The following review is NSFW, as is the comic being reviewed. If you are squeamish about gratuitous gay sex in humorous situations, this book is not for you. 

Today I take a look at Rick Worley's comic, "A Waste of Time".

This review is a first for this site on a number of levels. This is the first Mature comic I've ever reviewed. It's also the first independent comic I've reviewed thus far. Finally, it's the first of many books I picked up at the 2011 APE con in San Francisco.

Rick Worley's "A Waste of Time" is a charmingly candid collection of autobiographical tales, told by Worley's artistic representation of himself- A cute anthropomorphic rabbit. Indeed, looking at the cover art, one might see this plush looking rabbit and think you've perhaps picked up some strange incarnation of Hello Kitty... That is until you notice the tied up "twink" wearing bunny ears that also graces the cover of this collection.

This comic takes a look at many facets of gay culture that no one really likes to address in this politically correct world of ours. There's a rather wonderful quote from the foreword by EvilJeff of Comic Book Queers; " There's so much PC bullshit going on in the gay community that we tend to avoid portraying gays as meth addicts, self-loathing alcoholics, masochists and porn junkies. Rick Worley has geniusly realized he can show gays at their worst if they look like cute bunnies, robots and teddy bears. I, for one, feel he's one of the few faggots out there telling the truth. He doesn't hold back."

Some might say this comic is all shock value, and there's enough of this subject manner on HBO for George Carlin to come back from the grave and give us 7 more stand-up specials. But, with both Carlin and Worley, what makes them funny AND applicable is that all of their observations and musings come from real life. The further you get into "A Waste of Time", the more you realize just how much of it is deeply autobiographical for Worley, and that you yourself find you have more than a little in common with this rabbit.

Art snobs might initially see the anthropomorphic caricatures of Worley and his friends as amateurish, and look no further. But the truth is, these characters are drawn with smooth, confident inks, by a man who knows very clearly the expressions and motivations he wants his characters to display. And his art certainly changes styles when you see the many pinups of the boys he's drawn. Gone are the cartoonish proportions, but added is a fantastic use of hatching ink work that really shows the dedication of the artist to his model. He does a fantastic rendition of  Michelangelo's "Victory" with all the care and detail of a Dore' drawing.

I always have to tip my hat to comic book artists who can tell a story completely visually. Now certainly, there's plenty of dialogue in "A Waste of Time", but there is also a section called "Marching to The City", which is a stunning visual journey through the roller coaster ride of a relationship, and all the ups and downs that go with it. If NOTHING else in this book appeals to you, you should still buy it to see cute robots go about their daily lives, and what happens when love, lust, and loss is introduced into that equation.

Ultimately, "A Waste of Time" is just the opposite. Worley has given us a refreshing dose of reality that I believe people will relate to, whether they're gay, straight, or in between. I for one am very much looking forward to more volumes of this work, and hope to see Rick Worley pimping more books at APE Con next year.

You can read "A Waste of Time" online, as well as contact Rick Worley at "http://www.rickworley.com/"