Daydream Lullabies Billy Dogma Experience

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In a superhero parody that is both funny and smart, Haspiel's new graphic novel introduces Billy Dogma, the gun-toting antihero of Trip City, a place where "trafficking in an unsolicited belief system" and "daydreaming of a better tomorrow" are considered crimes. Cursed with a comically libertarian social consciousness, Billy Dogma is an urban everyman, hammered into conformity by the relentless need to pay the rent. Torn between the rewards of a paycheck and quality time with his girlfriend, Jane Legit, Dogma's forays into the work force are invariably comic and utterly in vain. He's fired, time and again, for humorously inappropriate radical exhortations, imploring his complacent co-workers (at the diner, factory or thrift shop) to rise up and demand rest breaks or a medical and dental plan. Dogma eventually turns to petty burglary, and the reader meets his nemesis, the Under-Color Police and a wacky collection of villains that includes the Human Barcode, a savage evaluator of moral net value. Comix fans will find this a memorable and quirky commentary on contemporary life, complete with zany dialogue, social insight and earnest "advice" to the lovelorn. Haspiel's black and white drawings are boldly rendered and packed with action and slapstick comedy. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.