The wonderful thing about comics is that there are no limits to the imagination. They can be about anything and portray any sort of story. The characters usually take on a journey of growth and we as the readers follow along, usually finding relatability in their quest. Hentai Hunter by R.J. Crow proves this by having its protagonist set out on a quest to destroy all anime tiddies from the world. I only wish I had the power to do the same.
This story follows Regan, who wakes up in a hospital to a post-apocalyptic world. Her awe is cut short by an anime girl crashing through the window with the intent of killing the last surviving human. Regan thinks quickly and produces an uzi from her pillow, which she uses to kill her two-dimensional enemy. Regan then sets out to find what ended the world with the help of her hairless cat and a hallucination of her ex-girlfriend. After a brief and explosive encounter with a hoard of anime girls, Regan finds out the truth. She discovers that a neckbeard redditor has caused the apocalypse, to no one’s surprise. Regan then decides to do what any sensible person would do, eliminate hentai from this world.
There are a plethora of elements that come together in Hentai Hunter. First of which is the art style. Regan is crazy, and she looks, fucking crazy. Her vibe and look blend perfectly well together. Regan truly shines when she engages in violence. She truly is madness incarnate and whenever we see her face that becomes abundantly clear.
The dialogue and references are really what make this story so memorable. Regan hates anime, yet she is modeled after anime characters. Her hairstyle is directly from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, her eyes and piercings scream Naruto. She and her imaginary ex literally Jojo pose reference Jack Nicholson, Tarantino, Rocky and Duke Nukem. There is such a gigantic amount to find and unpack in these 20 pages that I found myself re-reading it three times, each time finding a new favorite quote. The current winner is “How am I gonna gaslight girlboss gatekeep my way out of this?”
To say Hentai Hunter is a wild ride would be the understatement of a century. It starts off with a wacky premise that quickly escalates into a bloodbath. There is violence and cursing and more anime boobs than my little brother’s search history. Hentai Hunter presents one crazy idea after another and executes each one better than the last. To dismiss Hentai Hunter due to its attention-grabbing premise would be a huge mistake. There is hilarity and eye-catching action in every panel. The story here would work independently of how funny and self-aware the dialogue is, but these factors only make it that much better. Hentai Hunter is a can’t miss comic with an important message: Destroy reddit and hentai.
For more information check out the Kickstarter here and R.J. Crow’s Twitter here. Take it from me, you won’t want to google the words “hentai hunter.” You may discover a little too much about the properties of rubber and gum. Sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter!
