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Rating: 
Summary: Preach on, brother!
Review: Despite the aforementioned flaws by fellow reviewers, i.e rehashed strips from earlier publications, Danny's compilation is a triumph. For a guy like me, a late-bloomer in perusing the alternative comix section at my trusty neighborhood Zanadu Comics, Legal Action Comics served as usher into a new realm of art and stories. What struck me most about this work was while Danny originally envisioned this as a 32 page compilation to support his legal costs, this volume merely demonstrates, by the sheer artist and writer response and subsequent expansion into its present format, that Hellman is a rich man indeed, wealthier than any amount of cash Ted "Knee on his Throat" Rall could ever hope to squeeze out of him. That the comic community rallied around him in such fashion speaks volumes. My hat's off to Dirty Danny. Can't wait for Volume 2.
Rating:
Summary: Preach on, brother!
Review: Despite the aforementioned flaws by fellow reviewers, i.e rehashed strips from earlier publications, Danny's compilation is a triumph. For a guy like me, a late-bloomer in perusing the alternative comix section at my trusty neighborhood Zanadu Comics, Legal Action Comics served as usher into a new realm of art and stories. What struck me most about this work was while Danny originally envisioned this as a 32 page compilation to support his legal costs, this volume merely demonstrates, by the sheer artist and writer response and subsequent expansion into its present format, that Hellman is a rich man indeed, wealthier than any amount of cash Ted "Knee on his Throat" Rall could ever hope to squeeze out of him. That the comic community rallied around him in such fashion speaks volumes. My hat's off to Dirty Danny. Can't wait for Volume 2.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be Better
Review: This book was put together in order to fund the defence of cartoonist Danny Hellman whose freedom of speech is being attacked by the subject of a harmless satirical e-mail (cartoonist Ted Rall) via a $1.5 million libel suit. Hellman created his satirical e-mail as a response to Ted Rall's accusations, published in the Villiage Voice, that Art Spiegleman is some sort of dictator who controls the cartooning industry in New York (apparently Rall reserves greater freedom of speech for himself). Considering that the contributers include Doug Allen, Gary Leib, Sam Henderson, Johnny Ryan, Michael Kupperman (AKA P. Revess) etc. (see above for some more impressive names), this anthology should be a lot better than it actually is. Unfortunately, much of the book is taken up by reprints from publications that are likely already owned by anyone interested in this book. The Allen and Leib work is mostly reprinted from Idiotland, the Doucet is from Idiotland and Dirty Plotte, most of the Millionaire is from Dirty Stories Vol. II, etc. Also, most of these reprints are not even the various artists' stronger works. As for the new stuff, when it isn't taking (often funny) stabs at Ted Rall, it tends to be lightweight and silly. For example, James Kolchalka has a series of useless one page stories about a frog getting an erection while looking at various inanimate objects (like a phone), and many others are dumb stories about "Dirty" Danny Hellman playing (neither real nor realistic) pranks. Thus most of the strips by, e.g., Sam Henderson (normally a hillarious cartoonist) are just plain stupid. There is enough standout material (e.g. Michael Kupperman's strips (although for some reaons they print one of his really short strips twice) and Johnny Ryan's) and it is for a good enough cause that it is definitely still worth getting, but most fans of its fantastic lineup will be disappointed. Ultimately, this book reminds me of one of the Small Press Expo's annual anthologies: thick and worthwhile, but still very hit and miss.
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