Dal Tokyo
*Starred Review* Panter’s legendary Dal Tokyo comic strip has finally been collected in this landmark volume. The influential graphic artist, whose career has taken him from underground comix to fine-art galleries, began the strip in the Los Angeles Reader in 1983; after a 12-year hiatus, it was picked up by the Japanese reggae magazine Riddim, where it appeared monthly until its conclusion in 2007. The series is set in a futuristic martian colony founded by Japanese and Texan settlers (Dal is short for Dallas), with cultural elements from both Japan (robots, public baths) and Texas (omnipresent automobiles). Beginning with a relatively coherent story line (at least by Panter’s standards), the proceedings grow ever more surreal as the narrative takes a backseat to the hallucinogenic graphics, and Dalto becomes less a geographic locale than a feverish state of mind. The visual approach varies from bold, stripped-down figures to vague, disjointed scribblings, but Panter’s distinctive punk-influenced style remains always recognizable. This long-awaited collection of these rare strips is a bonanza for Panter’s dedicated followers. --Gordon Flagg