8FOLD/ACRA: Jolt City # 19, "The Little League of Doom!" (1/3)

[Andrew Perron]

Okay, didn't read this when it first came out due to flailing around
attempting to stuff everything I could into an already-too-big review
issue.  So, my reaction now:

This was *intense*.  Far more so than the shock deaths, rapes, tortures,
and so on of comics nowadays are.  And indeed, the intensity came not from
any of the transgressive acts characters took but from what went on inside
their heads.

It's interesting how it mixed optimism with pessimism.  Personally, I've
never been a fan of Lord of the Flies, nor of any of the various works
inspired by it (seriously, why does everyone love Battle Royale so much?);
they always seem like they're making this Big Important Statement About The
True Nature of Humanity that could be short-circuited by having one decent
person with a spine around.  But in this case, it was clear that the
problem *was* that this group didn't have one decent person with a spine
around; the Green Knight himself exists as counterexample (as, in a way,
does Docrates himself). I did think the screwing-over by the legal system
was a bit too thorough, mind, but that's a minor point.

Also, I'm kinda disappointed that there were no actual super-powered
softball games in the issue.  Ah well. ``

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, good stuff.