Clocking in at nearly 200 pages, Rachel Rage Vol. 1: Heartland is Blaxploitation-themed graphic novel from the mind and pen of John Aston.  Rachel Rage debuted as a webcomic by John Aston, the self-described head honcho over at OldeTowneComix.com, at which he posts Rachel Rage.  I had the pleasure of meeting John in 2009 at HeroesCon, and he’s a genuinely nice guy, but thankfully, John and I have staked out two separate areas within the Black action genre, otherwise there might very well be blood in the streets as we fight over Blaxploitation webcomic supremacy.  Whereas WORLD OF HURT follows a male hero in the tradition of the characters portrayed by Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, and Jim Brown, Rachel Rage works the other side of the Blaxploitation street and centers around a bad-ass, take-no-prisoners female protagonist cut from the same mold as Pam Grier’s Foxy Brown or Tamara Dobson’s Cleopatra Jones.

Set in the American South during the 1970s, Rachel Rage is a violent, blood-soaked, seedy tale of a young Black woman’s quest to avenge the death of her adoptive father at the hands of the corrupt, local sheriff, James Stewart.  Rachel Rage begins in medias res, with Rachel launching a one-woman assault on the sheriff’s drug supply chain.  Although she racks up a decent body count, Rachel’s initial attack against the sheriff quickly falls apart, and she is captured by Sheriff Stewart’s deputies.  While in his custody, Rachel is psychologically abused by the twisted sheriff, who has a habit of referring to our heroine by the sarcasm-laden, tender endearments like “sweet potato pie”  and “sugar dumpling.”  Coming from his perpetually sneering mouth, the phrases are delivered like wicked, cutting bromides against his captive. 

Despite the body count Rachel has left behind even before the story begins, and the damage she’s done to Sheriff Stewart’s drug running network, the lawless lawman has no intention of physically harming her…yet.  For reasons that I can’t go into without giving away the plot, Stewart merely wants to break Rachel’s spirit and bring her into his organization.  Recognizing that her first plan is now in tatters and  finding herself alternately bound, gagged, and/or hooded and at the mercy of the sheriff, Rachel agrees to go along with the Stewart’s scheme, but she will not be denied her revenge.

Aston creates a complex tale of intrigue, deceit and betrayal with Rachel Rage.  The language in Rachel Rage is absolutely brutal, and Aston does a strong job of capturing a sort of Tarantino-esque cadence for the characters.  (Physically, Sheriff Stewart strongly resembles the late David Carradine, so I found myself reading all his dialogue as the master assassin wrangler, Bill, of Tarantino’s two-part cinematic epic, Kill Bill.)  Aston emphasizes the film parallels by setting the action within panels bordered by a set of weathered curtains, to mirror the effect of sitting in a sticky-floored,  popcorn-strewn theater.  The panels have the muted, but lurid, coloring of an aging film stock, complete with scratches on the film.  However, despite his reverence for the cinematic experience, Aston also recognizes the possibilities inherent in the comic medium.   Aston works large and his big panels are chock-full of interesting details.  Aston’s technique of moving his virtual “camera” around various parts of the same panel to create mood and ratchet up the tension is one of the most effective uses of aspect-to-aspect panel transition that I’ve ever seen.   It establishes mood by lingering on a detail and effectively ratchets up the tension, as when the bound Rachel is slowly revealed to the reader over the course of several panels.  Also, I have to applaud Aston for the way he draws Rachel herself.  Rachel’s not a wasp-waisted waif.  She’s a wide-hipped, big-legged, Afro-puff-wearin’ daughter of the South.   Beneath her round, cherubic face, Rachel Rage is all butt, boobs and curves.  To use today’s vernacular, she’s thick, and ain’t a damn thing wrong with that.

Rachel Rage is filled with some of the seediest, most cruel characters this side of Eduardo Risso’s and Brian Azzarrello’s Vertigo series, 100 Bullets.  Finishing the book is the literary equivalent of staying in a strip club until the lights come on.  You had a good time while you were there, but in the harsh, unrelenting light, you suddenly realize that you don’t want to spend any more time with these people than you have to. ..but if your buddies gave you a call, you’d go back in a heartbeat.

Speaking of which, I might be that buddy who’s inviting you back to the club.  Word has it that John’s planning to release a new, shorter volume of Rachel Rage stories this year, so make sure you stop by the Olde Towne for a visit.

- JEP