Underworld: Beautiful Filth for the Confused

KAZ's Underworld (1992 - present)
(buy a book. you know what those are, right?)
reviewed by J. Kane
Trip-O-Meter: 8/10

Besides having a trippy name Kazimieras G. Prapuolenis, (Kaz for short) draws gritty, nasty, awesome comics called Underworld. Written with zen flair and drawn like smutty underground 'toons from the 80's, the jokes really don't make sense unless you're baked. But if you are, Underworld is a gem, hilarious and beautiful and a fitting commentary on contemporary society. Or as they say, "It's so beautiful, man!"

(click if you can't read these)

Here's a good example: Making fun of beat culture is almost too easy, but it seems like there's a deeper message here as well.

I first read KAZ in The Arizona Republic's awful response to the Phoenix New Times, The Rep (you can read some of the wonderful hate mail the comic received). Eventually Kaz got kicked out, but he didn't care. He just does his own thing and isn't trying to make money.
The Rep has since gone under, which is good, since only idiots from Sun City seemed to read it. Anyway, I was 12 and didn't understand what the hell was going on in Underworld. Now, looking back, I totally get the jokes and I feel much more mature. Except this comic can sometimes be immature. What a conundrum!












You can read a good bulk of Underworld's archive here. A couple episodes of Underworld are also animated. These will burst a brain vessel or two, especially "Happy Home" and "Damn Kids." Enjoy!