by Jayden Leggett, Editor

One of the very first things that greets visitors to the Milk Shadow Books website is the headline that reads “Australian publisher and seller of alternative comics and books”. “Alternative comics” is probably the quickest way to describe Yuck! Number Seven, a book that is disgusting, deranged, dirty, depraved, disturbed… and actually rather brilliant.

Published by Aussie company Milk Shadow Books, Yuck! Number Seven is a large collection of short black and white comic stories and artwork by a slew of different talented creators. The vast majority of these short tales are either messed up, disgusting, or altogether yucky, as the book’s title clearly points out.

Some of the stories can be considered relatively tame. Take Itty Bitty Bunnies In Rainbow Pixie Candy Land by Dean Rankine, for example. An incredibly cutesy, cartoony looking pair of bunnies (complete with tiny schlongs) go on a romp through a magical land full of wondrous destinations like Unicorn Airport or Butt Crack Canyon. Well, at least it seemed that they were going on this epic journey, but it turns out that the pair are just really, really munted.

Then we have some of the more perverse yarns, such as Putting The Pussy On A Pedestal (story by Ben John Smith and art by Frank Candiloro), featuring one man’s intimate night with his cat that he loves just a little too much, and Koy D’Roy: The World’s Friendliest Anal Rapist! by Ben Michael Byrne, the title of which really does describe everything. That Koy D’Roy sure is a charming fellow though!

Now, just because some of these stories feature various acts of substance abuse or sexual depravity, that doesn’t mean that all of the shorts in Yuck! Number Seven have to follow suit, does it? I mean, Behavioural Science by Lukasz Termer and Tom Bonin was relatively innocent. A giant fly tries to mug some dude in an elevator, and then gets it on with a maid. Hmm… OK, maybe not the best example of clean narrative content, but the artwork was fantastic!

How about The Feminazis From Venus Versus The Commies From Mars by Bruce Mutard? Alright, I’m not even going to lie this time, this tale is also very smutty, but is equally funny too. The phallus-hating women of Venus seek escape to another planet before a giant vaginal volcano drowns the entire planet in juice from the nether region, likewise the ever-erect men of Mars must also flee before the constantly-climaxing “Cock of Ages” completely smothers their home world. I particularly loved the ending that is an alternative interpretation of the origin of Adam and Eve that religious folk will most likely not at all appreciate…

Other Yuck! highlights for me include the various nonsensical but sharply drawn and written Mr. Unpronounceable tales by Tim Molloy, and If It Weren’t For You Meddling Kids! by Michael Aushenker, in which the numerous years of substance abuse have finally gotten the best of Shaggy, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would most likely have to be Baking Bad by Giles and J-Stew. An obvious Breaking Bad parody, two cupcake makers execute a rival baker, but not before she violently murders one of her own crew via means of an electric egg beater and a brutal “kick in the cunny”. Crude, violent, but very funny.

Just what other kinds of content can you expect to see when reading Yuck! Number Seven? Oh, you know, just the usual sort of comic book fare: human excrement shaped like an evil dictator and named “Shitler”, a being who is comprised entirely of a plague of rats and enjoys making love to teachers in the woods, incredibly rapey dolphins, an alien with a gun made from a modified part of her bowels, The Chronicles of Shitman and so on.

Coming close to being 200 pages long, Yuck! Number Seven is positively packed with entertainment for those who are able to tolerate it, and whilst the following may sound like I am trying to make a terrible joke, I found this book was best to read whilst on the loo, due to the short and sweet nature of its many brief stories. Sure, there were a couple of tales that were perhaps a tad too long for my often limited attention span, but all in all I found Yuck! Number Seven to be a surprisingly enjoyable read.

This book is definitely not for everybody. It is not for those without a good sense of humor. It is also not for the easily offended. It is especially not for children! No, to enjoy Yuck! Number Seven, one would need to possess either a very open or very crude sense of humor, and a decent tolerance towards depravity. If you believe you possess both of these qualities, then Yuck! Number Seven is a comic book collection that you should definitely read at least once.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Yuck! Number Seven 4 out of 5 public service announcements highlighting the important differences between paint-balling and ball-painting.

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