The Big Book of Bad

    (Paradox, 1998)
™ and © Paradox Press

The definition of the word “bad” spans a myriad of insinuations, from truly evil to simply banal. Their only commonality is that they are all negative, except for the slang usage where the opposite is meant. But writer Jonathan Vance, (this time using a trio of assistants), concentrates on the traditional meaning in this, the thirteenth in the Big Book series from Paradox Press.

In the “truly evil” category there is the architect of the Nazi’s “Final Solution,” Heinrich Himmler, the depraved emperors of ancient Rome, as well as various serial killers. For the “simply banal” Vance highlights poet Rod McKuen and real estate tycoon, William Levitt, who instituted tract housing and the homogenized appearance of the suburbs. In-between are all manner of sad, silly, stupid and tragic individuals illustrated as usual, by a variety of comics’ top artists. Remarkably, fictional villains like Professor Moriarty, Lady Macbeth and Dracula are also included as if the annals of humanity do not contain an adequate of amount of evil.

— George Haberberger
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist