On the front of Crumple it
warns “For Mature Readers” and it’s easy to understand why; this science
fiction story features sex, pornographic videos, aliens, violence, and
slime. But it might be argued that it
should equally warn “For Immature Readers,” because it will appeal mostly to
those with a sick sense of humor who revel in the fetid, disgusting, angry, and
pathetic sides of life. In 110 pages,
Dave Cooper creates a whole dystopian world in which everyone is covered with
zits, boils and rashes, and most people are preoccupied with their search for
sex and drugs. I have to admit it’s an
impressive feat, even though I found it pretty hard to follow the plot. But then I doubt that the plot is really
what it’s all about. Cooper’s great
strength is in depicting a revolting oozing texture, and he has an ability to
convey that texture that supercedes that of any other comparable artist. These pages are reminiscent of the seedy
futuristic underworlds in the movies Bladerunner
and Total
Recall, except of course that, being a comic, this is able to be even
more fantastic and weird. There’s a
limited number of people Crumple will appeal to, but I’m guessing that
among that among that group, most of them will be overcome with delight at the
witty repulsiveness of Cooper’s creation.

Links:

• Fantagraphics Books.
• Artist’s website.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography, Fiction