Kaput & Zösky (review)

In this French import, the absurd misadventures of the daring Kaput and Zösky, space explorers and would-be conquerors, are presented in brief, full-color installments that, when combined, form a graphic novel detailing several attempts at planet takeovers and a complete glimpse into the humorously bizarre psyches of the two comic protagonists. While Zösky may on the surface appear to be the logical, restrained counterbalance to Kaput's bloodthirsty mania, they are both quick to shoot first and ask questions later (though few answers are forthcoming out of the various quivering remains), and they both revel in the idea of finding a planet on which they can settle as overlords. Unfortunately, the alien beings they encounter all seem to have something wrong: the inhabitants are bloodsuckers, or too good at hopscotch, or a mite too clever. No matter, the two always have each other, their ridiculously tiny spaceship, and an entire galaxy to explore. Following each story is a single-page cartoon titled "The Cosmonaut," a brief single-gag amusement that acts as a palate cleanser for the next Kaput and Zösky excursion. The vibrant, sometimes even garish (though appropriately so) illustrations highlight the illogical, gory, and rampantly unsupervised world in which the protagonists dwell (imagine Calvin and Hobbes but with zero societal rules or grownup supervision). The few pauses built in to the stories are conveyed perfectly through wordless panels, as when Kaput, awaiting his next would-be assassin in a gladiator-style contest, stands miniscule in the giant arena, surrounded by splotches that represent his former competitors, momentarily quiet as he readies the weapon hidden in his mouth. While the humor sometimes relies on scatology or repeated gags, readers may like it all the better for that, and this hilarious collection is overall fresh, creative, and particularly appealing in the refusal to apply any sort of moral: sometimes space conquerors don't have to learn from their mistakes, and they get to keep assuming that their next attempt will stick.