INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Gun Fu: The Lost City #2

It’s been quite a few months since we saw the last installment of the adventures of hip-hop hero cop Cheng Bo Sen. But it’s well worth the wait, as writer/inker Howard Shum (of Indianapolis) and penciller Joey Mason are back and still on cracking form.

The second issue of this limited series sees Bo Sen battling Nazis in South America and seeking the affections of Jaguar Girl, who was raised in the jungle but is attracted to Bo Sen’s urbane hipness and dual pistols. In between, Bo Sen blows things up and dodges evil Nazi spider monkey plots.

Mason and Shum together bring a tight, surreal art style that draws on both manga and American influences for a decidedly unique look. They can carry off a broad array of emotions and exaggerated intent with just a few carefully chosen lines on each face. Shum’s scripting continues to combine expert timing with a sense of the absurd and ridiculous. And for absolutely no reason I can discern, the hip-hop speak in 1937 cracks me up every single time.

This issue available with two covers: Shum/Mason and an eye-catching Alberto Riaz limited edition that exhibits some sharp design sense as well. Both are available at local comic shops or at Shum’s Web site, www.howardshum.com.

With Mason’s dense art style packing tons of imagery into every page and Shum’s script guaranteeing a laugh a panel, it’s still the best comic entertainment $3.50 can buy. On top of all this, the book has Nazi spider monkey hybrids who shoot stuff out of their butts. How cool is that?