A semi-regular column about great comics you probably don’t know about. These could be Indie comics, comics with small print runs, or foreign comics. As reader and lover of comics for over 35 years, I’ve accumulated a huge collection. And this collection runs deep with the weird and the esoteric.

Ah, KICKPUNCHER.

Just the name puts a smile on my face.

KICKPUNCHER.

Born out of the weird, wonderful, gone-too-soon sitcom known as Community, KICKPUNCHER is the name of a fictional movie that features prominently in an episode from season one. I won’t bore you with plot details from the show, but I will urge you to seek out Community if you’ve never seen it. Dan Harmon, the creator and head-writer, is a mad genius. He doesn’t care what a normal sitcom is supposed to look like. He broke every rule for making TV, and he did so with fearlessness and wit.

There’s the infamous Claymation episode, also the G.I. Joe cartoon episode, the Law & Order episode. The list goes on and on.

But this is a column about comics, dammit!

KICKPUNCHER (the comic) came as a special bonus insert with the Community Season One DVD set. It’s a slight comic, only 6 pages long, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in Kickpunch power!

Ghost written by Dan Harmon and illustrated by Jim Mahfood, KICKPUNCHER is essential reading for any serious Harmon-head. It mixes characters from the show, Community, with the action movie, KICKPUNCHER, to make a heady stew of nonsense and humor.

Jim Mahfood’s art is perfectly suited to the material. The script seems like it was created in a rush, while drunk, so why should the art be any different? That would usually be meant as an insult, but Harmon and Mahfood both shine in what others might consider a “sloppy” style. Chaos is their friend, and they both revel in it for these six pages.

So after the snake-men have kidnapped Brita and Annie, Kickpuncher is summoned to save the day. Look, its only six pages, just read the thing if you want to. Trying to tell the story here would be lame.

But as you can see, it doesn’t take long for them to get into “fan service” territory, with the girls tied up and wearing only their underwear.

There’s also this sexy pin-up, because why not?

No, it’s not a great comic. But I love Community, I love Dan Harmon, and I really like this fun little comic for what it is. A quick diversion, a fun waste of time, nothing more, nothing less.

Next time in The Comic Exotic; an old rarity from Eclipse Comics gives us the chance to talk about one of my favorite creators.

See ya’ next time, Space Cowboy!

Question, comments, insults? Send ‘em to dubcomicsjon@gmail.com

Jon Vinson is the writer of the graphic novel Edge of the Unknown and recently launched the new comics series Nightingale and the Finch. He is the Founder & Publisher of DUB Comics.