American Caper #2 is written by Dan Houser and published by Dark Horse Comics. Artwork is by David Lapham, colours by Lee Loughridge and letters by Nate Piekos. Main cover art (left) is by Tyler Boss.
American Caper #2 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
Verona, Wyoming is rattled by a murder, a van crash of smuggled immigrants, and three escaped fugitives on the run. William visits Marty Blowman, the erratic, HGH-swilling billionaire turned cowboy, who reveals a little too much of his insecurities. Meanwhile, Orson violates his Mormon oath in Mexico, seeks redemption, and finds his wife at home baking pie for a concerning visitor.
Review
After a truly bonkers first issue, this second instalment picks up right where we left off…with Orson having just bashed Brayton Jennings’ skull open with a shovel.
With this second issue, Houser uses the unique scenarios in which Orson and William find themselves to peel back the layers and reveal who they truly are. Orson, for instance, spends most of the issue paranoid after having killed a man and worrying about maintaining the pristine, Mormon husband image he has set for himself. As he attempts to reconcile with his actions, we are shown the previous acts of debauchery and murder he has committed, which reveal even more about his true intentions and how he secretly continues to break out of the norm.
William, on the other hand, has had enough of his repugnant family not turning out as picture-perfect as he’d hoped and proceeds to drown his troubles at a casino while en route to see an erratic billionaire by the name of Marty Blowman. The encounter quickly gets uncomfortable for William as he realises he may be turning into a ‘middle-aged pervert’ and is met by Marty’s unusually long scrotum upon arrival. Houser tries to get every bit of awkwardness out of this meeting, and it works. You feel bad for William, despite him being the pushover he is, and you despise the arrogance of Marty with every word that comes out of his mouth.
On top of Houser’s brutally cynical writing is the artwork, which once again reinforces and exaggerates the stereotypes of modern America in a grotesque manner. Nowhere is this better exemplified than with Tyler Boss’s red, white, and blue cover. Of course, David Lapham’s artwork within the comic itself continues to bring the detailed and vile behaviours of these characters to the forefront as well.
The fake, page-sized adverts make a return, breaking up the growing insanity with these hilariously over-the-top ads for casinos and cowboy experiences that may involve ‘live round shootouts’. This time, the adverts are placed more strategically, setting up a location or product relevant to the story that one of the characters is about to interact with. For example, the Lucky Stars casino resort ad comes immediately before William goes overboard, losing all of his money on blackjack and gorging himself on buffalo hot wings.
American Caper continues to balance the gross with the compelling. Our incredibly flawed protagonists make for some humorous interactions, whilst the intense visuals bring everything to life in vivid fashion. As with issue one, if you’re not prepared for how unsettling and vulgar this series is obviously willing to go, then this definitely isn’t for you…but for everyone else, you’re in for a wild ride.
Verdict
Issue 2 doubles down on the unfiltered depravity established from the start. As the plot threads start to unravel and tensions boil under the surface, Houser continues to have as much fun as he can within this vulgar and violent playground he has created.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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