[DEPT. OF FULL DISCLOSURE:
I know Jon Lennon, Leo Perez, and Josh Filer, and I consider them
friends. That said, I do not give out
favorable reviews due to bias. Luckily,
I’ve never had to trash a friend yet. I
think that’s because I’m really good at meeting and befriending talented
people.]
This is it. After
years of tormenting Chicago
conventions, PRODUCT OF SOCIETY has reached the end. This is the last issue. Creator Jon Lennon has been at this since
2007, and now he’s ready to move on to new projects. Does he go out on a high note?
As with the last few issues, this one is an anthology, a
primer for anyone who wants to peruse Artists Alley. He starts this one out with a story written
and illustrated by him called “At a Trailer Park.” A bunch of rednecks hang out in a trailer
park as one of them boasts that he finally got his chick pregnant. The baby, sadly, looks like a flipper-handed
alien. Oh yeah, and Jesus is hovering
around over this guy’s trailer, and He is pissed. As usual, Lennon is grotesque and offensive
as all hell, and he comes armed with awesome lines like, “My grandma taught me
to fuck like a stoned giraffe,” and “He shit out a black hole!” Where can you go wrong?
Next up is Josh Filer’s “Boar Semen Extender,” which was
reviewed here.
The third story is Leo Perez’s “The Hidden Truth,” about a
spaceman in the future who discovers that L. Ron Hubbard—sorry, El-Ron—is still
alive. He’s been feeding off Thetans and
living on the outskirts of Venus, where his head as gotten really fucking
large. Of course, the spaceman has a
plan . . . . Seriously, you can’t go
wrong with a story that not just makes fun of Scientology, but also tears it to
pieces.
The fourth story is “Consume,” written and illustrated by
Thor Fjalarsson. It’s a rather
unsettling story about how corporations ruthlessly use their employees. A boss calls one of his employees into his
office not to fire him, but, well, read the story and see for yourself. That last page is fucking intense.
“Alien-Zombie-Vampires . . . from CANADA !!!” is probably the weakest
story in the book. Written and
illustrated by Ray Wegner, it tells of the Canadian invasion of America , in particular Chicago .
It would seem that Canadian scientists managed to put together a hybrid
of the three titular monsters, which they used to take down Chicago .
The problem is, this isn’t much of a story. It seems like a prologue to something
bigger. The art’s pretty cool, though.
The last story, “Ailment,” is written by Lennon and
illustrated by Alexis Moulds. It seems
to be about the deconstruction of beauty.
Surely, those who read Lennon’s work aren’t used to cute deer, birds,
and squirrels in his work, but never fear.
It doesn’t last long. A young
girl frolics in the forest with her woodland creatures, but something is
amiss. What happens is brutal and
gorgeous. Check out that last
panel. It’s the perfect way to end the
final book in the series.
Be sure to check out PRODUCT OF SOCIETY #6. Lennon says maybe someday the title will come
back in a much different form, but for now, this is the end of one of the
finest series Artists Alley has produced.
Buy it before it goes out of print.
PRODUCT OF SOCIETY #6
Written and illustrated by various artists
Published by CheeseLord Comics
24 pages
$3.99
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