Off The Shelf: Take A Joke

Volume #3 of the notorious Angry Youth Comix serves up some of the most pointedly politically incorrect strips from Johnny's Ryan's work - including the infamous "Rape Tank" bit from Angry Youth Comix Vol. 2 #14 plus Loady, Sinus, Waqi Iraqi and the whole demented gang.

Artist Johnny Ryan's Angry Youth Comix was originally self-published and released as a series of ten issues from 1994 to 1999. In 1998, Ryan's work came to the attention of Peter Bagge, creator of Hate comics, who introduced the material to Eric Reynolds of Fantagraphics where the series was picked up and published by Fantagraphics starting in 2001.

This 160 page color and black and white collection also features some of Ryan's more bizarre ventures into talking condiments, sci-fi ass assassination (it exists), time machines and even horror - which for the record has always been a pretty strong component of his work.


References:

• Wikipedia, The Angry Yutes
• Johnny Ryan, Angry Youth Comix
• Hyper Geek, Johnny Ryan's Take A Joke

Off The Shelf: Strange Tales

Marvel's long anticipated indie take on super-powered heroes arrived on book store shelves in March of 2010. This unique and humorous three-part series is now available in one hard bound collection with Strange Tales II w/Gene Yang due out April 6th of this year.

The first collection features Peter Bagge's The Incorrigible Hulk whose story Bagge describes in a 2009 interview with Sean Collins of Marvel.com as "... about both the Hulk and Bruce Banner trying to cope with their many issues via the use of modern pharmacology, in the form of head pills, Viagra, etc. Needless to say, wackiness ensues." The comedy gold that Bagge is not pointing out is the cover art of the Hulk arriving in cramped dress shoes at his date's door step with a pained expression on his face and a heart-shaped container of Valentine's Day candy tucked under one arm.

Blogfoot favorites Johnny Ryan (Angry Youth Comix, Prison Pit and Blecky Yuckerella) and James Kolchalka (American Elf) also are featured in Strange Tales as Dr. Strange records a gangsta rap album, the Hulk goes out on a date and Spidey and Doc Ock get into a drunken bar brawl. What more could any body want? $30.00 gets you the the entire set at Amazon.



References:

• Marvel.com, Bagge Talks Strange Tales
• Again With The Comics, The Incorrigible Hulk
• Bloody Cool, Incorrigible Hulk Gets Marvel Stamp

Off The Shelf: Comics Are For Idiots!

Johnny Ryan lovingly demonstrates his life-long respect and admiration for comics.

Los Angeles based comic artist Johnny Ryan's regurgitation of vapid pop culture comes in the form of a heartless send-up of indentity with his character Blecky Yuckerella who exists at the opposite end of a Cover Girl ad and tackles sexual dysfunction by turning a humble father into a robotic "Rape Tank" in his comic Angry Youth Comics published by Seattle based Fantagraphics.

All of Ryan's work is a genuine reflection of the callous perversity of mainstream American culture. It's the style that makes his work so biting and hilarious as men are comedically crippled, friends and family suddenly turn viciously rabid while medical professionals indulge in sadistic thrills while they are supposed to be doing their jobs.



References:

• Johnny Ryan.com, Weekly Strip
• Spray Blog, Johnny Ryan Interview