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#Inktober Day 11: OMWOT One Man War on Terror, the over the top agent created by @_benjaminmarra_

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@comicsalliance says Terror Assaulter: One Man War on Terror by Benjamin Marra @traditionalcomics “might be the greatest comic ever created” and I say, “What do you mean ‘might be’?”

#terror assaulter #omwot #terror assaulter one man war on terror #terror assaulter omwat #benjamin marra #ben marra #fantagraphics #comics alliance #suicide squad #comics #comixology

Terror Assaulter: O.M.W.O.T. (One Man War On Terror)

As a response to the 9/11 terrorist assault on America’s freedom, President George W. Bush ordered the creation of a top secret team of foreign service agents: THE TERROR ASSAULTERS. Operating with a license to kill and a single mission – defeat terror – one such agent, codename: O.M.W.O.T (One Man War On Terror) will do anything to accomplish his goals. Is the price he pays too high? Lets just say… “No.”

By Benjamin Marra. Published by Fantagraphics.

NSFW!

What’s the one major thing missing from all action movies these days? Full penetration. Benjamin Marra’s Terror Assaulter is an 80s action movie taken to its logical extreme. It combines the kind of gratuitous action than is commonplace in movies such as Rambo and Robocop and juxtaposes it with incredibly pornographic sex scenes. In doing so Marra comments on the connection between sex and violence and how the two are portrayed differently in the media. He also makes you laugh so much you have to put the book down every couple of pages.

The plot synopsis provided at the start of Terror Assaulter provides some indication of the kind of world Marra has created. While planting itself firmly in reality, by namedropping George W. Bush and 9/11, it divorces itself from that reality basically immediately by introducing a main character whose name is O.M.W.O.T. (One Man War On Terror). The lead character is your quintessential action hero. He represents the type of male masculinity found in 1980s action movies (and indeed comic books) albeit ratcheted to the nth degree. He has no discernible personality traits apart from his omnipresent sunglasses and his need to kick ass. Despite his lack of charisma he is nevertheless adored by women and men alike. In short, he is every character ever played by Steven Seagal.

Beyond the initial premise the plot of Terror Assaulter is threadbare. Most issues open with O.M.W.O.T. mid-mission, stopping some form of vaguely defined terrorist threat with unparalleled bloodthirstiness. This involves a bunch of action movie clichés including fighting ninjas and drug lords. Marra also peppers the story with absurd little touches such as O.M.W.O.T. fighting a panther and the plot of the movie Red Dawn happening completely off-panel between issues 2 and 3. The fight scenes are gloriously depicted and riotously funny. Much of this is due to the general stiffness Marra imbues O.M.W.O.T. with, which gives the impression he is barely even trying to fight, despite his martial arts skills often entirely defying the laws of physics.

The dialogue is beyond stilted, and deliberately so. Characters essentially narrate what they are doing when they are doing it, despite the fact that Marra’s art makes it brazenly clear what is happening in each panel. For example a panel depicting O.M.W.O.T. chopping a terrorist in the neck will feature said terrorist saying “You chopped my neck”. This absurd stylistic choice is initially funny, then quickly becomes unfunny. Then it becomes funny again through sheer repetition. Then it reaches a comedic peak during the sex scenes.

Sex is a massive part of Terror Assaulter. The violence on display isn’t especially surprising (the cover shows O.M.W.O.T. decapitating a He-Manesque chainsaw-wielding thug) but when issue one transitions into an extended sex scene it comes as a surprise. The graphic (like, medically graphic) sex on display is the kind of thing that would never appear in the kind of action films that Terror Assaulter is parodying. Audiences can handle heroes gruesomely murdering terrorists (and in O.M.W.O.T. ‘s case the occasional civilian) but a scene in which a protagonist has sex with a male air steward, whilst piloting a crashing plane, is something that no studio executive and no censorship board would ever allow. This is the kind of scene that can only be seen in the pages of a comic book.

By the final issue, in which O.M.W.O.T. is forced to settle down and marry his gender swapped former archenemny, the trademark violence has given way almost entirely to scene after scene of O.M.W.O.T.’s sexual escapades, all of which are mined for maximum comic effect. Marra draws a clear connection between O.M.W.O.T.’s sexual desire and his appetite for violence. In the end, despite engaging in as much sex as he can to fill the void, O.M.W.O.T. can’t fight his violent nature leading to the final page which is perfect in its absurdity. And that’s Terror Assaulter in a nutshell. Perfectly absurd.

Stray Thoughts

The book isn’t completely devoid of political commentary. O.M.W.O.T.’s gung-ho attitude towards collateral damage could easily be seen as a comment on the US’s approach to the War on Terror. Also the government of Terror Assaulter is controlled by a sinister Illuminati who want to keep the War on Terror going perpetually in order to better control the world drug trade. It’s probably the least absurd element of the story.

The colouring of the book is excellent in achieving the look of a cheap exploitation comic. Using risograph printing, Terror Assaulter is depicted solely in red, yellow, blue and black. Despite these limitations the colouring is beautifully deployed.

For the record, I bought this comic sight unseen based on the name alone.

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