Ellis' Very Graphic Novel
Tuesday, August 07, 2007 1:34 PM
Last week while at the local supermarket buying some kibble for my faithful furry companion, I noticed with some dismay that the latest edition of the
Betty & Veronica Double Digest sported some troubling cover art. The whimsical Archie Comics style, which hasn't changed much since
Bob Montana created the squeaky clean tribe of Riverdale teens back in 1941, had been modernized with a new and generic look. Immediately, I detected the stench of death upon this venerable pop cultural institution and for a brief moment, it saddened me. Then I snapped out of it and remembered that I like the morally ambiguous, artistically daring and roundly badass end of the genre, which writer/creators like Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan,
Desolation Jones) exemplify.
Ellis' work has often touched upon dystopian visions of society, sexual deviance and of course, graphic ultraviolence. He's also worked with major Marvel and DC characters and is increasingly one of the most in-demand creative forces in the comics business. That's why when it was announced that his debut novel, Crooked Little Vein, was being released, I was very hopeful Ellis would return to his roots and shower us with the sort of filth that we haven't seen since, well, Grant Morrison's The Filth. Let's just say when he rolled out the Godzilla Bukkake party half-way through the first act, it was apparent Ellis had not strayed far from his established areas of expertise.
In short, Crooked Little Vein is the story of a private eye tasked with recovering a lost artifact for a corrupt U.S. government official. This item has the power to return America to the supposedly sexually vanilla hey day prior to the 1960's but has of course fallen into the hands of the very deviants it's pseudo-mystical properties are supposed to nullify. The story that follows presents a cross-section of the sexual underworld through which Ellis' protagonist much pursue his prize. The case leads from New York across the heartlands of the U.S. to Los Angeles, with a new brand of kink waiting across every state line, under every stone and around every corner. It's written in an observational, quickly paced way and lingers just long enough on the nasty bits of the story to be genuinely affecting. It's not perfect and is more than a little over the top, but as a first novel it is a solid success.
However, the squeamish would do well to avoid this business and then head over to Pop Tate's for an ice cream float. Just don't question what that wierdo Jughead is really into and everything will be fine. Just fine.