Afrodisiac

by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca

The character of Afrodisiac really stood out when he appeared in Rugg and Maruca's classic Street Angel series, and returning to the character in this slim hardcover was a really good idea.

This book is designed (brilliantly, I might add) as a series of excerpts from the lengthy publishing history of Afrodisiac, a blaxploitation character who supposedly had comics, cartoons, and toys based on his adventures through the seventies and into the early eighties.  Afrodisiac is a super-pimp, with a large stable of girls to watch over.

In the different comics, designed to mimic different styles from that era, his origin always changes.  What remains constant is that he's one cool badass.

What I like about this book is the amount of time and effort put into its aesthetics.   Pages are artificially yellowed, and Rugg works in a number of different styles.  There is very little substance to the book; it's all flash, and that's exactly what it's supposed to be.  This is one hell of a cool book.