By James Kochalka
64 pages, color
Published by Alternative Comics
At this year’s SPX, James Kochalka was overheard describing the creative process for his web strip Fancy Froglin. “Every week I draw a new page,” he said, “and then I show it to my wife Amy. And every week she says, ‘I don’t get it.’ So I ask her if that means she doesn’t like my comics, and she says, ‘Not Fancy Froglin.'” Well, I don’t know about you, but that was all I had to hear to buy a copy (once I stopped laughing, that is).
Fancy Froglin is a happy little frog. Why is he so happy? He’s got something in his pants that he wants to share with you. And you. And you too! But you better hurry before his lecherous Uncle Funky shows up, because things never get better with Uncle Funky around… well, maybe.
Don’t get me wrong, Fancy Froglin’s Sexy Forest is definitely not for everyone. Personally, I think it’s hysterical. If you take the individual components and analyze them, it seems like a must miss: a young frog talking about his boner, a perverted aging frog, a lisping rabbit, and a lot of talk about a jar of pickles. Somehow when they’re all together, though, it just works. Maybe it’s the childlike attitude of Fancy Froglin himself, keeping the story from feeling unsavory. This is both Kochalka at his filthiest and purest, and that combination alone should both intrigue and terrify you. Then again, how can you not love a book where the publisher’s website notes the following: “Fancy Froglin’s Sexy Forest contains scenes of frank and explicit nature including but not limited to: nudity, suggestive themes, mature sexual themes, strong sexual content, homosexuality, beastiality, offense to God, attempted suicide, comic mischief, mild violence, violence, graphic violence, mild language, strong language, hate speech, informational and edutainment. It is intended for mature readers.” I’d say publisher Jeff Mason has covered all the bases there quite nicely… and then some that don’t even happen! Better safe than sorry, I suppose.
This is the first work by Kochalka that I’ve seen in color, and I have to say that I love the end result. Kochalka uses vivid shades of green, blue, purple, and pink to have each page of Fancy Froglin’s Sexy Forest explode off the page and into your eyes. You can’t miss a single panel of Fancy Froglin even if you want to… just like Fancy Froglin himself when he’s trying to show off his shorts that are containing his boner. Kochalka isn’t just relying on the colors of his strip to tell the story, of course. Fancy himself is drawn surprisingly expressive considering what a very basic character design he has. So much of it is in his eyes, from angry squints to heavy-lidded loopiness and all points in-between. It’s a children’s book on crack.
As Amy Kochalka will no doubt tell you if given the chance, Fancy Froglin’s Sexy Forest is not for everyone. If you don’t mind a happy little frog saying ribald things to a fuzzy pink rabbit in a forest and think it could actually be funny, you’ll definitely want to check this book out. If you’re not sure, though, you can always take a look at the first couple of pages at ModernTales.com, where new installments are available on a weekly basis. Who knows… you, too, might end up with a tingling in your pants when you’re done reading. (Hopefully it’s just your pager.)
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