Exterminators: Insurgency

Written by Simon OliverCover by Philip Bond Art by Tony Moore, Chris Samnee & Ande Parks In this stunning volume collecting THE EXTERMINATORS #6-10, Henry and Stretch get an emergency call to dispose of a black widow that's been terrorizing the local S&M club. But what they encounter will change the course of their newfound mission. Advance-solicited; on sale March 7 - 128 pg, FC, $12.99 US - MATURE READERS

Henry, Stretch and Kevin, exterminators with the Bug-Bee-Gone company ("here to mop up nature's little mishaps"), are called in to handle an infestation at a literary brothel where clients pay to act out fantasies from Burroughs, Kafka and Carroll. But the problem is much larger, as tens of millions of roachlike critters begin coursing through the sewers and taking over electrical plants. The final showdown between the exterminators and the bugs is typical of the book's outstanding dialogue, as the three partners engage in lengthy conversations about world religion while stomping through the "crap bisque" of a city sewer. The bug story (which incorporates Egyptology and allegory about the war in Iraq) weaves through Henry's deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend, Kevin's after-hours job as a pro wrestler in a seedy fight club and a particularly well-done interlude where three major characters visit their respective mothers for advice. The color palette is appropriately dark and grimy; this is evidently a world where the sun seldom shines and when it does, it does so harshly. Artists Moore, Samnee and Parks use closeups to powerful effect and the scenes involving the army of bugs maximize the squirm factor. (Mar.)
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From the morbidly hilarious Bug Brothers (2006), The Exterminators settles into what would be, if it were a fantasy trilogy, a second-book slump. There's development aplenty as hero Henry James and corporate-ladder-climbing Laura break up, get involved with others, and each, as well as Henry's newbie (who works in a private library fronting a fantasy-fulfillment brothel for literary erotomanes), consults Mom. Meanwhile, the mutant roaches attack L.A.'s civilizational support systems, starting with convenience stores. Oliver's revolting black humor and Tony Moore's nasty art aren't as exuberant this time. Maybe they'll regain the gusto in the third arc. Ray Olson
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