Comic by Johnny Ryan, Buenaventura Press, $14.95

Johnny Ryan makes the kind of comics that would make even the mighty Charles Manson shake his head disapprovingly, and I tell you this not as a warning but with a real sense of awe and wonder.  His latest release tackles the canon of literature, leaving only tattered remains behind that will stick with you for the rest of your life.  Nothing is off bounds, no joke is too disturbing or un-P.C.  Even the most hardened fan will find something to cringe at, but getting turned off by the content would be to miss out on the sense of glee that prevails as Ryan takes every page in a strange and totally unexpected direction.  If Hasil Adkins had been into Iggy Pop and the Stooges instead of Elvis and was raised in the suburbs instead of the hills, this is what his Freshman Literature Survey notebook would have looked like.  That’s assuming that for this example Hasil Adkins drew instead of played guitar and went to college instead of ruminating all day about hot dogs and decapitation.  Anyway.  If you think you’ve seen it all, go to Hell you pretentious freak.  If you like to laugh and have an open mind, check out this book.