Comic Review: Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated #2

Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated #2

Aftershock Comics

Writer: Patrick Kindlon

Artist: Stefano Simeone

Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated #2 pushes the series in a classic dystopian direction. That’s both for better and for worse. Fanatical loss prevention specialist Nussbaum explores the world beneath the Causcaus superstore and its warring factions. Things aren’t much better in the retail hell above, as various individuals vie for power. The weird world of Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated really starts to take shape this issue. However, there’s still no one to really align with.

I should emphasize that isn’t necessarily an issue. Dystopian fiction is traditionally more about the setting and the messages the author is trying to convey. The characters and even the protagonist will often be just vehicles to explore that. Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated adheres to that but also presents an eclectic cast of characters. They’re all very amusing but none of the cubicle warriors, anarcho-primitivists, or loss prevention specialists come off as very sympathetic.

The closest the book gets is Mr. Provo, the CEO who Nussbaum violently interrupted mid-suicide. He’s still torn up from the relationship troubles that set everything in motion but refuses to so much as slow down. Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated touches on some very heavy, serious emotions with Provo. Even then, it’s hard to side with a character who threatens to send his assistant to their “Golan Heights office” just for trying to help him. That’s not to say that you can’t have dastardly, dramatic protagonists. 2000 AD basically built their entire brand off of them.

Regardless, the characterization is in line with the tone and humor of the comic. Corporate newspeak, PR damage control, and wanna-be revolutionary talk are pushed to a logical, hilarious extreme. Stefano Simeone’s art adds a lot to the book’s already effective humor. The layouts are always appropriate and at times genuinely clever. The character designs also work well, as they’re distinctive but not too absurd. Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated #2 pulls off some great visual gags. The most memorable one is Provo standing bare naked in a ruined recovery cell while assuring his assistant that he’s just fine.

Simeone’s colorwork is also top-notch. It’s a lot more distinct this issue and it keeps everything feeling coherent. The heavy use of blue and red distinguishes the superstore above to the secret world below. The strange, artificial tones also do most of the work when it comes to selling the futuristic feel of the book. That means the designs don’t have to be too “out there,” as the colors are what really sells this bizarre if sadly familiar future. Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated continues to be the brilliant social satire that American comics need more of.

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