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richbarrett's review
5.0
Seriously loved every little thing about it from the Marvel Comic Origin parodies in the masthead to the time warp sequence that initially made me think my copy had a printing issue to the way every single woman in the book falls in love with Afrodisiac and starts calling him "Daddy". I just wish there was more.
crookedtreehouse's review
2.0
I really enjoy the idea of viewing the genre of superhero comics through the lens of Blacksploitation. And, artistically, Afrodisiac LOOKS amazing. [a:Brian Maruca|458819|Brian Maruca|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art is flawless from cover to cover.
BUT
at the end of the day, this is two straight White dudes writing blacksploitation superhero stories. And it doesn't work.
I probably would have found it incredibly funny if I'd read it in the 90s, but reading it in 2017 was cringe-inducing. The jokes about converting lesbians and writing the dialog in dialect just doesn't sit well on the page.
If you removed all the words and had it as an art book, it would be five stars. But even though I didn't know [a:Jim Rugg|384702|Jim Rugg|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] or Muraca's race when I started reading it, it didn't take even a full page to think "There's no way this was written by someone who isn't White."
BUT
at the end of the day, this is two straight White dudes writing blacksploitation superhero stories. And it doesn't work.
I probably would have found it incredibly funny if I'd read it in the 90s, but reading it in 2017 was cringe-inducing. The jokes about converting lesbians and writing the dialog in dialect just doesn't sit well on the page.
If you removed all the words and had it as an art book, it would be five stars. But even though I didn't know [a:Jim Rugg|384702|Jim Rugg|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] or Muraca's race when I started reading it, it didn't take even a full page to think "There's no way this was written by someone who isn't White."
amycarreira's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
elturko64's review
5.0
This is possibly one of the funniest/greatest comic books I've ever read. Everything about this is ridiculous. Afrodisiac is a the world's greatest pimp with an origin that changes every issue. He tangles with an alien princess, Hercules, Tricky Dick Nixon and even Death and somehow overcomes all of them. He is possibly the greatest character nobody knows about.What's also great is that each story has a different style. It brings in a breath of fresh air every issue. Another awesome feature are the various covers, which are styled after the 1970's marvel comic books, and they're amazing.
I highly recommend this just for the laughs alone. Definitively a must read
I highly recommend this just for the laughs alone. Definitively a must read
abetterbradley's review
3.0
The best way to describe this book is that it's blaxploitation set in a graphic novel.
jwclaire's review
1.0
I bought this book ~7 years ago and it sat on my shelf until I brought it in a beach vacation. Two pages in, I was over it. Checked to see if it was an own voice story but nope, two White men and that was enough for me to stop reading. Does not work in 2019, probably didn’t work when I bought it either...
vegebrarian's review
4.0
Hilarious. Wish there was more to read. This is a gem with the most outrageous storylines that just leave you laughing and shaking your head in disbelief. Loved it.
rickklaw's review
5.0
Rugg and Maruca survey the decades long existence of the baddest, black hero of them all, Afrodisiac. By using a variety of art styles and storytelling methods, the duo provide a fascinating chronicle of the changing superhero and the black identity in comics. The gorgeous volume includes covers (with coffee stains, creases, and random pen markings), toy advertisements, and even a promo for the animated series. Some of the stories are complete, some not. Through frequent origin changes -- Alan Deashler gets his powers from a deal with the devil, nuclear waste, an old beat up stick (his "pimp stick"), and a top secret government program (he was a skinny white kid before the experiments) -- and a wide of range of genres from adventure to super hero to horror to romance, Rugg and Maruca manage to craft a cohesive story in this extraordinary graphic novel.
gotterdammerung's review
4.0
Fantastic postmodern rehash of the standard blaxploitation superhero minus the trapping of White guilt syndrome.
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