As a change of pace, I recently asked my friend, renowned men's mag fictioner Barbet Winslowe, to write a review for Pop Cutlure Gadabout. The results are as follows:

When Bill asked me to attempt a critique of Rick Altergott's The Doofus Omnibus (Fantagraphics), I looked up from my latest free-lance-work-in-progress (a Juggs fantasy about a woman whose breasts are fantastically augmented after she's been bitten by a radioactive titmouse) and said, "Review what again?"

In answer Bill showed me a copy of the work: a trade paperback with a picture of a straw-hatted grinning idiot on its cover. Nearly told him to get-the-fuck-outta-my-office, 'til he turned the volume over and showed me the back panels, which included an image of a sexy Wally Wood-inspired full-bodied babe hangin' her undies in a pastoral outdoor setting. Okay, I decided, I'll give this Altergott guy a look-see.

So I finish the book, and now I'm more than a little irked. Takes a good 39 pages before you get to the Wood-y babe in question, a trailer park hotty named Miss Juniper - up 'til then, you gotta read through the grubby adventures of the eponymous Doofus and his retarded friend, Henry Hotchkiss. These 2 are so pathetic that the closest they can get to Doin' the Deed is to sniff Miz J.'s soiled panties. There's a lot of olfactory bizness with undies and bike seats in this book - perhaps the publishers should've made it a scratch 'n' sniff.

So here I am, thinking "Why do I wanna read about these bozos? This is my readership, fergawdsakes!" In one strip, for instance, Doofus tries for a relaxing afternoon in the backyard. What does he take for entertainment? Copies of Hustler, Cheri, Chic, Penthouse and Playboy. (What? No Big Butt?) Yeah, that Doofus is a helluva classy guy!

Fact is, Doofus and Henry are perpetual virgins who are certain to remain that way. I mean, just look at 'em! Big D. can't even bother to buy an XXL shirt big enuff to fit his prominent beer gut, while Henry makes the shmoes on Red Green look like snappy dressers. Put either guy within 2 feet of a good-lookin' gal, and they immediately elicit a big Ewwww! from the lady by babbling about stinky fingers.

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