The Exterminators: Insurgency, Vol. 2

Henry, Stretch and Kevin, exterminators with the Bug-Bee-Gone company ("here to mop up nature's little mishaps"), are called in to handle an infestation at a literary brothel where clients pay to act out fantasies from Burroughs, Kafka and Carroll. But the problem is much larger, as tens of millions of roachlike critters begin coursing through the sewers and taking over electrical plants. The final showdown between the exterminators and the bugs is typical of the book's outstanding dialogue, as the three partners engage in lengthy conversations about world religion while stomping through the "crap bisque" of a city sewer. The bug story (which incorporates Egyptology and allegory about the war in Iraq) weaves through Henry's deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend, Kevin's after-hours job as a pro wrestler in a seedy fight club and a particularly well-done interlude where three major characters visit their respective mothers for advice. The color palette is appropriately dark and grimy; this is evidently a world where the sun seldom shines and when it does, it does so harshly. Artists Moore, Samnee and Parks use closeups to powerful effect and the scenes involving the army of bugs maximize the squirm factor. (Mar.)