Rick Rouse is an US army deserter from the Afghanistan conflict. Running as far away as he can Rick ended up in a Chinese theme park called Fengxian Amusement Park that is filled with famous replica characters. He has been chosen as the newest face of the park, Rickey Rouse. Rouse is about as close to Mickey as could be seen but in China it is far easier to have a close likeness than in other parts of the world and get away with it. All seems fine for Rick until that is he is expecting his daughter and ex wife for Christmas and a group of American terrorists take over the park. They want a dollar for everyone who lives in China, otherwise they will kill everyone in the theme park.

Political satire is dead. Political satire has no punch anymore. Political satire is empty. Well this might just disprove at least two of those three assumptions. Ricky Rouse has a gun is a clever cross between Die Hard and Black Mirror. It is sardonic, satirical but above all it is a bullet riddle, blood fest. It takes the world of a theme park, an empty vessel of corporate excess and mutates it with piracy of a type. It reverses the expected, American terrorists and Chinese capitalists (Both exist in real life but not in TV realms.) Then it plays the tune of obsession. This devotion to empty culture of the 80s, Disney and of course the good ol US of A.

The themes within the book itself resonant with a wide and very modern audience who are fatigued ever more with the horrid consumption of globalisation and commercial entity syndrome. I loved the fun playfulness of the story and felt that when it punches, it does so without remorse. It makes the zings hurt and it tells the story without remorse. Now I disliked the art work a little bit. I felt it was a little harsh and stuttered occasionally, making one action scene hazy but in general it all works incredibly well with the story. I have to gripe about something and that was all I could find. This is a standout piece of graphic artistry.  It is a credit to writer and producer. I can only hope it will be made into an action film. An all singing, all dancing piece of Americana cinema.

ISBN: 9781906838904