COMIC BOOK REVIEW: PREGNANT BITCHES OF WAR / AUTHOR: ALEXANDRE O. PHILIPPE, CLAY ADAMS / ARTIST: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: FRIED COMICS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Quite the catchy title, no? And if that wasn’t enough to grab your attention, the contents of Pregnant Bitches of War will. From the moment you see Adolf Hitler sucking on a pregnant women’s breast on the opening page, you soon realise that this is no ordinary comic book.
Central to the story is Birdie DiSantos; a former military gal who was raped by her sergeant and then kicked out of the services. Pregnant as a result of the atrocity, Birdie decides to make the most of her unwanted baby and unemployment by joining a focus group dedicated to paying pregnant women for their thoughts. At least it’ll bring home some money, right? Whilst this is true, it also winds up bringing a shit-storm of trouble along with it. At the group meetings, Birdie meets some other pregnant ladies; the prissy Marni Gold; doe-eyed country yokel Bristol Butterfield; the broken-English speaking Jin Koh; the God-fearing Sister Mary Patrick; and the slightly butch and a tad too aggressive Leslie Lips. The bizarre arrival of Nikola Tesla (generally seen as one of the world’s greatest ever minds) and his temperamental time machine results in the group of ladies being taken back in time. To be precise, they wind up back in 1914 where they encounter a young officer named Adolf. But they can’t kill Hitler, right? What about the repercussions that would have on the future?
Safe to say, knowing that this man would go on to kill 6 million Jews is too much for one of the group, and so Hitler is quickly offed. The thing is, whilst Hitler would never go on to commit the crimes that we all know about, somebody else steps forward to rule in his place: the sack-adorned Exalted Father. And it turns out The Exalted Father is quite the sick puppy; some of the acts that he partakes in are certainly stomach-turning, and Pregnant Bitches of War most definitely pulls no punches.
This is a bizarre, truly unique title from the minds of Clay Adams and Doc of the Dead’s Alexandre O. Philippe, aggressively drawn and coloured out by various pens. The whole story itself has a very dark, twisted side, although there is also plenty of humour incorporated into the Bitches’ dialogue – and yes, the central group of preggers women end up taking on the Pregnant Bitches of War moniker. There’s plenty of chuckles, there’s a plethora of pop culture references, there’s the everyday problems of pregnant women, there’s elements pulled direct from history (including Thomas Edison and the Anti-Bitches), and there’s the lavish setting of Castle Neuschwanstein, itself the basis for the famed Disney castle.
Chances are, Pregnant Bitches of War may cause offence to many – it’s vulgar, crass, violent, and even introduced us to some new obscenities (shrivel-tits is our particular favourite) – but it’s also a hugely enjoyable ride that has a truly disturbing villain at the centre of the action. And in Birdie DiSantos, there’s a heroine who’s part Ripley, part Snake Plissken, and all badass.
The first five issues of Pregnant Bitches of War are available to download now over at Fried Comics.
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