Wow, things are so crazy, I had to jump to the last section of UP, DOWN, OUT! I've been asked just what, exactly, does 'space opera' have to do with Tijuana Bibles? Well, here I put the 'adult' in 'adult sci-fi' in terms of language and subject matter. When slaves are forced to mine asteroids, contraband is the only culture they've got. And when the only culture they've got is company propaganda filtered through the lowest common denominator, you get comics like GUNG HO AND LITTLE PLUCK.
Apparently printed by INDUSCO (a name I came across researching the origin of the term "gung ho"—it's the closest thing to an identifier that the illegal asteroid mining company gets), the 'story-within-a-story' comic features the opposing personal styles of minimalist Gung Ho and his constant companion (or, is it the other way around), and inveterate scammer, Little Pluck.
The comics are racist, sexist, homophobic and raunchy on the surface while trying to educate the reader—although what is being taught is likely lost in translation. Kerf, the main character of UP, DOWN, OUT, is defined through the experiences he explored in the comic. As he looks deeper in the comic, he discovers latent homoeroticism and is left with more questions than he started. Part Three of the novel, "Out," is Kerf's story of dealing with loss while coming to terms with his own awakening sexuality.
I took a chance on the formatting here on the site to publish a sample, "The Death of Little Pluck," so you could see the experimental approach in describing the result. Enjoy! Feedback is welcome!
Wow, things are so crazy, I had to jump to the last section of UP, DOWN, OUT! I've been asked just what, exactly, does 'space opera' have to do with Tijuana Bibles? Well, here I put the 'adult' in 'adult sci-fi' in terms of language and subject matter. When slaves are forced to mine asteroids, contraband is the only culture they've got. And when the only culture they've got is company propaganda filtered through the lowest common denominator, you get comics like GUNG HO AND LITTLE PLUCK.
Apparently printed by INDUSCO (a name I came across researching the origin of the term "gung ho"—it's the closest thing to an identifier that the illegal asteroid mining company gets), the 'story-within-a-story' comic features the opposing personal styles of minimalist Gung Ho and his constant companion (or, is it the other way around), and inveterate scammer, Little Pluck.
The comics are racist, sexist, homophobic and raunchy on the surface while trying to educate the reader—although what is being taught is likely lost in translation. Kerf, the main character of UP, DOWN, OUT, is defined through the experiences he explored in the comic. As he looks deeper in the comic, he discovers latent homoeroticism and is left with more questions than he started. Part Three of the novel, "Out," is Kerf's story of dealing with loss while coming to terms with his own awakening sexuality.
I took a chance on the formatting here on the site to publish a sample, "The Death of Little Pluck," so you could see the experimental approach in describing the result. Enjoy! Feedback is welcome!