Felipe Smith’s PEEPO CHOO: VOLUME 1 is the strangest fucking thing. I mean that as a compliment, and if you take offense to the profanity in the previous sentence, do not read this book. It’s wonderfully filthy.
Imported from Japan and translated into English by the American author/artist, the manga is an odd mix of humor, crime, sex and violence that doesn’t quite gel yet, but promises to come together in VOLUME 2. Its protagonist is Milton, a black youth living on the rough side of Chicago. Unbeknownst to his family, he has a secret life that doesn’t jive with his rough-and-tumble neighborhood: dressing up as his favorite anime character, a Pokémon-like animal/thing from the show PEEPO CHOO.
Milton cleans toilets at his local comic book shop in exchange for figurines, all while wearing his stupid caped costume and infuriating the owner with his “happy dance” — a seemingly choreographed mishmash of bending, slapping and nonsense-spewing. It’s Milton’s dream to go to Japan and live among fellow PEEPO lovers, and he gets his chance when a contest is held at the shop for a free trip.
Meanwhile, seemingly unconnected subplots start to converge, including a masked serial killer and a huge-chested schoolgirl/model. Smith keeps you guessing on who exactly these people are and what they have to do with Milton, but any frustrations will be kept at bay by the over-the-top violence and sex scenes that are truly sexy.
For adventurous adults and lovers of the absurd, this R-rated series is one to jump aboard now. Smith’s situations are written to be supremely silly, and his delightful art sometimes explodes off the page. —Rod Lott
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