The new anthology by acclaimed cartoonist Jim Rugg is a masterpiece of comic art

Conspiracy comics #1 is the latest project from the celebrated cartoonist Jim Rugga collection of comic book stories about true crime, local conspiracies and pro wrestling rivalries. Ruggs experiments with form continue, Conspiracy comics #1 shows the cartoonist’s chameleon-like ability to switch between artistic styles to suit the different stories in this special anthology.

Following the similar event last year Funny true crime stories #1, Conspiracy comics #1 was written, drawn, colored, and lettered by Jim Rugg. The anthology of three short stories is self-published and sold exclusively through Jim Rugg’s website.

The three stories included cover a wide range of topics, but are all based on true events. Inspired by similar “true crime” comics of the 1940s and 50s, Jim Ruggs Conspiracy comics #1 is a comic book with a high level of craftsmanship in an impeccably designed package.

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Conspiracy comics #1 tells three stories based on true events

The first story appeared in Crime comics No. 1 is “Pittsburgh’s Biggest Mystery,” a purely fictional account of a B-52 bomber that crash-landed in the Monongahela River outside Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1956. After the captain and surviving crew were rescued from the plane, local authorities decided to wait until the next day to recover the sinking plane. However, despite many attempts to dredge the river, the wreckage was never recovered. This led to various theories about what might have happened to the missing B-52. Rugg chronicles these accounts on a Dan Clowes-inspired talking-head page before offering two theories about what might have actually happened.

“Christmas Cage Match” is a short piece at four pages, but Rugg makes every panel count. It was previously published in A24’s Von Erich magazine to promote last year’s feature film. The Iron Clawthe story revolves around the wrestling match between Kerry Von Erich and Ric Flair on Christmas Day 1982. This match ultimately led to one of the most famous feuds in wrestling history, between the Von Erich Family and the Fabulous Freebirds. Although it is short, Rugg manages to capture all the highlights of the legendary bout and depicts all the pro wrestling action in meticulous detail.

The last story in the anthology is “The War on Drugs”, a kind of sequel to the previous “A Diet of Danger”, which was Funny true crime stories #1. The War on Drugs continues the story of George Hunter White, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics who is perhaps best known for his involvement in the CIA’s Project MKUltra. Rugg adapts sections of White’s unpublished memoirs about his life and career, with this story documenting his involvement in a nationwide drug raid in 1937. Rugg’s approach dryly adapts White’s self-mythologization to black humor effect, using comic book cliches to tell the over-the-top story.

Conspiracy comics #1 shows Jim Ruggs mastery in the medium of comics

All of these stories are interesting in and of themselves, but what really makes them special is Conspiracy comics What’s special about them are the choices Rugg makes to bring them to life on the comic page.Previous works such as Aphrodisiac established Rugg’s ability to mimic other artistic styles, even down to the color choices that made the pages look like remnants of comics past. Each story here has its own unique visual identity, with Rugg either recreating or reinventing techniques of the past for his own storytelling purposes.

While Pittsburgh’s Greatest Mystery feels like a nod to Golden Age EC Comics due to the pacing of the panels and the Leroy Lettering font, Christmas Cage Match is made with the classic Marvel-era exaggerations of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Drawing these references contextualizes the stories told specifically for the comic book medium, giving each story a sense of time and place through the style used at each. This variety of techniques allows Rugg to create a world for all three stories in which each feels complete and mature.

Using pop culture as a basis for telling the true stories contained within it gives Rugg the opportunity to subtly comment on each one. Conspiracy comics #1. “The War on Drugs” illustrates this quite brilliantly. By making the comic book story seem like a Mickey Spillane-esque pulp novel, Rugg manages to stay true to George White’s obvious exaggerations while pointing out their inherent ridiculousness.One particularly amusing scene features White swearing a “blood oath” to the Hip Sing Tong drug organization, which Rugg interprets as a scene straight out of a lurid pulp novel, complete with hooded figures, ceremonial daggers, and plenty of fiery altars.

Jim Rugg pays tribute to comic book history in Conspiracy comics #1

Ruggs’ use of a variety of different media tells a story not only through the words and drawings, but also through the choice of colors and lettering. Truly the invisible art of comic making, Ruggs’ approach to coloring and lettering in all three short films tells a story of its own. The sepia-toned flashbacks to the B52 crash in Pittsburgh’s Greatest Mystery paint a haunting yet beautiful picture of Pittsburgh in the 1950s. The city is depicted as constantly ablaze with the fires of the steel mills.

The lettering also helps create a world for each of the three stories. Pittsburgh’s Greatest Mystery uses the Leroy font, a style most associated with EC Comics. Husband and wife team Jim and Margaret Wroten did most of the lettering for EC and are often considered the best practitioners of this rather laborious process. Whether Rugg used a genuine Leroy kit to create the lettering or created his own font, the result is a flawless recreation. The variety of lettering throughout adds to the contemporary feel Conspiracy comics #1: Make each story unique.

Conspiracy comics #1 continues the trend of Ruggs experimenting with form and serves as a showcase for his skills as a cartoonist. Previous works such as Hulk: Grand Design and Street Angel Rugg used different styles in his approach, This makes the anthology format the perfect playground for the cartoonist to spread his wings and show what he is truly capable of. With a little luck, we will get more “True Crime” anthologies like Conspiracy comics #1 in the future, so that Jim Rugg to keep moving in new directions and exploring what is possible on the comic page.