Stray Bullets
El Capitán. All written and drawn by David Lapham.
Volume 1 (1-4). [From El Capitán:
They never saw it coming—they never had a chance! These are their stories.
Follow the lost lives of people who are savagely torn apart by events beyond
their control. Watch helplessly as a young man's misguided idea of love
leads to a savage night of murder. Tremble as the innocent world of an imaginative
little girl is shattered when she witnesses a brutal double murder. Party
with a pair of low-rent hoods who learn about what is really important in
life just when they shouldn't. And take a horrifying ride with Paul Barrow.
He has something other than good intentions on his mind when he picks up
an innocent, young runaway...] 
Volume 2 (5-8). [From El Capitán:
In this world… innocence is the first thing to go! One second they
had it, then it was gone. See how easily these young lives are forever shattered
by events beyond their control. It starts with an introverted boy on the
verge of manhood who gets sucked into a world of depravity and murder by
a needy older woman. Then, a freckle-faced girl learns a terrible secret
and becomes the most infamous gangster who ever lived. Next, a little girl's
life goes from bad to worse when the only thing she ever loved is slowly
and torturously taked from her. Finally, two young lovers on the run learn
that love is more than just another four-letter word...] 
Volume 3 (9-12). [From El Capitán:
In a town without sanity… no one gets what they deserve! Somewhere
out West is a town no one knows about - a desert town whose inhabitants
wait for the day a great earthquake will bring them beachfront property.
Here, a big lug with big dreams will acheive fame and glory and then throw
it all away. An infamous gangster will come searching for a little peace
and quiet but instead find a nightmarish circus of death. A once-beautiful,
now-broken woman will let the demons of her past pull her down into a thick
soup of depravity. And what will begin as a day of fun for all will turn
tragic, as a whole town will suffer at the hands of fate...] 
Volume 4 (13-16). [From El Capitán:
Forget the circus - the freaks live next door! Marvel at these wonders of
the modern world. Be awed and amazed at a mystical, five-legged cow whose
untimely death inspires a revolution. Stare agast at the depraved actions
of a group of small-town freaks as they unleash a night of savagery and
violence. Be astonished by the sadastic kinks of an ordinary housewife and
her servants of delight as their foul afternoon entertainment turns deadly
for an innocent young child. And roar with laughter at the infidelities
of a middle-aged clown with blood on his hands who claws his way out of
the darkness only to take the ultimate pratfall...] 
Volume 5 (17-20). [From El Capitán:
It's Sex vs. Violence… and Sex is fighting dirty! The battle has begun!
In round one, a love triangle between a drunken cop, an innocent woman,
and her unconscious, no-good, loser husband erupts into a deadly battle
of one-upsmanship. In round two, an old-fashioned detective embarks on a
deadly moral crusade when she uncovers a sick conspiracy of perversion.
In round three, a young woman, incapable of love, sells her soul to destroy
the hearts of men and cuts the widest swath of destruction since Sherman's
march to the sea. And in the final round, a distinguished teacher, unable
to control his base desires, learns the hard way that the telephone is mightier
than a white-hot slug in the gut...] 
Volume 6 (21-24). [From El Capitán:
On the Road to Heaven - The Devil Rides Copilot! The righteous will fall
before the power of temptation! An average Joe will become a saint, then
pay a terrible price as an innocent case of puppy love spirals into a maelstrom
of violence, tragedy, and murder. A faithful husband, yearning to "swing
wild," will bring home a problem he would gladly sell his immortal
soul to solve. An evil baby sitter, with lust in his heart, will drag a
lost little boy through a shattering tour of hell. And a hulking killer,
on a mission of revenge, will be beguiled by love and learn that it is better
to never have loved at all than to kill the one you do...] 
Volume 7 (25-28). [From El Capitán:
Ashes, Ashes... They All Fall Down! Two little fishies, hooked on a line,
one fried for breakfast, the other served at nine. A lost and lonely psycho,
looking for her friend, searches the universe to find the truth, till she's
twisted 'round the bend. A tough and cocky woman, knowing she's to blame,
for the misery of two small children, commits a desperate act of shame.
