Cold Heat

Ben Jones is a member of the art collective Paper Rad--which lends their lo-fi, DIY aura to everything from Internet hijinks and zines to gallery installations and videos for MTV-ready artists like Beck and The Gossip. Frank Santoro produced the innovative, acclaimed comics "Storeyville" (1995) and "Chimera" (2005). The duo collaborated for four issues on the comic book series, "Cold Heat," compiled for the first time in this much anticipated volume, which also includes a bonus 150 new pages, as well as short stories by the writer and editor of the periodical "Comics Comics," Timothy Hodler. A review on The Copacetic Comics Company website enthuses, "Jones and Santoro are confident and slick in their technique, utilizing narrative techniques that they have made their signature. Santoro's painterly lines and chalk rub coloring clash wonderfully with Jones' ghoulish creatures and Op art backgrounds." "Cold Heat" follows 18-year-old Castle, an unlikely hero who is embroiled in a conspiracy involving pharmaceutical companies, aliens and a possibly dead rock star who is a ringer for Kurt Cobain. Jones and Santoro blend psychedelic satire, sex, drugs and kung fu into a nuanced narrative.