was coming from and where he is going. He announces that he is going back to “Jam in the Band” after the trilogy and explains why he gave himself a break from the series. He explains why he ditches the panels and goes for a full page approach. How many artists do you know give you an explanation of why they are doing what they are doing? I don’t. (Read my column, enjoy or die.) He also discusses his influences and gives a list of “extra curricular reading” to give background on where he’s coming from. That’s a really rare and awesome thing. He places a great deal of emphasis on the “Gonzo” journalism of Hunter S. Thompson.
Check out his work, it’s affordable and available everywhere. He also has his own website at www.robinenrico.com.
