Black Kiss 2 #2 (of 6)

After last issue’s whole Titanic fiasco, “Bubba” spreads his demon seed to the lovely ladies of Hollywood, by making silent pornographic movies. Sadism & debauchery ensues. * (Couldn’t find any decent pics of issue #2, so I used the cover for issue #1)

The Team

Written, illustrated, inked & coloured by Howard Chaykin (Wolverine & Nick Fury : Scorpio, Blackhawk Book 1 : Blood & Iron, Power & Glory). Published by Image Comics

The Pros

Where to I begin. By the time you read this, this issue has been banned in the U.K. & Canada, so good luck getting your hands on a copy. Right now, a digital issue is your best bet. Although there are no warnings on the cover, I’d like to point out that this comic is for adults only for its graphic depictions of sex, masochism, sodomy, violence & foul language. I’m not a prude or anything, I just think people ought to know. From what I can figure, Bubba is a man who’s been violated by a twisted she-man demon and proceeds to spread his evil “seed” throughout the land with every passing era. The characters are selfish pompous asses (who incidentally have several uses for them) and have insatiable sexual appetites and one particular character is obsessed with the size of his member. To all the male readers, one particular sex moment will have you cringe in your seat and cross your legs. I kid you not. The illustrations look better than ever, Chaykin’s at the top his game. He’s the kind of penciller who’s artwork you recognise immediately.

Writer & illustrator Howard Chaykin’s been around the comic book block for years and this is his much anticipated and now controversial sequel to the first Black Kiss series. I never collected that first series, but I remember when issue #1 came out. It was sealed with a plastic bag with drawings on it so you couldn’t see the cover and it was labelled for adult readers only. Now fast forward almost 25 years later, flying under Image Comic’s wing, no bag & no warnings. Would it still have been banned packaged like the original? Who knows? I know what Chaykin must be thinking right now. “I went to Image Comics as a creator owned company, because that’s what creators do, only to have Diamond Distributors cancel the distribution of Black Kiss 2 #2” (and probably the rest of the series). So let me get this straight, the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy novels can be bought in any bookstore, purchased online, downloaded or even borrowed through your local library without so much as a warning on the cover, but one independent black & white comic gets banned in a few countries and people go ape shit. Hypocritical to say the least. Grant it, there's no bestiality in Fifty Shades Of Gray, but they're both literature right? You get what I'm saying.

The Cons

Personally I didn’t enjoy this issue, it didn’t offend me in any way, it just flat out bored me. Now I’ve appreciated Chaykin’s work in the past, but this didn’t do it for me at all. But I respect & admire the man for making a comic book that he believes in and I don’t judge anyone else for reading it. It’s just not my bag.

The Outcome

With the current controversy surrounding this series, this issue will no doubt be a “hot” item and it’s going price will rise considerably. Will it hurt or help Howard Chaykin’s series? Only time will tell.