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Hectic Planet #2
Hectic Planet Vol. 2: Checkered Past
by Evan Dorkin
This trade collection of Evan Dorkin's first solo comics work follows the misadventures of the hardluck Jersey Devil smuggling crew as they try to make a dishonest day's pay in a near-future filled with crazed politicians, killer robots, psychotic mercenaries, gun-toting lowlifes, angry ex-girlfriends, berserk club bouncers, skanking rude boys, rowdy skinheads, and an entire world of drunken slob revelers celebrating the destruction of a neighboring planet.
This trade collection of Evan Dorkin's first solo comics work follows the misadventures of the hardluck Jersey Devil smuggling crew as they try to make a dishonest day's pay in a near-future filled with crazed politicians, killer robots, psychotic mercenaries, gun-toting lowlifes, angry ex-girlfriends, berserk club bouncers, skanking rude boys, rowdy skinheads, and an entire world of drunken slob revelers celebrating the destruction of a neighboring planet.
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1998
22 people want to read
About the author
Evan Dorkin
276 books143 followersEvan Dorkin is an American comics artist and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 5, 2011
BEFORE:
Decided it was time to read more Hectic Planet, and am currently totes excited as I wait for it in the mail. Looking forward to readin', reviewin' and shinin' some light on this book for Goodreads...and the world.
AFTER:
I'll admit, it's a little hard to get past the use of Comic Sans on the front cover -- but overall this was a much quicker read than vol 1. And a transitional read, too.
For the uninitiated, the Hectic Planet series (also called Pirate Corp$! in its original monthly-issue incarnation) is sort of sci fi meets Reality Bites--a spaceship full of intergalactic smugglers involved in equal parts space crime, relationship drama and 21st century ska/punk revivalism.
While vol 1, Dim Future, was a satiric but relatively straightfoward take on the sci-fi genre, Checkered Past slows the pace and strands the crew in Newark, NJ circa 2075. And while book 1's space opera vibe is complimented here with deeper backstory for the crew, most of this book is taken up with human teen crewmember Halby and his alien buddy Renensco, who use their time groundside to mope about girls, talk about bands, work part-time jobs and hang out at the supermarket.
Although Dorkin's art here is already in top form (and has been since early in volume 1), the insane humor that he sharpened in later books like Milk and Cheese and Bill and Ted's Excellent Comic Book is still developing. Midway through the book Dorkin starts taking over lettering duties, and although it might sound ridiculous this changes his writing greatly, making it braver and looser and more free to comment humorously about his stories in a self-deprecating style similar to that found in Tank Girl or Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.
Still, the series so far has not pushed past what I would call an intellectual curiousity rather than a must-read. For me, I'm just looking forward to vol 3, which is supposed to get, y'know, really weird.
Decided it was time to read more Hectic Planet, and am currently totes excited as I wait for it in the mail. Looking forward to readin', reviewin' and shinin' some light on this book for Goodreads...and the world.
AFTER:
I'll admit, it's a little hard to get past the use of Comic Sans on the front cover -- but overall this was a much quicker read than vol 1. And a transitional read, too.
For the uninitiated, the Hectic Planet series (also called Pirate Corp$! in its original monthly-issue incarnation) is sort of sci fi meets Reality Bites--a spaceship full of intergalactic smugglers involved in equal parts space crime, relationship drama and 21st century ska/punk revivalism.
While vol 1, Dim Future, was a satiric but relatively straightfoward take on the sci-fi genre, Checkered Past slows the pace and strands the crew in Newark, NJ circa 2075. And while book 1's space opera vibe is complimented here with deeper backstory for the crew, most of this book is taken up with human teen crewmember Halby and his alien buddy Renensco, who use their time groundside to mope about girls, talk about bands, work part-time jobs and hang out at the supermarket.
Although Dorkin's art here is already in top form (and has been since early in volume 1), the insane humor that he sharpened in later books like Milk and Cheese and Bill and Ted's Excellent Comic Book is still developing. Midway through the book Dorkin starts taking over lettering duties, and although it might sound ridiculous this changes his writing greatly, making it braver and looser and more free to comment humorously about his stories in a self-deprecating style similar to that found in Tank Girl or Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.
Still, the series so far has not pushed past what I would call an intellectual curiousity rather than a must-read. For me, I'm just looking forward to vol 3, which is supposed to get, y'know, really weird.
July 17, 2016
This is just a great series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews