If the Kramer vs. Kramer movie script had been written in finger
paint and then dunked in a vile of LSD, it would be a lot like Victor-Hugo
Vaca's online graphic novel Crackhead Jesus.
In the story, the Miami artist satirizes his own courtroom experiences
to point out the nastiness of the justice system. The Naval
officer-turned-painter juxtaposes quotes from his own case with
fictional courtroom appearances from, for example, Prince and Jesus Christ.
So voila!, Miami. Now that we're done with turkey and we'll be
on to baby Jesus for the next month, here's the Savior in a setting
outside the manger. The story is a trip: unusual, slightly offensive, and,
yes, wrought with conspiracy theory. The title of the novel comes from
a situation that prompted Vaca's case, in which the artist says he had
to evict a drug-addicted tenant who thought he was the son of God.
"I make it so outlandish that it's clearly parody," Vaca says about the
art. "That way I'm safe from slander." But not everybody is laughing, and
he has thoroughly pissed off the judge and opposing council.
Vaca now adds, "The powers that be are trying to censor me." Riptide is checking out if there's any validity to this. More later.
