Oddballs

This appropriately titled anthology of young cartoonists evokesin ways both good and unfortunatethe uninhibited, wildly creative era of underground comics. Much like the work published by such '60s undergrounds as Zap Comics and Rip-off Press, these comics plumb the depths of idiosyncrasyfrom violence and lurid science fiction to explicit sexuality and eccentric personal narrative. Take note of Luna Ticks's trashy punk-sleaze strip,``The Young and the Frustrated,'' which manages to attack sexual harassment via cannibalismbackyard-barbecue style. Mark Martin's ``The Origin of the Gnatrat'' is a very funny send-up of superhero comics. ``Christ on a Crutch'' by the Pizz (sic) offers a bleakly ironic skid-row punk Jesus with hygiene problems. However, words like sophomoric or juvenile could also be used to describe some of this work. Nevertheless, the book does well performing the financially risky and often thankless function of presenting these unusual artists to the public. Greenier is a freelance cartoonist. (Dec.)