Everyone's in trouble, now it's up to him, a young man bent on suicide,
to put it right again. Trying times and bleak dark days, fairy tales they're
not... so pull up covers and leave on lights, 'cause the nightmares just
won't stop...] 
Volume 8 (29-32).
[From El Capitán: Beware these crazed warriors on the road
to self-destruction! Served hot or cold, these tales of revenge won't go
down easy. Haunted by scribblings in a torn and tattered notebook, a determined
cop will risk anything and anyone to find a lost little girl. Driven by
friendship, an abused young woman will put it all on the line to right a
stupid but deadly mistake. Spurred by an innate sense of justice, a rough-and-tumble
misfit facing overwhelming odds will wager her life on an iron will and
an aluminum baseball bat. And finally, pushed over the edge by a withering
blow to his mighty pride, "The Finger" will decide whether to
live with the unlivable or rip the delicate digits from the hand of a child...]
Book of the Week 11/17/04
1 Innocence of Nihilsm (1-7). [From El Capitán:
They never saw it coming - they never had a chance! These are their stories.
Follow the lost lives of people who are savagely torn apart by events beyond
their control. As the innocent world of an imaginative little girl is shattered
when she witnesses a brutal double murder. Or an introverted young boy on
the verge of manhood gets a lesson in just how far is too far when he falls
for a needy woman who lives life in the fast line. Or party with a pair
of low-rent hoods who learn about what is really important in life just
when they shouldn't. And even learn the story of the most infamous gangster
who ever lived, Amy Racecar, who talks to God, lunches with the President,
and just may be responsible for the end of the world. These are some of
the tales that will rip out your guts and break your heart.] Also
out as a trade
2 Somewhere Out West (8-14). [From El Capitán:
On the Run From the Past - With No Hope for a Future! Somewhere out West
there is a town no one knows about - a desert town whose inhabitants wait
for the day a great earthquake will bring them beachfront property. Here,
two young lovers on the run from the Mob will learn that love is more than
just another four-letter word. A once-beautiful, now-broken woman will let
the demons of her past pull her down into a thick soup of depravity and
death. A betrayed little girl running from everything will decide to help
someone and be scarred forever. And a big lug with big dreams will achieve
fame and glory and then throw it all away. These are just some of the people
whose tales will stick in your gut for the rest of your days.] Also
out as a trade
3 Other People (15-22). [From El Capitán:
Take a ringside seat for these brutal tales of twisted emotions. An ordinary
housewife, burning with a sick passion, will see her afternoon's entertainment
turn deadly for an innocent child. A bright young woman, incapable of love,
will destroy the hearts of men and cut the widest swath of destruction seen
since Sherman's march to the sea. A distinguished teacher, unable to control
his base desires, will learn that the telephone is mightier than a white-hot
slug in the gut. And a faithful husband, yearning to "swing wild,"
will bring home a problem he would gladly sell his immortal soul to solve.
These are some of the real-life battles that will knock you to the mat and
have you seeing stars.] 
Amy Racecar: The Ultimate Collection
1 (Stray Bullets 6, 10, 18; Amy Racecar Color Special 1-2).
[From El Capitán: The first five stories about the world's
most infamous gangster, including both of her daring full-color adventures,
are stuck inside this well-designed volume, which—like this sentence—will
take your breath away, and will surely become required reading at state
colleges everywhere! Amy endures the harsh tortures of science and motherly
love! She becomes a pawn in a political game that reaches the highest levels!
She hurtles through the far corners of outer space! She fights sex perverts,
bounty hunters, Space Monsters, and clowns! She even has a one-on-one sit-down
with God! It's all in day's work for a chick who's nuts! Pages and pages
of strangely interesting junk. From her predecessor—the crudely drawn,
twisted inspiration, Pumpkin Head—to the scripts, sketches, and scraps
of paper that gave birth toa comic book legend!] Old Book of the
Week 11/24/04