Rent-A-Thug http://www.rentathugcomics.com/

Alright, so when I set to do this review I mistyped the address (http://www.rentathug.com/) of the webcomic and discovered a site where you can actually rent a real life thug; or a gangster if you will. This isn't for violent uses I don't think, but I think it is for "companionship". I wonder if this webcomic I am reviewing was created as a parody of that site.

You certainly won't find any sexy thugs in this webcomic. The premise of it is basically to follow a few adventures of various thugs through antics with law enforcement or superheroes. The result is violence, sweet violence which I think the creator (Jeff Martin or rentathug on Z2H) has a love for. The stories can basically be described as 70's gangster shlock. Jeff uses the strip form to introduce to the reader a wide variety of thugs who will willfully take bribes, beat you with a lead pipe, or beat you with another thug (which was awesome- the notion of using another intact being as a weapon...imagine the strength required for such a feat especially if he is alive and squirmy).

I want to first comment about the art. Jeff opens pretty strong with his art and it maintains its consistency for the duration of the webcomic which I don't think is something that occurs for all webcomics unfortunately. And the thing is Jeff does this at least weekly. Jeff adds a lot in the way of textures to his characters and their environments. Each panel is pretty active and busy for the most part as Jeff fills every panel with bullets or thugs beating other thugs with a thug. At times however, the extra becomes too much and it is hard to make out what is occurring and what bullets are where.

The players in this comic have a weird posture to them that characterizes them as part of the comic. The characters have a sort of cute appearance, which is a good contrast to the giddy violence that ensues.

The high point of this series is the arc titled "Protection Head Rackets & Trauma". It had a weak opening but the payoff was worth it. It involves the series hero of Charlie No Aim who goes to collect "protection money" from a local grocer. A superhero just happens to be shopping there at the same time that Charlie decides to start breaking the place up. This is where I got turned off. I was expecting Charlie, being the badass that he is, to beat the superhero (Captain Impressive) within an inch of his life. This wasn't so. Charlie got his ass handed to him by Impressive and when Impressive was through he busted the place up with his own drama of breaking through the roof of the store in fantastic reverie. There was no way Charlie himself could have made this big a mess, and after Impressive makes his dramatic exit Charlie is still present to collect the money he was initially there to collect. Clever turn of events.

There was one entry that stood out in an odd way. It wasn't a negative way or jarring it was just a bit more serious or morbid. I liked it. It was the entry titled "After Hours With Walt". With a title like that you'd expect to have dinner with the old people next door. Uncle Walt would be sitting on his lazy boy smoking his stogy and inviting you in for some Christmas cheer. What is that smell and that lump underneath the living room carpet? It's best for health if you didn't ask.

I could go on as there are lots of high points in the series. It has only been around for a couple months and Jeff is powering ahead with a large volume. I hope he can keep it up. As far as suggestions go for the run, I would say that Jeff needs to tighten up his art a bit and possibly try some color. It may clear up some of the business I spoke about earlier in this review. I hope you have another major arc soon.

Is It Worth My Time?

If you are new to my reviews this is the section that I will include for all webcomics that I write about. There are so many webcomics out there, it is hard to know which ones to read. It is hard to sift through this amount because our time is valuable. So, I have done the work for you and I will tell you if it is indeed worth your time.

Jeff's comic is. It is totally worth your time. While some of the gags fall short at times it isn't often. It is just balls out fun in the most violent of ways. It has a thug beating a thug with a thug. Genius! It has a wide range of characters that you can collect and trade with your friends, or you can just take them from your friends after you break their shins with a lead pipe.

Other Business

I should have another review up here by the end of the weekend that you should check out. I will be reviewing Crackwalkers webcomic "Crackwalker". What I've read so far is pretty good so be sure to check back here when that happens. Crackwalker has a pitch too on Z2H that you should go rate if you already haven't called Mecha Syndrome.

I want to plug my own pitch as well called The Baker. It is about a Baker who after not being able to take it in the real world gets transported to a world whose inhabitants are pastries engaged in a class war. Go check it out!

And I am still looking for comics to review! Let me know if you got something you want me to have a look at!