Ragmop

January 15, 2007 | Trades

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Ragmop
Rob Walton
Planet Lucy Press
$29.95 US (Paperback)
**** (out of five)

The beauty of the biting satire that is Ragmop is that you don’t have to agree with the views expressed to appreciate the divine delivery of the argument.
Toronto writer/illustrator Rob Walton blends homage to the classic comic books of his childhood with left-wing politics and nearly every conspiracy theory involving economics, history, science and religion to create something hilarious, action-packed and thought provoking.
It doesn’t matter whether you agree that:
— There is a secret society that actually runs the planet in place of elected governments.
— Capitalism and democracy are really shams.
— The C.I.A. is behind almost every major assassination of the 20th century.
— The U.S. government began the U.F.O. conspiracy.
— Dinosaurs evolved from fish.
— Quentin Tarantino is a genius.
In fact, this book might be better if you don’t.
The plot sees would-be villainess Alice Hawkings racing around the globe, and then the galaxy, in search of a device of God-like power. Of course, something like that attracts the powers-that-be of the world, including politicians, religious leaders, angels, devils and everyone in between in what becomes a sometimes-slapstick battle for power.
Originally begun as a serialized comic series in the mid-1990s, Ragmop has been revamped using current-day politics and societal issues. The transition is nearly seamless — a tribute to Walton’s skill as a graphic storyteller — and this now-completed volume is sure to become an underground classic.

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