Freedom Fries

Brodner's unique and disturbing art, highly reminiscent of British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe's trippy scrawlings, offers visual distortions and exaggerations that sock the viewer in a stunning visceral assault. Covering nearly 30 years of political machinations and chicanery, this collection of mutated, almost grotesque caricatures paints political figures on all sides with a palette of sordid ugliness that mixes the styles of Thomas Nast and David Lynch. Even ordinary citizens--striking workers, victims of gun violence--acquire a sinister edge in Brodner's overactive worldview. An introductory essay and Brodner's own self-deprecating captions provide context, which is sometimes necessary; much of the work relies heavily on current events so that contexts are long lost to all but the most historically minded. The span of work also captures Brodner's artistic growth: an early attempt at caricaturing media figures as characters from The Simpsons looks almost amateurish compared to a recent piece that paints the Bush cabinet as characters from The Sopranos. Although Brodner's style has developed from a Nast-like woodcut look to a more nuanced pen and ink approach, his humor is as biting as ever. This volume is a cynical, vitriolic gem with considerable artistic merit.