Quagmire, U.S.A. (2nd Series)

(Antarctic, 2004)
™ and ©2004 Rod Espinosa

The small town of Quagmire is home to Ninja High School and the new student exchange program with the Japanese city of Hokkaido. Swapping places with the American teen-ager Lexus, the boy Bento is eager to spar with his new friends at Anna Feeple’s martial arts dojo.

At the Salusian Embassy, the home for representatives from alien races, Mrs. Feeple recruits the boisterous Bento to rescue her son Ricky, trapped in another dimension. As Tomorrow Girl volunteers for the mission, Feeple gets a letter from Ricky, who claims his situation is dire.

A light-spirited riff on familiar anime and SF, this series hopes to attract readers who wish to see a little more of themselves in contemporary comics. However, for those unfamiliar with the characters and plots of this slice of the American manga universe, this story unfortunately is a swamp, bogged down by extended references, inside jokes, and a dizzying queue of cast members. If its density had been diluted, Quagmire would have been easier to down.

— Oliver Chin

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