BLACK KISS 2 REVIEWED

The year is 1988 and the comic company, because this was the Eighties when anyone with money could publish a book, was Vortex. Howard Chaykin, who at the point had attracted a great deal of attention with his work on AMERICAN FLAGG, TIME 2, BLACKHAWK, THE SHADOW and numerous turns for Atlas, Star Reach, DC, Marvel and others. But in 1988, he turned BLACK KISS loose onto the comics world and the comics world was never going to be the same again. It quickly became one of the most controversial comics of the period, featuring offending language along with explicit sex and violence that had only been seen before in the world of true underground comix like THE CHECKERED DEMON, SKULL, DEATH RATTLE and FRITZ THE CAT. It was so offensive that Vortex’ regular printer refused to print the book and they were forced to find another printer. Retailers feared they might be busted on charges of pandering obscenity. In response, Vortex had the books bagged to keep casual readers from browsing them.

Twenty four years later and Chaykin has written the prequel. Image Comics is presenting the six issue mini-series entitled BLACK KISS 2. To understand what may be going on there, I have to present a brief synopsis of the legendary 12 issue maxi-series.

The series takes place in L.A. during the Eighties. Dagmar Laine, the apparent lesbian lover(actually a transsexual prostitute) of former 1950′s film star Beverly Grove, is searching for a reel of film from the Vatican’s pornography collection. The reel, which stars Beverly, has been sent to Father Frank Murtaugh and the reel is stolen by a nun before Dagmar can get her/his hands on it. The nun is planning on using the film to gain extortion money from Beverly. The pair proceed to convince a jazz musician named Cass Pollack to steal the film and get him an alibi. Apparently, Pollack is hunted by the Mafia, and the police. Pollack gets a book about a mysterious Order of Bonniface. He then ends up in a funeral parlor with a bunch of celebrities engaging in some unusual ritualistic acts. It seems the Order revolves around the beginnings of the movie industry and worship a Twenties film star by the name of Charles 'Bubba' Kenton who was married to Beverly Grove, became a vampire, and forced her to give away their daughter Sophie. 

Everyone wants the reel. The Order want it because it stars Beverly and Bubba and tghey can convince her to turn them into vampires(did I mention she’s a vampire too?) And Beverly wants it so she can hide it from the world. We also learn the nun from the beginning of the tale is actually Beverly's granddaughter.

This was one of the kinkiest, weirdest hardcore books of all time. A perverse noir styled story, it featured gang rape, transsexuals, sex with the dead and enough peculiar oral sex for a lifetime. And guess what: BLACK KISS 2 looks to be even as kinky and weird. 

 It begins at the turn of the century with a Nickelodeon appearing in the middle of a New York City street. In the prjectionsit booth, Abe Gelbfein and Rose O’Malley are havimg dirty, foul mouthed sex. But that’s not all. The audience in that theatre is attacked by a Succubus that has sex with everyone in every orifice. Because it’s about the seduction of the cinema. And then, the audience leaves and the theatre disappears. Thus ends Chapter One.

The Second Chapter is on the Titanic. And we get to swee  right as it’s about to hit the berg and go down like a sissy. We follow Charles ‘Bubba’ Kenton as he’s trying to lose his virginity and get venereal disease in the process.  But before he can do the deed, the ship starts to go down and he gets visited by the Succubus who, proceeds to rape him. He gets off, literally, and lives to make a movie(refer to BLACK KISS 1)

Howard Chaykin has once again decided to tear apart the envelope of good taste. In this first issue he introduces horny characters, a sex starved demon, a fully exposed prostitute (on the Titanic? Really?!) and throws out so many racist, stereotypical nicknames that I thought we were back in non P.C. times. While his artistic ability has diminished over the years, and some of the panels look to be no more than pencil sketches passing themselves off as finished art, Chaykin still proves he can get dirty with the best of them. For me to say this book is not for everyone would be a gross understatement. This book isn’t for 90% of the comic readers out there (over the age of 18). But for those few who venture down this rocky back road, realize that the answer to a twenty year mystery will finally be revealed.