In the opening remarks to Yung’s latest volume of collected comic strips, the author grants permission for his illustrations to be used for the purpose of tattooing. This signals a quantum leap forward for the comic tattoo lexicon. No longer are we limited to “TAZ” and the “Hot Stuff” devil, we now have ‘toon characters for the thinkin’ person. I recommend getting a full, six-panel strip inked directly onto the cranium. You could take your pick from one of the many pages that ooze that potent cocktail of irony and ennui. Choose one in which the main characters humorously spurn change and self-improvement at all costs. People would read your tattoo and say: “that’s WAY funnier than the Tazmanian Devil.” It’s funny because Brad Yung is funny, but it’s also funny because now you’re stuck with his two goofballs characters, and they are going to stay there for the rest of your life. (Jon Sasaki)
comic, #8, 28 pages, Brad Yung, $2, P.O. Box 30007, Parkgate North, Vancouver, BC, V7H 2Y8