Bogey 2

    (Ghura Comix, 2004)
™ and © 2004 Antonio Ghura

Tapping the vein of such underground luminaries as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton, Antonio Ghura’s Bogey helps put the “X” back in comix. The second issue of this adults-only series is raunchy, sexually explicit, and highly sacrilegious, but, like Shelton’s work and much of Crumb’s output, it maintains an infectiously giddy sense of humor that makes the material palpable for those who can separate entertainment from personal belief systems — and from reality in general. In other words, Bogey is funny and entertaining, but it’s not the kind of comic book to bring home to Momma.

In addition to sharing basic sensibilities with Crumb and Shelton, Ghura draws a bit like them, as well. The “Jesus” character looks as though he could have stepped out of the pages of Fat Freddy’s Cat, and big-lipped Leroy in the “Joe” strip is essentially a Crumb character incarnate. What Bogey lacks in comparison is a likable recurring character, such as Crumb’s Mr. Natural or Shelton’s Freewheelin’ Franklin.

Fans of true underground comix will want to “bogart” Bogey.

— Brett Weiss
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