Random Acts of Violence

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo

As much as I like Palmiotti and Gray on Jonah Hex, and as much as I enjoyed their previous collaboration with Caracuzzo, The Last Resort, they really hit it out of the park with this slim graphic novel.

This book is about two friends, Ezra and Todd, who are just breaking into the comic industry with their new title, Slasherman.  The comic is an over-intellectualized serial killer horror comic with some serious issues directed towards women.  It looks pretty ridiculous, but is somehow a huge hit.  The two friends head out on a signing tour of comic shops in the West, where they draw a lot of attention.

Much of that attention is negative though, as a string of bodies are discovered in their wake, all murdered using ideas from their comic, or directly making reference to it. 

What elevates the comic above its plot is the strength of Palmiotti and Gray's writing.  They weave in a lot of jokes and asides about the comics industry (I'm sure there are many I didn't even notice or understand), and they even tell the famous Mark Waid store signing story.

This is a really enjoyable graphic novel, and Caracuzzo's art works as well here as it did on Last Resort.  Great stuff, and at $7, a worthy purchase.